No artist personifies the DIY culture of both underground hip-hop and Houston as perfectly as Fat Tony, the Third Ward-born musician who stormed through the indie-rap gates more than a decade ago. Through years of writing and performing amid the hip-hop scene of the fourth-largest city in the country, the man known as Anthony Obi has graced stages with the intent to always honor his inspirations, musical or otherwise. Heâs found himself as an artist among the likes of fellow Houstonians who mix inward-looking pathos with storytelling and a swagger all their ownâfrom Devin the Dude to Scarfaceâas well as like-minded iconoclasts from other genres such as Prince.
The winding road heâs traveled in his career reflects the range of his visionâan artist captivated by the spirit of punk rock and hardcore music, eager to put his on for his hometown as much as decamp to New York, Los Angeles, or Mexico City for inspiration.