March 31, 2005 @ 5:14 am

Online Exclusive: Blowin' UP: Fatty Koo On BET

by: Alyssa Rashbaum

  Aside from their mutual love of making music, the five members of hip hop/R&B/pop/Latin group Fatty Koo are from completely different worlds. Still, for the next several months, the young members of the musical collective will live in a mansion to record their album, while starring in an upcoming BET reality show named after t

Call it BET's version of the MTV show "The Real World": five young musicians, picked to live in a house, record an album, and find out what happens when the music industry stops being polite and starts getting real.   Aside from their mutual love of making music, the five members of hip hop/R&B/pop/Latin group Fatty Koo are from completely different worlds. Still, for the next several months, the young members of the musical collective will live in a mansion to record their album, while starring in an upcoming BET reality show named after them: "Blowin' UP: Fatty Koo." Tucked away in a massive waterside home - in which some rooms resemble the typical "The Real World" household (including a dance studio in lieu of a foyer, and a living room with olive green starburst window trimmings and vibrant oil paintings), while the bedrooms are sparse except for the members' own makeshift decorations - Fatty Koo is recording it's debut, House of Fatty Koo. What really sets them apart from their peers, though, is their decision to produce all their own music, and play all their own instruments. The members of Fatty Koo are all skilled musicians, having met aboard the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus in Columbus, Ohio. The non-profit, mobile recording studio that provides free hands-on programs to high schools and colleges, allowing students to play music, write songs, and produce and record music for free, was the spot where Fatty Koo met and recorded its first tracks. Helming the songwriting process for Fatty Koo is 21-year-old Ron, the oldest member of the group and its unofficial lead. The laid-back charmer who is also a skilled keyboardist, cut his teeth singing in his church choir, and cites both old and new school artists as his influences including Stevie Wonder, LL Cool J, Kanye West, and Black Eyed Peas. The group's other male member is Detroit-born Eddie B., 20, who draws influences from old school jazz, country, rock, pop, hip hop and R&B. For the ladies, the oldest member is 20-year-old Valure. The New Jersey native with the neo-soul vibe pulls inspiration from the music of Manhattan Transfer, Mary J. Blige and Tweet, among others. Eighteen-year-old Marya who hails from Venezuela is the group's most intriguing member, being a classically trained cellist who learned the ropes playing in orchestras and alt-rock groups. Rounding out Fatty Koo is Gabrielle, 17, who brings a pop sensibility to the group with her strong, ballad-ready vocals. Between the home they lived in Columbus, Ohio, and the one they currently reside in where the BET show is being filmed, Fatty Koo have recorded countless tracks, including the first single, "Bounce," a thumping, racing, hook-laden burst of energy that orders listeners to "move your booty to the boogaloo beat." Among the diverse tracks are the sing-along, summertime anthem "I Like That Girl," the dance track "Gone Girl" that opens with female harmonies done a cappella and erupts into full orchestration, and "Chills" the ballad that features Velure on lead vocals. While most of the tracks are refreshing, the Broadway-inspired "Safety" hits a low note, drowning in syrupy vocals and sugary lyrics. Having lived in a fishbowl for close to a month now, though, Fatty Koo has some time to work out the kinks. Will they breakout by breaking the mold or crumble under the pressure of living and working together? You can start watching the process unfold on April 21 when BET premieres "Blowin' UP."

Article tags: Online, Exclusive, Blowin, UP, Fatty, Koo, BET