Fat Boys

The Fat Boys were a hip-hop trio from Brooklyn who came up in the early 1980s. They were Mark Morales, who went by Prince Markie Dee, Damon Wimbley, known as Kool Rock-Ski, and Darren Robinson, called Buff Love. Their sound leaned on humor and a knack for beatboxing, which they turned into a calling card with tracks like 'Human Beat Box' in 1984.

They put out a handful of albums through the decade, including Fat Boys in 1984, The Fat Boys Are Back in 1985, and Crushin' in 1987. Songs like 'Stick 'Em' and 'The Twist' kept their playful, rhythmic style in rotation. The group's name itself became a point of conversation, seen by some as a bold statement and by others as a bit too on-the-nose.

Kool Rock-Ski left the group in 1988, and they carried on for a few more years, releasing On and On that same year and Mack Daddy in 1991. Their beatboxing, especially from Darren Robinson, left a clear imprint on how vocal percussion was used in hip-hop after them.