Fondle 'Em Records

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Fondle 'Em Records
Founded	December 1995; 28 years ago (1995-12)
Founder	Bobbito Garcia
Defunct	November 2001; 22 years ago (2001-11)
Status	Defunct
Genre	East Coast hip hop underground hip hop
Country of origin	United States
Location	New York City

Fondle 'Em Records was a hip hop record label founded and owned by Bobbito Garcia from 1995 to 2001, based in New York City. Garcia formed the label after realizing that the many unsigned rappers making guest appearances on The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, a program Bobbito co-hosted with DJ Stretch Armstrong on Columbia University radio station WKCR 89.9 FM, did not have a proper outlet for their talents.

Fondle 'Em, along with Rawkus Records, Solesides, Stones Throw Records and a handful of other small independent imprints helped jumpstart the underground hip hop scene in the late 1990s, on the east coast, establishing the subgenre as a viable branch of hip hop culture & rap music. It also introduced cult artist MF DOOM, rescued acts such as the Juggaknots and KMD from major label limbo, and became one of the first US labels to release music from a South African rap act with Cashless Society's "Blazetha Breaks" 12".