Fondle 'Em Records was a

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

record label founded and owned by Bobbito Garcia from 1995 to 2001, based in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Garcia formed the label after realizing that the many unsigned rappers making guest appearances on ''

The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show ''The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show'' (also referred to as ''Stretch and Bobbito'') was an underground hip hop radio show broadcast in New York, originally on 89.9 WKCR-FM, the student radio station at Columbia University, and later on 97.1 ...

'', a program Bobbito co-hosted with DJ Stretch Armstrong on

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

radio station WKCR 89.9 FM, did not have a proper outlet for their talents. Fondle 'Em, along with

Rawkus Records Rawkus Records (or Rawkus Entertainment) is an American hip hop record label, owned by James Murdoch, known for starting the careers of many rappers. Rawkus started in 1995 with releases in hip-hop, drum and bass and fun-dustrial (Dystopia One) ...

, Solesides,

Stones Throw Records Stones Throw Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. Under the direction of founder Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw has released music ranging from hip hop to experimental psychedelic rock. ''LA Weekly'' ...

and a handful of other small independent imprints helped jumpstart the underground hip hop scene in the late 1990s, on the east coast, establishing the subgenre as a viable branch of hip hop culture & rap music. It also introduced cult artist MF DOOM, rescued acts such as the Juggaknots and KMD from major label limbo, and became one of the first US labels to release music from a South African rap act with

Cashless Society In a cashless society, financial transactions are not conducted with physical banknotes or coins, but instead with digital information (usually an electronic representation of money). Cashless societies have existed from the time when human soc ...

's "Blazetha Breaks" 12".

History

Beginnings

Bobbito started the vinyl-only Fondle ‘Em imprint in December 1995, partially as a joke. Most of the initial releases advertised the records as being released on "Fondle 'Em Records, A Division Of Tickle 'Em Label Group, A Subsidiary Of Squeeze 'Em Entertainment." Its first release was ''The Cenubites'', a 7-song EP recorded by

Kool Keith Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), known professionally as Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer known for his surreal, abstract, and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both ...

and Godfather Don. Many of the songs on ''The Cenubites'' originated as demo tapes the duo made for “The Stretch Armstrong/Bobbito Show,” as well as outtakes from the

Ultramagnetic MCs The Ultramagnetic MCs is an American hip hop group based in the Bronx, New York City. Founded by Kool Keith, the group also includes Ced Gee, TR Love, and Moe Love. Tim Dog became an unofficial member in 1989. In 1990, DJ Jaycee was added as ...

' " The Four Horseman" project. (Later, both demand from fans, and Kool Keith's resurging popularity, led Fondle 'Em to reissue the project as '' The Cenobites LP,'' this time on cd as well as vinyl.) However, the popularity of the project led Bobbito to continue releasing music under the "Fondle 'Em" moniker. Fondle 'Em's popularity continued to grow throughout the years of 1996 and 1997, with each successive year drawing more praise from critics:

"Bobbito Garcia's Fondle 'Em label is indie all the way, and is also one of the most consistently compelling underground hip-hop labels you'll find. And although it still isn't sending out any promos, true heads will want to buy every new release on the label, since there hasn't been a bum one yet. Fondle 'Em started out partly as a gag with the now-infamous EP put out by the Cenobites...but Garcia's impeccable, yet twisted, taste and underground connections through his 'Stretch & Bobbito' show on New York City's WKCR allow him to explore New York's fertile hip-hop underbelly, and document it on wax." - Brian Coleman, CMJ

During the late 1990s, Fondle ‘Em began to establish itself as a highly respected

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

. It did not enjoy

major label "Big Three" music labels 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 t ...

backing or private investment. No artists were actually signed to Fondle 'Em, and profits from their records were split 50/50 with them. No marketing budget was ever set, and it did not have a promotions department per se; rather, Fondle 'Em moved units on the strength of its artists' talent and Bobbito's penchant for sniffing out extremely talented up-and-comers in the New York indie rap scene. All of the labels' releases were vinyl only, with the exception of the re-released Cenobites album, and MF DOOM's '' Operation: Doomsday''. Legendary Manhattan, New York record store Fat Beats distributed Fondle 'Em's products throughout the U.S., with rap mailorder site SandboxAutomatic.com handling the online distribution of the label's output. Fondle 'Em pressed its titles in extremely limited quantities, rarely making more than a few thousand copies available for each one; the exceptions to this general rule were the cd releases, and pressings of those reached barely 100,000. As a result, the label's catalog is now highly sought after by collectors. Certain titles, particularly Siah and Yeshua DapoED's self-titled EP and the Juggaknots' album ''Clear Blue Skies'', fetch high prices in online auctions and at swap meets.

Fondle 'Em & MF DOOM

Fondle 'Em's best known artist was arguably MF DOOM, the assumed name of former KMD member Zev Love X. Bobbito's relationship with MF DOOM had begun in the early 1990s, through common friends and "Constipated Monkey" family member Kurious Jorge, who had released an album entitled A Constipated Monkey through Bobbito's first imprint Hoppoh Records, and Lord Sear, a common fixture on Bobbito and Stretch's radio show. The label issued Zev's first two MF DOOM singles in 1997, with a second following in 1998 and a full-length, entitled '' Operation: Doomsday'' in 1999. During the same period of time, the label issued unreleased KMD material from the ''

Black Bastards ''Black Bastards'' is the second and final studio album by American hip hop music, hip hop group KMD, recorded in 1993 and eventually released on May 15, 2000, through Readyrock Records. Initially, the album was scheduled for release in May 1994, ...

