Kool Rock, formerly Kool Rock-Ski of 80’s pioneer group The Fat Boys, will step out on his own tomorrow with an all star, 4-track EP entitled Party Time.
Years away from the limelight hasn’t dimmed Kool Rock’s respect in the eyes of his Hip-Hop colleagues.
For the first single “We Can Talk,” the veteran rapper was able to obtain the services of superstar Jay-Z.
Both emcees enjoyed bridging the gaps between their eras, and Rock made note of Jay’s appreciated namedrop of the group on his seminal Blueprint album.
“Man, you know it was like two decades since I been in the game. To get in the studio and do a track with Jay-Z on it was a great feeling man,” Kool Rock told AllHipHop.com in an exclusive interview. “That’s right, me and Jay was laughing about his line ‘First the Fat Boys break-up’ [from the track ‘Heart of the City‘] and he was really happy to see we back [again]!”
Another surprise guest was in-demand songwriter T-Pain.
Acknowledging his elder statesman status, Rock is amazed at how far the music has progressed since The Fat Boys’s self-titled 1984 debut.
“T-Pain is a trip man, I think he was in diapers when my first record went platinum [laughing] and here I am, a grown ass man, learning from him!” Kool Rock exclaimed to AllHipHop.com. “My single [with T-Pain] is called ‘Stop Playing With Yourself.’ [It’s] one of those jams that just gets stuck in your head. As a matter of fact, I bet it will be a strip club anthem in a minute. ‘Stop Playing With Yourself,’ get your hands out your pants [laughing] you nah mean?”
In 1995, original member Buff Love passed away of a massive heart attack at the age of 28.
Since then, surviving members Prince Markie Dee and Kool Rock have made concerted efforts to watch their weights while retaining the flair the Fat Boys were known for.
And with the duo launching a comeback last year through http://www.originalfatboys.com, Kool Rock is excited about introducing the group to a new generation of fans.
“This release is my bread and butter right now,” Kool Rock stated. “The industry that we [The Fat Boys] helped forge has grown and as I hit my 40s I’m having the time of my life, I’m grown and sexy. I’m 175 pounds, I am in incredible shape; I got a 6-pack ladies! No pun intended, but I gotta eat now, it’s been a long time, [legally] download my album!”
Kool Rock’s Party Time EP debuts tomorrow (April 14) on iTunes.