First up, can you introduce Obese Records? Who are you?

Obese Records is Australia’s largest independent hip hop label. We are also a distribution company and have a retail store in Melbourne.





Obese Records is now a very influential label with big names signed and a great reputation. How did it all start?


Obese Records started as a store in 1995 and it then developed into a label to help further promote home-grown hip hop. Our roster of artists and releases slowly started growing to the point where we now have 12 artists on the label.


Was there a defining point / moment when you realized that this was no longer a small company, but a large record label?


I guess the closest thing to being a defining point for us would be when Hilltop Hoods went gold with ‘The Calling.’ That was a definite highlight for Obese Records. In comparison to other labels, I’m not sure if we could be classified as ‘large’ but we are on our way.





Obese Records are behind a huge number of Australian artists, could you throw a few names around for us?


Our highest selling and most well known artists would be Hilltop Hoods, Pegz, Downsyde, Muph & Plutonic.


One of the outstanding credits to Obese Records is the Hilltop Hoods and their album ‘The Calling’, which went gold (sold over 35,000 units). How did you find this reflected back on the record label?


Any major achievement in business reflects back in part on the employees and that was something that we were all incredibly proud of. We’re a tight knit, small group that works hard to make the most of all of our releases and bring Aussie hip hop to a wider audience. Going gold is recognition that we’re on the right track.


Obese is an independent label, and in some circles this can be synonymous with ‘alternative’, and be shunned for not being mainstream. Obviously that’s ridiculous, but do you think that having artists like the Hilltop Hoods reaching #1 on the Aria Charts has any effect on the public perception of your label?


It certainly means that Obese Records may become a more well-known name to the general public and definitely within the music industry but I don’t think it would have altered any Aussie hip hop lovers previous perceptions of the label. We’ll continue releasing quality local hip hop and building awareness of the genre.


Whilst your beginnings were in the opening of a record store in Prahran, Melbourne, Obese now caters to the whole of Australia, distributing to over 300 outlets across the country. Do you have a strong base in each major city?


We have retailers all around Australia and our artists are often touring so we have a presence throughout the country. Obviously we have a strong base in the major cities but we found that local hip hop, shows and releases, do really well in Brisbane and throughout Tasmania.





With so many artists signed, and a reputation for backing some of the most successful Australian Hip Hop acts around, do you get inundated with demo tapes / CDs from up-and-coming artists?


We do get quite a few demos but a lot of them are after distro deals not being signed to the label. We distribute a number of releases other than ours and we are committed to building the scene so we do take on a number of albums not on our label.


What would be the most common way for Obese Records to discover and sign new talent?


I guess word of mouth is a big thing. Someone sees an act perform or hears an artist or producer in the studio and the word starts to spread.

From browsing your website, could you give us a little insight into Zoo Dynamics and Zenith Records?


Zoo Dynamics is our international release and touring side of things. Through Zoo Dynamics we have released a range of quality American releases that may not otherwise get the recognition they deserve in Australia.

Zenith Records is a vinyl pressing plant that was taken over by the owner of Obese Records. We spent a lot of money fixing up all the equipment and it is definitely on par with all the international plants. It’s actually the only pressing plant in the southern hemisphere.





Speaking of your website, we noticed a photo in there of Paris Hilton. What’s the story behind that?


Our Operations Manager Bianca was lucky enough to party with Paris a couple of years ago in Melbourne. How could we not put a pic like that up??


For readers who have yet to experience Australian Hip Hop (where have you been?), who would you recommend as a good introduction into the genre?


Hilltop Hoods are very accessible, which is one of the reasons they have gained so much popularity. Downsyde and Pegz’ latest album ‘Axis’ are also a great intro for the beginner. Or grab a compilation to get an idea of the range that’s out there and who you might like.


So now that we have established a whole new crowd who are just salivating for more, what is the best way for them to support their local hip hop scene?


These days there’s a local hip hop gig on every weekend in the major cities. Get down to one and check it out or pop into your local independent record store and pick up some home grown hip hop.





Lastly, is there anything on the horizon we should know about? Any secrets you want to leak to us?


We’ve got a very exciting compilation coming out soon. It’s by renowned producer Jase and really does feature the best of the best of the Aussie hip hop scene. It’s coming out around June and called ‘The Jase Connection.’

I won’t spill any secrets about Hilltop Hoods just yet but they have plenty to be excited about in the next 6 months.