Obese Records was a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

that released music from the

Australian hip hop Australian hip hop traces its origins to the early 1980s and is largely inspired by hip hop and other urban musical genres from the United States. As the form matured, Australian hip hop has become a commercially viable style of music which i ...

genre. It was the largest Australian independent hip hop label, including performers

Pegz Tirren Staaf, otherwise known as Pegz (or MC Pegasus), is an Australian hip hop artist and producer hailing from Melbourne, Victoria. He was the CEO of Obese Records—the record label responsible for artists such as Hilltop Hoods, Downsyde, ...

Thundamentals Thundamentals are an Australian hip hop group originating from the Blue Mountains region bordering the metropolitan area of Sydney. The members are currently Tuka, Jeswon, and Morgs. They have released five studio albums. History Band origi ...

and

Dialectrix Ryan Leaf, better known by the stage name Dialectrix, is an Australian hip hop artist from Sydney. He was a member of Down Under Beats Crew (DUB Crew) and, since 2008, has been a member of Gully Platoon. In addition to his musical career, Diale ...

. Obese Records also operated two

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

stores in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, a record

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations * Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

company, a soul imprint named Plethora Records, and operates the artists' management and touring company Obese Records Artist Management.

History

Founding as OB's record store

Obese Records was founded in 1995 as a small record store called OB's by Ollie Bobbitt, in the

suburb of

Prahran Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City ...

. Specialising in hip hop music, the store changed its name to "Obese Records" after Bobbitt sold the business to Shazlek One. In mid-2002 the store was bought by Melbourne-based artist Tirren Staaf (a.k.a.

) who transformed it into a record label. According to Pegz, there were few other labels specializing in Australian hip hop at the time, and none putting significant funds into marketing. Pegz claims that he "saw the opening and went for it. It was about giving the people around me the opportunity they deserved." Pegz used the label to create a distribution network, and also purchased the Zenith Records vinyl pressing plant, one of only two companies then still pressing

vinyl records A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

in Australia. The pressing plant was subsequently sold in November 2007.

Expansion

The first artist released on the label was MC Reason's EP ''Solid'' in 2000, produced by Jolz with appearances from

Brad Strut Brad Strut is an Australian hip hop emcee and singer based in Melbourne. Strut has performed and released material as a solo artist, and is also a member of hip hop group Lyrical Commission. Biography Brad Strut was born in Yarrawonga in the Vi ...

Bias B Adam Stevens, better known by the stage name Bias B, is an Australian hip hop artist. He started writing lyrics in 1989 and began performing in 1991 and released his first album, ''Beezwax'', in 1998. The album took two years to sell its first 50 ...

and Pac D. Other early releases included compilation albums, ''Culture of Kings'' (which included songs by

Koolism ''Koolism'' is an Australian hip hop duo originating from Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The members are lyricist Hau Latukefu (born Langomi-e-Hau Latukefu, 1976, Queanbeyan, Australia) and producer/DJ/musician Danielsan Ichiban (born ...

Hilltop Hoods Hilltop Hoods is an Australian hip hop group that formed in 1996 in Blackwood, Adelaide, South Australia. They are regarded as pioneers of the "larrikin-like" style of Australian hip hop. The group was founded by Suffa (Matthew David Lambert) a ...

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

, Terra Firma, Lyrical Commission and

Downsyde Downsyde are an Australian hip hop group from Perth, Western Australia. The group is composed of three members, Optamus, Dazastah and Dyna-Mikes. The group has performed alongside groups including Jurassic 5, Cypress Hill, Grandmaster Flash, The ...

) and ''Obesecity'', which Pegz describes as "key networking tools" for the growing Australian hip hop scene, as well as formative releases from

Bliss n Eso Bliss n Eso (formerly known as Bliss n' Esoterikizm) are an Australian hip hop trio based in Sydney. They are currently signed to Melbourne record label Illusive Sounds, and are managed and booked by label co-founders Adam Jankie and Matt Gudin ...

DJ Bonez George Kordas, better known by the stage name DJ Bonez, is a hip hop DJ and producer, originally from Sydney and currently based in Melbourne, Australia. DJ Bonez has been described as being at "the forefront of Australian DJing culture as a p ...

, Downsyde,

and

Layla "Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded by Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' (1970). Its contrasting movements were compose ...

. The two-disc ''Culture of Kings Volume Two'' included tracks by Hilltop Hoods,

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

, Layla,

TZU TZU (pronounced "Tee Zed Yoo") were an Australian hip hop group, formed in 1999 by Joelistics, Yeroc, Seed MC and Paso Bionic. They used instruments in live performances, giving their shows a rock-infused feeling. Duzy What joined in 2005. TZ ...

, Hospice, Brothers Stoney,

and

Funkoars The Funkoars are an Australian hip hop act from Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The group is part of the Certified Wise crew of hip hop artists from South Australia (including the Hilltop Hoods, and Vents), who also collaborated on various ...

. It was the first Australian hip hop album to be selected for the

Triple J Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian Radio in Australia, radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greate ...

feature album spot on local radio. In 2006 the Hilltop Hoods were nominated and won awards for Best Performing Independent Album (''

The Hard Road ''The Hard Road'' is the fourth studio album by Australian hip hop group Hilltop Hoods. Released on 1 April 2006 by Obese Records, it debuted at number one on the Australia ARIA Albums Chart, and was the first album by Australian artists ...

'') and Best Independent Artist at that year's Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR) Chart Awards. Two artists associated with the label were nominated for four AIR Chart Awards in 2007 (three for Hilltop Hoods and one for

Muph & Plutonic Muph & Plutonic is an Australian hip hop group. It is composed of MC Muphin (Dan Young, also known as "Muph") and DJ–drummer–producer Plutonic Lab (Leigh Ryan), both of whom released several solo albums before joining together to form a comb ...

