Anthony Lawson Jude Ifeanyichukwu Obiawunaotu or Anthony Lawson Obi (born March 24, 1988), better known by his stage name Fat Tony, is a Nigerian-American rapper. He has been recognized in '' URB''s "Next 1000", a list of emerging new artists anticipated to break through. At the ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

'' Music Awards, he won the Best Underground Hip Hop award in 2008, 2009, and 2010, as well as the Best Solo Rapper award in 2013.

Early life

Fat Tony grew up in the Third Ward area of

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. Anthony Onyebuchi Obi, Fat Tony's father, is an engineer, and his mother Johnnie is a housewife. His mother sang opera and exposed him to

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

such as

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

. His father is stated to have exposed the artist to acts like

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

and

Jimmy Cliff James Chambers OM (born 30 July 1944), known professionally as Jimmy Cliff, is a Jamaican ska, rocksteady, reggae and soul musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and actor. He is the only living reggae musician to hold the Order of Merit, t ...

as well as music from his home country,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Fat Tony's father, an

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

, fought in the

Biafran War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence ...

in Nigeria before coming to Houston. Growing up, he became a fan of

Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...

. He stated in an interview that the first album he ever bought was an album from child rap duo

Kris Kross Kris Kross was an American hip hop duo that consisted of Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. Kris Kross was the youngest hip-hop duo to gain success, with gold and platinum albums at 12 and 13 years old. The duo was discover ...

whom he was inspired by due to the fact that they were kids. In middle school he formed a rap group with his friends called Simply Throwed. In high school he performed in a rap group called The Low Ends. He continued playing in bands with friends throughout his school days. Fat Tony attended

Carnegie Vanguard High School Andrew Carnegie Vanguard High School, named after Andrew Carnegie, is located in the Fourth Ward of Houston, Texas near Downtown and was formerly located near Sunnyside. The school serves grades 9-12 and is part of the Houston Independent School ...

(Class of 2006) and the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

. He also studied as a communications major at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

Career

Fat Tony's debut studio album, ''RABDARGAB'', was released in 2010. The album's title is a reference to the late 1990s

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...

campaign ("Read a book, do a report, get a buck") aimed at students to promote literacy by offering $1 to students in exchange for book reports. In 2012, he released a collaborative album with producer Tom Cruz, titled ''Double Dragon'', on Young One Records. In 2013, he released ''

Smart Ass Black Boy ''Smart Ass Black Boy'' is the second studio album by American rapper Fat Tony. It was released on Young One Records on June 11, 2013. Written in two days and recorded in four days, the album is entirely produced by Tom Cruz. Music videos were cre ...

'' on Young One Records. Produced by Tom Cruz, the album was written in two days and recorded in four days in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. It was included on the year-end lists by ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'', ''

'', and ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character tra ...

''. In 2017, he released ''MacGregor Park'' on First One Up. The album's title refers to

MacGregor Park MacGregor Park-Neagle Field is a park and baseball venue in the Third Ward, Houston, TX and the home field of the Texas Southern Tigers baseball team. The Tigers are a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. A 42-acre section of the pa ...

in Houston. It was included on the year-end lists by ''

Bandcamp Daily Bandcamp is an American online audio distribution platform founded in 2007 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with headquarters in Oakland, California, US. On March 2, 2022, Bandcamp ...

'' and ''Houston Press''. In 2018, Fat Tony released ''10,000 Hours'' on

Don Giovanni Records Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label originally specializing in punk rock from the New Brunswick, New Jersey music scene but eventually working with a variety of artists from different genres. History Don Giovanni Records was fou ...

. Written and recorded in Los Angeles, the album was produced in large part by Hevln. In 2019, Fat Tony served as a host on the nightly live variety show ''Vice Live'' on

Viceland Viceland (stylized in all caps), and Vice TV in the United States, are brands used for television channels owned and programmed by Vice Media. Viceland launched on February 29, 2016, with two branded cable channels; the American version (rebra ...

along with Marie Faustin, Sandy Honig, and

Zack Fox Zachary Channing Fox (born December 6, 1990) is an American stand-up comedian, rapper, writer, actor, illustrator and internet personality from Atlanta, Georgia. He has collaborated with Kenny Beats, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat. Career Fox got ...

