Fat Beats

12/05/08

My fave NYC hip hop vinyl store

by aviveyal2 at Citysearch

Good if you know what u want. You may be able to get the staff to spin records for you before you buy.

• Pros: good selection. knowledgeable staff
• Cons: you can't listen to records yourself

08/14/03

All hip-hop, all the time.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
If you don't know where to look, you might not see Fat Beats, perched as it is on a second floor above Sixth Avenue. But get to the top of the aluminum stairs and you're in one of the most thoroughly-stocked hip-hop record shops in New York City. Chances are good that at any moment, a store clerk will be debating the respective merits of Jay-Z and Nas (or whoever else is hot at the moment) with some zealous patrons while the latest jams blast in the background.

The Goods
Hip-hop from bottom to top: Fat Beats is the place where rising underground DJs and emcees share shelf space with MTV stalwarts such as Ludacris and Eve. The vinyl is the thing here--DJs can pick up scratch and battle breaks records, as well as in-demand artist releases. There is also a small selection of T-shirts, videotapes of performances and a decently stocked rack of CDs.