B-boys rejoice! Put on some Icy-Hot on your arthritic knee and dance like it was 1996 (I know I will). It’s all about a B-boy staple of the 90s, Fondle ‘Em Records!

Started in 1995 by B-boy/ baller/ sneaker-head/ DJ/ general-Hip-Hop-ambassador Bobbito Garcia (a.k.a. DJ Cucumberslice), the Fondle ‘Em label was short-lived and had a relatively small roster, but its impact on underground Hip-Hop was immense. Epic.

Starting from release number one, this was the kind of label kids used to get every new thing the label pressed. What was record number one? A little project that Bobbito started with Godfather Don and Kool Keith (in his late Ultramagnetic MC’s / early Dr. Octagon era). Word is the project and label began as a joke—for promotional purposes. The songs were created as drops for Bobbito’s WKCR radio show with DJ Stretch Armstrong (of Konstant Kontact blog). The project was dubbed, The Cenubites (later The Cenobites, and even later The Cenobytes—rappers are notoriously fickle about spelling). The Cenobites EP and LP were the first Fondle ‘Em releases. Here’s a vinyl rip from the FE-00101, the LP:

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MP3: The Cenobites – Rhymes I Sniff a.k.a. Carlos Died (1996)

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MP3: The Cenobites – Kick a Dope Verse (feat. Bobbito) (1996)

Next up is pure perfection. Briefly signed to Electra, The Juggaknots were dropped from that label before their first release and Fondle ‘Em swooped them up quick, releasing their first self-titled LP in 1996. This vinyl only release is extremely rare and finding a copy nowadays is hard and/or expensive. Gemm’s got it for $150 and even if you can find it on eBay it still fetches a $60-100 premium. The Juggaknots were brothers Breezly Brewin’ (also of The Weathermen and the voice of Tariq in Prince Paul’s classic Hip-Hop opera, A Prince Among Thieves) and Buddy Slim (who primarily handled the production).

Smarter than your average rapper, The Juggaknots had an underground hit and a brilliant social commentary about racism that’s both bleak and incredibly hopefull at the same time with the track ‘Clear Blue Skies’:

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MP3: The Juggaknots – Clear Blue Skies (1996) [recommended]

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MP3: The Juggaknots – I’m Gonna Kill U (1995)

The Juggaknots mostly disappeared for 10 years, with sparse releases of mostly old material (2003’s ‘Re:Release‘, this apparent re-release of ‘Re:Released’ and one EP called ‘The Love Deluxe Movement‘). However, The Juggs have returned triumphantly in 2006 with their full release, ‘Use Your Confusion’ which added a new member to permanent lineup, Queen Herawin. Interesting part about this is that all three members are siblings. Fam. affair! The new album isn’t Fondle ‘Em, but it’s highly recommended. Get it from Amazon.

Another gem that Fondle ‘Em saved from the brink of extinction is KMD. KMD, of course is Zev Love X and DJ Subroc. And, of course, today we know Zev Love X by his new alias, MF Doom. As the story goes, KMD (just like The Juggaknots) was dropped from Electra after the label refused to distribute their second album, ‘Black Bastards‘ which was slated for release in 1994. Electra refused the record and disassociated themselves from KMD because of ‘Black Bastard’s black nationalist content and provocative cover art, which depicted a lynching of a cartoon Sambo figure in relation to the game Hangman (view it). Fondle ‘Em recognized the travesty that was KMD’s lost ‘Black Bastards’ album, and 4 years after Electra was supposed to release the album, Fondle ‘Em released a wax only collection of tracks and instrumentals from the ‘Black Bastards’ sessions. It’s titled ‘Black Bastards Ruffs+Rares‘, although not the complete album, it was huge for KMD and MF Doom fans. It wasn’t until 2000 that the original and full album was released on independent label, ReadyRock. Noticeably the track, ‘Popcorn’ was missing from all releases following the original Fondle ‘Em vinyl release:

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MP3: KMD – Popcorn (1998)

Another one that did appear on the subsequent full release:

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MP3: KMD – Get-U-Now (1998)

MF Doom also released all his first solo projects on Fondle ‘Em (before and after the KMD release mentioned above). His first singles and LP, ‘Operation: Doomsday’ are accepted classics! Here are two favorites from his first solo single that later appeared on his LP:

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MP3: MF Doom – Dead Bent (1997)

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MP3: MF Doom – Hey! (1997)

Sadly, ‘Operation Doomsday’ is currently out of print, but eBay can make it happen for you, with either an original Fondle ‘Em CD for around $50 or a post-millennium re-release for a bit cheaper… Or wait it out and it’s bound to be imprinted again.

To tackle the rest of the Fondle ‘Em catalog is way too ambitious for us to handle. However, if you have the interest, you ought to visit Fondle ‘Em’s official site (hosted by Sandboxautomatic, an online record shop that has got thousands of my dollars over the years).

Also, visit Bobbito Garcia on MySpace and see Fondle ‘Em’s discography and profile on Discogs and Wikipedia. If you’re looking to buy, try a “Fondle ‘Em” search on eBay.

If record hunting is scaring you away, know that there is one option to hear a wide range of Fondle ‘Em favorites for less than $9!—You can still cop the Definitive Jux released, ‘Farewell to Fondle ‘Em’ CD from Amazon. This joint has a grip of classic freestyles and underground hits from Bobbito’s Fondle ‘Em archive.

p.s. If you got some Fondle ‘Em wax go ahead and brag in the comments; you know that shit is like unicorns now a days.