Prince Markie Dee: Fat Boys on Being Hip-Hop's Pop Culture Ambassadors
By 1987, the Fat Boys had already experienced an impressive measure of success and notoriety, helping to develop and shape hip-hop’s early years on wax. Their first two albums, 1984’s self-titled debut and 1985’s The Fat Boys Are Back, were produced by rap legend Kurtis Blow and were certified Gold on the back of hits like “Can You Feel It?,” “Jail House Rap,” and “The Fat Boys Are Back.” Often sharing the stage with pioneering contemporaries like Run-D.M.C. and Whodini, the trio was a major part of hip-hop’s early mass-marketed concerts and tours, most notably “Fresh F...