480:"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
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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
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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
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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
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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
506:. 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.
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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
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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)
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member Zev Love X. Bobbito's relationship with MF DOOM had begun in the early 1990s, through common friends and "Constipated Monkey" family member
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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.
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Fondle 'Em's popularity continued to grow throughout the years of 1996 and 1997, with each successive year drawing more praise from critics:
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Bobbito stated he selected
Definitive Jux because it was carrying on the independent hip-hop tradition formerly championed by Fondle 'Em.
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FECK1: DJ Eli & Shan Boogs (Cloudkickers), "And So
Kiddies... (feat. Cage) / Truly Gifted Ones (feat. Yeshua DapoED, J-Treds &
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The label issued Zev's first two MF DOOM singles in 1997, with a second following in 1998 and a full-length, entitled
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through
Bobbito's first imprint Hoppoh Records, and Lord Sear, a common fixture on Bobbito and Stretch's radio show.
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from major label limbo, and became one of the first US labels to release music from a South
African rap act with
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originated as demo tapes the duo made for “The
Stretch Armstrong/Bobbito Show,” as well as outtakes from the
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FEMHZ2: MHz (MegaHertz), "Rocket
Science (feat. Jakki Tha Mota Mouth)/Magnetics/Absolutely Posolutely"
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Bobbito's penchant for sniffing out extremely talented up-and-comers in the New York indie rap scene.
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374:. Garcia formed the label after realizing that the many unsigned rappers making guest appearances on
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sessions (a period from 1993 to 1994) in the form of two twelve-inch singles and an EP entitled
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to release it, as a Fondle 'Em release under the
Definitive Jux banner. In the liner notes for
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in 1999. During the same period of time, the label issued unreleased KMD material from the
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Near the end of 2001, Bobbito closed the label, and compiled the retrospective disc
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All of the labels' releases were vinyl only, with the exception of the re-released
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During the late 1990s, Fondle ‘Em began to establish itself as a highly respected
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FEJAKK1: Jakki Tha Mota Mouth, "Widespread (feat. Copywrite of MHz)/The Chosen"
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record label founded and owned by Bobbito Garcia from 1995 to 2001, based in
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FE004: Mr. Live, "Relax Y'self/Supa Dupa/Hunger Strike (feat. Tony Bones)"
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FE006: Lord Sear, "Alcoholic Vibes" b/w Stak Chedda, "My Hindu Love"
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FENH1: Da Nuthouse, "A Luv Supreme/Synapsis/Very Vocabulary"
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FERO1: Rok One, "Certified Superior/Ninety Degrees A Piece"
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FE91: Scienz of Life, "Metaphysic/2000 and What to Expect!"
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FE009: Scienz of Life, "Powers of Nine Ether/The Anthem"
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734:/KMD, "It Sounded Like A Roc/Stop Smokin' That Shit"
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FE84: KMD, "What A Nigga Know/Constipated Monkey/Q3"
392:, did not have a proper outlet for their talents.
663:FE31: Arsonists, "Blaze/Geembo's Theme/Flashback"
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186:but its sources remain unclear because it lacks
703:FE0082: MF DOOM, "Greenbacks/Go With The Flow"
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810:, "HomePiss/Nasty or Nice/The Plague/Flossin"
766:FEMHZ1: MHz (MegaHertz), "World Premier/Camu"
753:FEMF3: MF Grimm, "WWIII/Scars & Memories"
750:FEMF2: MF Grimm, "Landslide Remix/Tick Tick"
526:Fondle 'Em's best known artist was arguably
514:'s self-titled EP and the Juggaknots' album
772:FEJT1: J-Treds, "Make It Happen/Praise Due"
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50:Learn how and when to remove these messages
792:, "One In A Million/Peace To The Homeless"
720:FE85: MF DOOM, "The M.I.C./Red & Gold"
747:, "Do It For The Kids/Bloody Love Letter"
510:collectors. Certain titles, particularly
235:Learn how and when to remove this message
217:Learn how and when to remove this message
147:Learn how and when to remove this message
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638:FE101: Godfather Don & Kool Keith,
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377:The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show
83:Please improve this article by adding
538:, who had released an album entitled
890:Record labels disestablished in 2001
815:Fondle 'Em / Definitive Jux Releases
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885:Record labels established in 1995
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31:This article has multiple issues.
605:. Some of these artists include
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39:or discuss these issues on the
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85:secondary or tertiary sources
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848:Official Fondle 'Em Webpage
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622:Fondle 'Em Records Releases
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486:independent record label
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454:. Many of the songs on
395:Fondle 'Em, along with
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880:American record labels
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865:List of record labels
567:The End of Fondle 'Em
500:album, and MF DOOM's
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803:, "Place For A Wife"
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583:Farewell Fondle 'Em,
540:A Constipated Monkey
405:Stones Throw Records
382:DJ Stretch Armstrong
96:"Fondle 'Em Records"
838:Farewell Fondle 'Em
825:Farewell Fondle 'Em
725:Operation: Doomsday
574:Farewell Fondle 'Em
548:Operation: Doomsday
503:Operation: Doomsday
488:. It did not enjoy
386:Columbia University
333:underground hip hop
364:Fondle 'Em Records
328:East Coast hip hop
298:November 2001
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174:list of references
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460:Ultramagnetic MCs
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827:Compilation
780:Pumpkinhead
758:Sut Min Pik
617:Discography
490:major label
442:, a 7-song
199:introducing
874:Categories
832:References
633:Kool Keith
448:Kool Keith
433:Beginnings
414:Juggaknots
107:newspapers
74:references
36:improve it
808:Y@k Ballz
498:Cenobites
401:Solesides
42:talk page
859:See also
806:FEYAK1:
745:MF Grimm
611:MF Grimm
591:Bigg Jus
352:Location
900:WKCR-FM
801:Mizchif
795:FESA1:
790:Megalon
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698:MF DOOM
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528:MF DOOM
428:History
410:MF DOOM
368:hip hop
316:Defunct
305:2001-11
303: (
295:Defunct
285:Founder
277:1995-12
275: (
267:Founded
195:improve
121:scholar
732:Subroc
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727:2LP/CD
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366:was a
313:Status
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321:Genre
180:, or
128:JSTOR
114:books
688:Cage
673:, '"
607:Cage
597:and
450:and
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100:news
708:KMD
601:'s
593:'s
532:KMD
462:' "
418:KMD
384:on
76:to
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
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