Fatty Koo

The five original members of the musical collective Fatty Koo met in Columbus, OH. Eddie B, Gabrielle, Marya, Ron, and Valure were in the city's CAPACITY youth arts program, a program that allowed young urban artists to work with renowned artists and arts administrators. The idea of working together first came to light during the CAPACITY-sponsored "Columbus Songwriters' Summit for Oneness" in 2004. Although the members had varied backgrounds and tastes in music, together they had chemistry and a decision was made to stick together. When the non-profit John Lennon Educational Tour Bus brought its mobile recording studio to Columbus, the five recorded a demo, one that came to the attention of DAS Management. With the Fugees and the Black Eyed Peas as former clients, DAS Management was perfectly suited to develop the collective's blend of hip-hop, R&B, pop, and dance. Soon, Sony Music and BET were involved. Sony signed the collective, and BET worked a deal where their climb to stardom would be documented and developed into a television show. The public got to see the five settle on the name Fatty Koo when BET's Blowin' Up: Fatty Koo premiered in April of 2005. A month later they got to see new member Josh added to the band and the group's debut album come together. The album, House of Fatty Koo, was released in June of 2005 as its lead single, "Bounce," was being featured during ABC's coverage of the NBA playoffs.