Twenty Six Years Before Atlanta Became the Port for Rappers to Blow, Big Oomp Built the Highway.

Big Oomp is at the center of the Old and New Atlanta rap movement.

Korey Roberson, better known as Big Oomp, is an Atlanta legend. As influential as Tony Draper, J. Prince, and Master P, he’s spent most of his adult life building the landscape for Atlanta’s rap scene. Years before the city became known for breaking artists’ careers, Big Oomp and his record label, Big Oomp Records, served as the one-stop-shop for aspiring artists in and out of Atlanta.

Their label introduced us to the first real gangster rapper from Atlanta. The world didn't know about some of Atlanta's biggest music stars before their television show aired. Their DJs introduced the world to artists like OutKast and authenticated Atlanta’s rap scene when it didn’t have a true identity. And yet few people know much about the man behind it. 

The hero’s journey is one of the world’s oldest models for writing. The hero sets out to conquer the challenge and goes through a threefold journey of action, climax, and resolution. For Big Oomp, he’s somewhere in the middle of the first two. Twenty-six years ago, he and a group of other artists built Atlanta’s first independent rap label, laying the foundation for success in the city.

In a brief span of time, they built up everything from retail stores to television shows, breaking every major artist’s music and mentoring the city’s best talent. Yet if you ask Big Oomp, he still hasn’t reached the level of success he aspires for himself and others.

Origin

Born and raised in Southwest Atlanta, Big Oomp grew up seeing his father’s entrepreneurial savvy.

“My dad was a real estate mogul who owned over one hundred and fifty pieces of property. He owned properties in low-income areas and growing up I saw him doing so much for so many families. Seeing this as a kid made me want to help people in the community, “says Oomp.

Oomp worked underneath his father, assisting him in his business and soaking up the game. Atlanta’s accelerated growth during the 70s under Maynard Jackson ushered in hope and a desire for upward growth in Atlanta’s black population and it wasn’t long before kids like Korey sought out their own slice of the pie. Oomp spent his formative years going through the typical Atlanta rites of passage, eventually playing football for Therrell High School.

His defensive and offensive presence as a noseguard and offensive guard led to his coaching giving him the nickname “Killa Oompa”.  

“ In high school on the football field, my coach called me Killa Oompa. By the time I got to 12th grade, they weren’t calling me Killa Oompa. I turned into Big Oomp, “ says Big Oomp.

Armed with a new name and identity, Oomp hit the streets literally, spending his adult years solidifying his financial future. At the time Oomp was a casual fan of rap, admiring the skill of artists like Run DMC, LL Cool J and The Fat Boys and the business savvy of entrepreneurs like Master P, Brian Baby Williams, Tony Draper, and Joaquin and Darrin Dean of Ruff Ryders. It wasn’t until 1990 that Oomp connected to the music world.

“I met MC Assault and a guy named Starvin Marvin at this Job Corp center off Simpson Rd. They were hustling their tape at the red light and they ran up to me and told me to check out their tape. I stuck the tape in and then asked then how much was the tape?”

The chance encounter between the two led to a working relationship. MC Assault set up a meeting with Big Oomp and, after careful deliberation, Oomp helped fund the group’s musical dreams.

 From there, a musical alliance of Big Oomp, MC Assault, Starvin Marvin, Freddie B, and DJ Jelly began and with it came the seeds of a future empire. First, the organization began cornering the market on mixtapes, offering their patented Atlanta mixup tapes at their first site in Greenbriar Mall.

“We opened up two stores in 1991, one in Greenbriar and the other at Old National’s Discount Mall, “ says Oomp.

Oomp Camp’s mixtapes, which were created by MC Assault and DJ Jelly, took popular songs from different genres from R&B and soul and paired them with Atlanta artists, introducing a new style into the city’s landscape. Atlanta’s rap scene in 1990 was primarily made up of Atlanta bass music, which borrowed from Miami’s rap music sound.

When asked about how the music scene was then, Oomp says, “It was booty shake music or New York music. Atlanta didn’t really have a music scene. Shy D was bass music. Raheem the Dream was bass music. Kilo Ali was mostly bass with some street songs. You did have the Hard Boys and then you had Hitman Sammy Sam who was Atlanta’s first gangster rapper.” 

The authenticity and sound of their mixtapes led to them becoming the biggest game in town, and in the five years that followed Big Oomp opened up several retail store locations across the city, cornering the Southside and the Westside first before taking the Eastside over. Armed with momentum, Big Oomp started Big Oomp Records in 1996 and signed Hitman Sammy Sam the following year. Revered in Atlanta’s streets, Sam’s first album, Last Man Standing, set the city on fire, spurred to success with its single, “Riding With Some Killaz”.

“Sam was the first street rapper to catch on out of Atlanta. Sam was underground and he represented the real hoods of Atlanta. He was the first street rapper to get on the radio. Riding with Some Killaz broke through the independent Atlanta barrier,” says Oomp.

Oomp’s fight to get Sammy Sam played helped open the door for indie Atlanta music. The infrastructure Oomp built with his retail stores allowed him to be in control of his artists’ success in a way that wasn’t seen before. They sold independent artists’ music in their stores, ensured that their music was played in the clubs and radios, and even started a television show to help market the city’s musicians.

“We were the first to create a hub for people to even be displayed or recognized. We had a tv show, a record store, and the DJs on the radio. You had to come to us to get your music out. We put you on.”

Big Oomp’s reach extended into all areas of Atlanta. Not only was he responsible for introducing Hitman Sammy Sam, Loko, and the group Intoxicated to the city, but he was also responsible for mentoring the careers of artists like Baby D, producers like DJ Montay, and future moguls like his song Big Korey.  

During the peak years of Big Oomp Records, he saw a slew of both critical and commercial accolades with acts like Hitman Sammy Sam, Baby D, and DJ Unk, all of whom contributed to the success of the brand. The label’s rebrand is being handled by Big Korey and DJ Montay, which will include Oomp Camp Live and a few other surprises. Oomp’s thoughts on his legacy and hopes for the label remind us of how selfless and wise he is.

“Big Oomp Records is a staple that’s legendary. But it’s about them now (Montay and Korey). People ask about a biopic. But I want to tell the story when the ending is relevant. We are living on legacy. Once we get that national attention again, it’s time to tell it from the beginning to now,” says Oomp.