). At the 2007 ARIA Awards, the Hilltop Hoods won 'Best Urban Release' for their album '' The Hard Road: Restrung''. The Hilltop Hoods DVD, ''The City of Light'', released by Obese Records in 2007, has also been classified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

. In 2008, two artists on the Obese label,

and Spit Syndicate, received nominations for 'Best Urban Album' at the

ARIA Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music The music of Australia has ...

. In 2010

M-Phazes Mark Landon (born 1 February 1983), better known by his stage name M-Phazes, is an Australian-born producer based in LA. He has produced records for Logic, Demi Lovato, Madonna, Eminem, Kehlani, Zara Larsson, Remi Wolf, Kiiara, Noah Cyrus, a ...

' album, ''Good Gracious'', was nominated for 'Best Urban Album' at the

Recent years

Following Hilltops Hoods departure to start their own label with

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

, Obese Records continued to focus on both established artists and underground locals. Plethora Records was founded as Obese' Records subsidiary

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

label in 2010. Obese was filming episodes for Obese TV, their web series, by 2012. In 2013 Obese Records signed its first management contract with emcee

Kerser Scott Froml (born 21 August 1987), better known by his stage name Kerser, is an Australian rapper. He has released two mixtapes and several albums since 2009 and his second album ''No Rest for the Sickest'' reached No. 15 on the ARIA albums ch ...

, at that point having divisions for sales, publicity, marketing, accounts, and A&R. The record store in Prahran at 4A Izett Street continues to sell hip-hop merchandise as of 2013, and also hosts listening parties, radio marathons, and a segment on Obese TV. Pegz expanded the company in 2013, opening a retail store in the Melbourne neighborhood of Frankston. It stocks music, merchandise, street apparel, spray paint, art supplies, DVDs, and street art magazines. Periscope Pictures announced on 19 September 2013, that Obese Records would be distributing its documentary ''Hunter: For The Record'' locally in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. The feature film chronicles hip hop artist Robert Hunter before his death from cancer in 2011. Hunter had released all his albums on Obese, and in conjunction with the DVD, the label is releasing his final album, ''Bring it All Back'', posthumously. In 2016 Obese Records announced that their official closing date would be 7 May and that they will no longer be releasing any music.

Staff

*Tirren StaafCEO *Fern Greig-MooreOperations Manager, Artist Management *Lindsey MartinPublicity, Communications *Lee RawlingsSales, Distribution

Distribution

Obese Records Distribution provides distribution for the following labels, in addition to Obese Records: *The Ayems *Born Fresh *Broken Tooth Entertainment *Crate Cartel *Fat Beats *Karsniogenics *Lookup *Myspherical *Nuff Said Records *Plethora Records *Uknowho Records *WordBurner Entertainment/

Artists

(

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

) *

Bliss N Eso Bliss n Eso (formerly known as Bliss n' Esoterikizm) are an Australian hip hop trio based in Sydney. They are currently signed to Melbourne record label Illusive Sounds, and are managed and booked by label co-founders Adam Jankie and Matt Gudin ...

(New South Wales) *

(Victoria) *Chasm *Coalition Crew (Queensland) *

(New South Wales) *

Drapht Paul Reid, formerly Paul Gary James Ridge, (born 4 September 1982), better known by the stage name Drapht, is an Australian hip hop artist from Perth. Drapht is a member of the Syllabolix (SBX) crew, a collective that includes fellow Perth-base ...

(

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

) *

(Western Australia) *

(

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

) *

Gully Platoon Gully Platoon are an Australian hip-hop group, composed of Pegz (Tirren Staaf) with Joe New (Joseph Newberry) and Dialectrix (Ryan Leaf). Biography Tirren Staaf, who is also the CEO of Obese Records, founded the group in 2008. He realised his am ...

(

, Dialectrix and Joe New) *

Hyjak N Torcha Hyjak N Torcha is an Australian hip hop group from Sydney, New South Wales. Biography The group formed in 2000, consisting of Hyjak (Jack McCarthy), Torcha (John Chmielewski), and DJ Bonez (George Kordas). Hyjak first appeared on the scene in ...

(

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

) *

(South Australia) *Jase (Victoria) *

(Campbelltown, New South Wales) *Mantra (Victoria) *

Matty B Matthew Victor Barrett, who performed as Matty B, is a former Australian hip hop rapper and MC. Originally from Perth, he released an album, ''The Courageous LP'', in 2002 on Obese Records. He relocated to the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast ...

(Western Australia) *

(Victoria) *

(

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

) *

(Victoria) *

Plutonic Lab Leigh Ryan, better known by the stage name Plutonic Lab or sometimes as Pluto is an Australian music producer, engineer, artist & performer. He is also one half of soul/pop duo “''SoundsLike FRANCO''” with vocalist Natalie Slade, one third ...

(Victoria) *Reason (Victoria) *

Simplex In geometry, a simplex (plural: simplexes or simplices) is a generalization of the notion of a triangle or tetrahedron to arbitrary dimensions. The simplex is so-named because it represents the simplest possible polytope in any given dimension. ...

(Adelaide) *Skryptcha (New South Wales) * Spit Syndicate (New South Wales) *

(New South Wales) *

Vents Vent or vents may refer to: Science and technology Biology *Vent, the cloaca region of an animal *Vent DNA polymerase, a thermostable DNA polymerase Geology *Hydrothermal vent, a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water ...

(South Australia) * 7th Wu (New South Wales)

Discography

:''Source
Official Discography

References

External links

* {{coord, -37.849005, 144.9920899999996, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-IL Australian hip hop record labels Record labels established in 1995

History

Founding as OB's record store

Expansion

Recent years

Staff

Distribution

Artists

Discography

See also

References

External links