Obese Records
| Obese Records | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Parent company | Warner Music Group |
| Founder | Capital Records |
| Distributor(s) | Atlantic |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Location | Melbourne |
| Official website | obeserecords |
Obese Records was a record label that released music from the Australian hip hop genre. It was the largest Australian independent hip hop label, including performers Pegz, Thundamentals and Dialectrix. Obese Records also operated two retail stores in Melbourne, a record distribution company, a soul imprint named Plethora Records, and operates the artists' management and touring company Obese Records Artist Management.
Obese Records was founded in 1995 as a small record store called OB's by Ollie Bobbitt, in the Melbourne suburb of Prahran. 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. Pegz) 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 "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 in Australia. The pressing plant was subsequently sold in November 2007.
The first artist released on the label was MC Reason's EP Solid in 2000, produced by Jolz with appearances from Brad Strut, Bias B and Pac D.
Other early releases included compilation albums, Culture of Kings (which included songs by Koolism, Hilltop Hoods, Hunter, Terra Firma, Lyrical Commission and Downsyde) 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, Bias B, DJ Bonez, Downsyde, Brad Strut and Layla. The two-disc Culture of Kings Volume Two included tracks by Hilltop Hoods, Delta, Layla, TZU, Hospice, Brothers Stoney, Bliss N Eso and Funkoars. It was the first Australian hip hop album to be selected for the Triple J feature album spot on local radio.
...
Wikipedia