The Fat Boys released their self-titled debut album on May 29th, 1984, exactly 40 years ago today. Made up of Prince “Marky” Dee, Kool Rocksky and The Human Beat Box (aka “Buffy”), the Brooklyn trio helped popularize beatboxing alongside Doug E. Fresh.
Considered by many to be an early ’80s hip-hop classic, the self-titled album featured no guest appearances and was one of the first to feature live beatboxing on record. The trio later made a memorable appearance in the 1985 hip-hop classic film, Crush Groove.
On the 1984 album, songs like the anthemic “Human Beat Box” and the storytelling “Prison Rap” gave the East New York trio an edge over rap peers like Run-DMC and Whodini, while the timeless title track was an unashamed ode to overweight people not to be ashamed of their weight, giving a nod to other overweight artists like Heavy D and The Notorious B.I.G.
Sadly, on December 10, 1995, Buff Love died of a heart attack in Rosedale, Queens, New York. He was 28 years old and reportedly weighed 450 pounds. Prince Marky Dee died of congestive heart failure on February 18, 2021, during the pandemic. Both will be missed forever. Kool Rock Ski, the only surviving member, is still active on social media, posting regularly about the Fat Boys, as well as producing and promoting Fat Boys merch on Instagram. He is also the host of the annual Classic Hip Hop and R&B Cookout in New York City, which began in summer 2021.