. In 2020, he released a collaborative album with producer Taydex, titled ''Wake Up'', on Carpark Records. On October 23, 2020, he released the album ''Exotica'' on Carpark Records.

Style and influences

Fat Tony has cited

Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, Black Flag,

Bad Brains Bad Brains are an American rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. Originally a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power, they are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this ...

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

the Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, a ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

the Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

UGK UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, ''Too Hard to Swallow'', in 1992, followe ...

, Outkast,

DJ Screw Robert Earl Davis Jr. (July 20, 1971 – November 16, 2000), better known by his stage name DJ Screw, was an American hip hop DJ based in Houston, Texas, and best known as the creator of the now-famous chopped and screwed DJ technique. He ...

Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mys ...

Mac Dre Andre Louis Hicks (July 5, 1970 – November 1, 2004), known by his stage name Mac Dre, was an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He was an instrumental figure in the emergence of hyphy The term hyphy ( ) is Oakland slang meaning "h ...

Too Short Todd Anthony Shaw (born April 28, 1966), better known by the stage name Too Short (stylized as Too $hort), is an American rapper and record producer. He became famous in the West Coast hip hop scene in the late 1980s, with lyrics often based on ...

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

, My Bloody Valentine,

Rick Rubin Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records. Rubin helped popula ...

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

, Scarface,

Devin the Dude Devin Copeland (born June 4, 1970), better known by his stage name Devin the Dude, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is known for his unique rapping style and his 2002 songs "Lacville '79" and "Doobie Ashtray". Early life Devin Cop ...

Kilo Ali Andrell D. Rogers (born May 1, 1973), better known as Kilo Ali, formerly Kilo, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. Kilo Ali recorded mainly bass music (described more closely to Miami bass style music), but also hip-hop tracks with a le ...

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

Mannie Fresh Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American music producer and rapper. He's best known for his productions on Cash Money Records releases, as well being half of the hip hop duo (alongside ...

Bikini Kill Bikini Kill is an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington, in October 1990. The group consisted of singer and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band pioneered the ...

Lil B Brandon Christopher McCartney (born August 17, 1989), professionally known as Lil B and as his alter ego The BasedGod, is an American rapper. Lil B has recorded both solo and with Bay Area group The Pack. His solo work spans several genres, ...

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

, and

De La Soul De La Soul () is an American hip hop trio formed in 1988 in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative ...

as his music influences.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''RABDARGAB'' (2010) * ''Double Dragon'' (2012) * ''

'' (2013) * ''MacGregor Park'' (2017) * ''House with a Pool'' (2018) * ''10,000 Hours'' (2018) * ''Wake Up'' (2020) * ''Exotica'' (2020)

Remix albums

* ''SCREWDARGAB'' (2011) * ''MacGregor Park (Chopnotslop Remix)'' (2017)

Live albums

* ''Live at No Audience'' (2020)

Compilation albums

* ''The Creation of Fat Tony'' (2009)

Mixtapes

* ''RABDARGAB: The EPreview'' (2010)

EPs

* ''Love Life'' (2008) * ''Look'' (2016) * ''Urban Hall of Fame'' (2016) * ''Snak Pak'' (2018) * ''Full Circle'' (2018)

Singles

* "Hood Party" (2013) * "BKNY (Remix)" (2013) * "No More" b/w "Love Me" (2014) * "Sushi" (2015) * "Dame Un Beso" (2016) * "Twin Peaks" (2017) * "Two for One" (2017) * "Son of God" (2017) * "Growth Spurt" b/w "Northside Dr." (2018) * "FWU" (2018) * "Don't Move" b/w "Can't Stay" (2020) * "Gambling Man" (Mariachi Remix) (2020) * "Ain't for Me" (2021) * "Ain't for Me" (Blockhead Remix) (2020)

Guest appearances

* SMKA - "'Til It's Gone" and "I'm on Fire" from ''SMKA: The 808 Experiment Vol. 1'' (2008) * DJ Sly - "Killin' Time" from ''Beyond It'' (2009) * Juiceboxxx - "Boxxx Get Busy" from ''Journeyman from the Heartland'' (2010) *

Das Racist Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconven ...

