Meet Fat Tony, Houston's Punk Comedy Rapper
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As you already know if you closely follow everything I write - and if you don't, what are you going with your life? - than you already know I went through a phase when I was obsessed with Houston hip-hop. I grew up as a cliched east coast hip-hop head in the '90s, so of course I dismissed Houston hip-hop as shallow. It wasn't until my later years that I let go of the backpack and realized just how incredible H-Town's hip-hop history is, and I committed myself to becoming a student.
In my studies I came across Fat Tony and was instantly engaged. A rapper whose name is a Simpsons reference is alright with me right off the bat, and I was drawn in even further when I saw just how much Tony's music overlapped and diverged with what we usually think of as Houston hip-hop. You could hear the influence, but you could also hear shades of The Clash, see Richard Pryor in his videos more than Paul Wall.
“Some of us have a sound that’s linked more to that Swishahouse era, there’s some of us on some whole different stuff.” Clearly Fat Tony is on some different stuff.
I thought Tony would be the perfect person to give me a more complex sense of what Houston's present and past truly looks like, so I talked to him and sure enough the man's something different. So whether you're also interested in H-Town's scene or just looking for a new artist to put into your eye and ear holes, check out my profile on Fat Tony. Enjoy.
