He is the:
Artist of the People
Independent Hip-Hopper, from Greensboro, NC (North Side, Summit & Cone) known for his Black and white sketch Art, glasses enthusiast and proud dad: “ImTheFatboy.” He’s an Artist, a Creative at heart, and an introvert who spent a lot of time in the RDU area yet busted out of his shell early on all for the love of music!
Well Known Artists That Inspired "ImTheFatboy"
- The Notorious B.I.G: "He was "black and ugly as ever and still had it all. He didn't have suave' like Heavy D or muscles like Treach. He was dark skin, fat, and cock-eyed yet gave a mountain of hope to a young heavyset kid in North Carolina."
- Eminem: "...he lived, breathed, and ate rap music! Despite things like a rough childhood, homelessness, and/or not always knowing how he was going to feed his child he still went all in for rap wherever he could."
Weird Al: "...he taught me a lot about individuality in music. Doing your own thing, carving your own lane and being your own strange, quirky, genuine self despite what the critics may object to."
IF he could perform with any popular Artist in the industry today he would choose:
- J. Cole, or Da Baby for the love of Carolina Culture.
- Weird Al or Eminem so he can make an attempt to not geek by meeting one of his faves
- Lastly he’d make some classic music in the process with Big K.R.I.T, Juvenile, Timbaland, and Future.
Best Advice
A lot of the advice he received when he first started was simply "go hard" and it was always so vague. So to expand on that for his readers he adds: “put on the blinders, put your head down, and work. You are your own best friend and your own worst enemy. Don't worry about what the next Artist is doing, or what the DJs and radio may want. Focus on the people that enjoy your craft for what it is.
He continues with “Two genuine supporters is better than a thousand randoms who won't give you the time of day. Start small, use what you've got, and build. It takes time and effort, but it's totally doable. And this isn't just for music but for any venture that you may be interested in!”
(Doesn't Get Much More Honest Than That!)
He considers himself to a little bit of an MC and a Lyricist. The meaning of the title MC hits differently for some but for this Artist, he describes it as “MC still has that old school meaning of "Master of Ceremonies" or "Move the Crowd" and when he performs he likes to think he gets the crowd involved and keeps the atmosphere pumping! But then he reflects on what the meaning of being a Lyricist is to him: “As far as a lyricist goes that's all about pen, substance, subject matter, variety..." He can tell a story or make people dance, or set a romantic tone and the vocabulary he chooses to place over a well-crafted beat plays a major role in how people receive his songs.
In 2010 he decided to start getting on stages, networking, and taking things more seriously as an Artist. Then between the years of 2010-2011, he performed at least a hundred times throughout NC. After that, he lost count. But it's been a lot and now he’s putting his own concerts and showcases together.
He does “pen” all of his own music. He’s been writing for over 20 years and he’s been told he’s gotten pretty good at it. On his up and coming album "Falcon Heavy," he shares his experience working with: The V and Juhara, two singers with incredible style and range.
One is VA singer The V (aka Von Sinatra) on his song "Taste" which is a more mellow, Golden Era Hip Hop kind of song about enjoying the finer things in life. The other singer he worked with is Juhara out of Ohio, who absolutely aced his song "I Love It" and really set the tone. It's a smooth track about how when people in a relationship are chasing goals they often may not have much free time to just enjoy the company of their partner. But also it shares how wonderful the experience a couple can have together once they do make the time for one another.
His music changes lives daily but three of his songs that really stand out first are: "Pipe Dream", "Cry for Attention", or "Weight" because they were written during a tough time. He shares with deep reflection how he was homeless, struggling and how the notebook became his journal of expression, so those songs are powerful.
Yet, his most well-received song is titled: "Sumo" which helped him line up many of the opportunities and connections he still utilizes currently. He’s received great feedback from the song, and had an awesome video attached that did around 1.5k views. Even more, when he incorporated the song into his performance (complete with a fitting and surprising collapse at the end lol) it was an over the top track for him. The song "Sumo" received a lot of love in the summer of 2012 and 2013!
His most memorable stage performance to this day is still the night he performed at the Bull City Music Awards at the prestigious and well known Carolina Theatre in Downtown Durham. There was a packed house full of people more than ready to cheer on their favorite Indies, the opportunity to network with some heavy hitters in NC (a couple 102 Jamz/K97.5 hosts and DJs were there, and even the local news pulled up to cover the awards show.
Debra Morgan from WRAL News attended the event, pulled him to the side to tell him how much she enjoyed his performance and she took a picture with him! He opened for Chubb Rock and received the first reward of the night! All in all, it was the most incredible night he’s had musically!
He is in constant creative mode so, his upcoming current album "Falcon Heavy" is his current passion project! It was inspired by Elon Musk and Space X's launch of the "Falcon Heavy 9" rocket which was heralded as the first space launch by an independent company. In his opinion, it signified creating “your own lane and going against the grain.” He's also hoping to inspire newer artists to do their own thing rather than what they think others may or may not like.
The Journey For Success Continues...
He is currently learning marketing, networking, fan building, content creation, and event planning/promotion. As a creative, he gets stuck in the cycle of creation. He makes something crafty and artful then puts it out. But in the music industry there's a lot more to it than that so he's learning more about his demographic from a human perspective, expanding on his connections, and of course, putting together his own showcases and concerts. He has aspirations of possibly taking a more behind the scenes role (artist development or something similar) rather than trying to stay in the spotlight. But right now he's enjoying the ride!
He's very focused right now on several projects as he's polishing his upcoming 6 track EP "Falcon Heavy" and pushing his single "The Biggest Loser." He's working on his first concert "Live 95" (4/19/19 321 Fonville St. Burlington. Tickets on Eventbrite) as well as another in Durham which is be added later. He's also putting together a merchandise line as well as his website and preparing for a couple performances in South Florida at the end of March.
Contact Him and Find His Work Online @
-Instagram:@ImTheFatboy
-Twitter: @ImTheFatboy
-Facebook: @ImTheFatboy
-Reverb, SoundCloud, audiomack etc: @ImTheFatboy
-ImTheFatboy.com coming soon!
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