- "Luv It Mayne" from ''

Sit Down, Man ''Sit Down, Man'' is the second mixtape by American hip hop trio Das Racist. It was released as a free download by Greedhead Music, Mishka, and Mad Decent on September 14, 2010. It gained over 40,000 downloads in its first week of release. An albu ...

'' (2010) * Tecla - "Beautiful Problems" from ''Strangers Revisited'' (2011) *

ASAP Rocky Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper, music producer and record executive. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a membe ...

- "Get Lit" from ''

Live. Love. ASAP ''Live. Love. ASAP'' (stylized as ''LIVE.LOVE.A$AP'') is the debut mixtape by American rapper ASAP Rocky, who released it as a free digital download on October 31, 2011. It features production by Clams Casino, ASAP Ty Beats, DJ Burn One, and ...

'' (2011) * Tecla - "No Music" from ''Thanksgiving'' (2011) * Hot Sugar - "Leverage" from ''Midi Murder'' (2012) *

Big Baby Gandhi Big Baby Gandhi (birth name: Nafis) is a Bangladesh-born American rapper from Queens, New York. His first mixtape, ''Big Fucking Baby'', was released in 2011 to highly positive reception from music critics. As a result of the attention he got fro ...

- "Lurkin'" from ''No1 2 Look Up 2'' (2012) * Mishka & Rad Reef - "Hyperbolic Chamber Music" (2012) *

Heems Himanshu Kumar Suri (born July 6, 1985), better known by his stage name Heems, is an American rapping, rapper from Queens in New York City. Best known for being part of the alternative hip hop group Das Racist, Suri is also the founder of Greedh ...

- "Bangles" from ''

Nehru Jackets ''Nehru Jackets'' is the first solo mixtape by rapping, rapper Heems, Himanshu. It was released on Himanshu's own Greedhead label on January 17, 2012. ''Rolling Stone'' named the song "Womyn" the 36th best song of 2012. About Himanshu released ...

'' (2012) *

Antwon Antonio Williams (born October 25, 1986), better known by his stage name Antwon, is an American rapper based in San Jose, California. In 2013, he was included on '' Complex''s "15 Unsigned Rappers Who Should Get a Deal After SXSW" list. He was al ...

- "Laugh Now: Hot Sugar Version" (2013) * Tecla - "Bed of Roses" and "Mayo on the Side" from ''Bruja'' (2013) * Steel Tipped Dove - "Sprung" from ''Steel Tipped Dove & a Whole Bunch of Crazy Motherfuckers'' (2013) * Kool & Kass - "Burtation" from ''Peaceful Solutions'' (2013) * Weekend Money - "Trapper Keeper" from ''Freddie Merkury'' (2014) * Shy Girls - "Without (Magic Fades Remix)" (2014) * Donwill & Dash Speaks - "Sixteen Tons" from ''Don Speaks'' (2014) * Kari Faux - "Stainless" from ''Laugh Now, Die Later'' (2014) * Tony Collins - "Take You Home" from ''Last Night'' (2014) * Cakes da Killa - "I Run This Club Remix" from ''I Run This Club'' (2014) * Puzzle - "All the Best" from ''Tighten the Reins'' (2017) *

Black Midi Black MIDI is a music genre consisting of compositions that use MIDI files to create a song or a remix containing a large number of notes. People who make black MIDIs are known as blackers. However, there are no specific criteria of what is cons ...

- "Jam" and "bmbmbm" from ''Black Midi Live in the USA'' (2020)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fat Tony 1988 births Living people Igbo rappers African-American male rappers Rappers from Houston Southern hip hop musicians University of Houston alumni University of St. Thomas (Texas) alumni American people of Igbo descent 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians Don Giovanni Records artists Carpark Records artists 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people