'' sessions (a period from 1993 to 1994) in the form of two twelve-inch singles and an EP entitled '' Black Bastards Ruffs + Rares''.

The End of Fondle 'Em

Near the end of 2001, Bobbito closed the label, and compiled the retrospective disc '' Farewell Fondle 'Em''. Instead of issuing the album directly through Fondle 'Em, however, he chose fellow New York indie label

Definitive Jux Definitive Jux was a record label based in New York City. It was co-founded in 1999 by El-P and Amaechi Uzoigwe. History Definitive Jux was initially known as Def Jux. However, popular hip hop label Def Jam Recordings sued Def Jux over the name ...

to release it, as a Fondle 'Em release under the Definitive Jux banner. In the liner notes for ''Farewell Fondle 'Em,'' Bobbito stated he selected Definitive Jux because it was carrying on the independent hip-hop tradition formerly championed by Fondle 'Em. Many artists who recorded for Fondle 'Em would go on to enjoy moderate underground success for some years after the label's disestablishment in 2001, simply dispersing to other independent labels such as Bigg Jus's Sub Verse Music and

DJ Mighty Mi The High & Mighty is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, composed of rapper Mr. Eon ("The High", b. Erik Meltzer in February 16, 1972) and producer DJ Mighty Mi ("The Mighty", b. Milo Berger in September 1, 1972). Career Their comme ...

Eastern Conference Records Eastern Conference Records is an independent record label based in New York City. It is owned and operated by DJ Mighty Mi, the DJ/producer for the High & Mighty. During the label's brief heyday, it represented underground rappers such as Cage, ...

. Some of these artists include

Cage A cage is an enclosure often made of mesh, bars, or wires, used to confine, contain or protect something or someone. A cage can serve many purposes, including keeping an animal or person in captivity, capturing an animal or person, and displayi ...

, the Arsonists, Scienz of Life and

MF Grimm Percy Carey (born June 11, 1970), also known by the stage names MF Grimm, Grimm Reaper, GM Grimm and originally Build and Destroy, is an American underground rapper, music producer, CEO, and Eisner Award-nominated comic book writer from New Yor ...

Discography

Fondle 'Em Records Releases

# FE001: Godfather Don &

, "The Cenubites" EP # FE101: Godfather Don & Kool Keith, ''The Cenobites'' LP/CD # FE002: The Juggaknots, ''Clear Blue Skies'' LP # FE003: The Arsonists, "The Session/Halloween" # FE31: Arsonists, "Blaze/Geembo's Theme/Flashback" # FE004: Mr. Live, "Relax Y'self/Supa Dupa/Hunger Strike (feat. Tony Bones)" # FE005: Siah & Yeshua DapoED, '" The Visualz EP" # FE0052: Siah, "Repetition/Pyrite" # FE006: Lord Sear, "Alcoholic Vibes" b/w Stak Chedda, "My Hindu Love" # FE007:

, "Radiohead/Agent Orange" # FE72: Cage, "Mersh/4 Letter Word" # FE008: MF DOOM, "Dead Bent/Gas Drawls/Hey!" # FE0082: MF DOOM, "Greenbacks/Go With The Flow" # FE83: KMD, ''Black Bastards Ruffs + Rares'' EP # FE84: KMD, "What A Nigga Know/Constipated Monkey/Q3" # FE85: MF DOOM, "The M.I.C./Red & Gold" # FE86: MF DOOM, ''Operation: Doomsday'' 2LP/CD # FE87: Subroc/KMD, "It Sounded Like A Roc/Stop Smokin' That Shit" # FE009: Scienz of Life, "Powers of Nine Ether/The Anthem" # FE91: Scienz of Life, "Metaphysic/2000 and What to Expect!" # FEMF1:

, "Do It For The Kids/Bloody Love Letter" # FEMF2: MF Grimm, "Landslide Remix/Tick Tick" # FEMF3: MF Grimm, "WWIII/Scars & Memories" # FETBC: The Boulevard Connection, ''Sut Min Pik'' EP # FENH1: Da Nuthouse, "A Luv Supreme/Synapsis/Very Vocabulary" # FEMHZ1: MHz (MegaHertz), "World Premier/Camu" # FEMHZ2: MHz (MegaHertz), "Rocket Science (feat. Jakki Tha Mota Mouth)/Magnetics/Absolutely Posolutely" # FEJT1: J-Treds, "Make It Happen/Praise Due" # FERO1: Rok One, "Certified Superior/Ninety Degrees A Piece" # FECK1: DJ Eli & Shan Boogs (Cloudkickers), "And So Kiddies... (feat. Cage) / Truly Gifted Ones (feat. Yeshua DapoED, J-Treds & Pumpkinhead)" # FEJAKK1: Jakki Tha Mota Mouth, "Widespread (feat. Copywrite of MHz)/The Chosen" # FEMEG: Megalon, "One In A Million/Peace To The Homeless" # FESA1:

, "Blazetha Breaks" / Mizchif, "Place For A Wife" # FEYAK1: Y@k Ballz, "HomePiss/Nasty or Nice/The Plague/Flossin"

Fondle 'Em / Definitive Jux Releases

# DJX016: Breezly Brewin, Q-Unique, Godfather Don, J-Treds, MF DOOM & DJ Eli, "Fondle 'Em Fossils" / Dysfunctional Family, "Feelin' Da Highs" / "Fondle 'Em Fossils" (El-P Remix) # DJX019-2: Various Artists, ''Farewell Fondle 'Em'' Compilation

References

# ''Farewell Fondle 'Em'' (liner notes) (

, release DJX019-2, 2001)
Official Fondle 'Em Webpage

Discogs' Fondle 'Em Page