Hip-hop artist books local show with handpicked lineup
He's a staple in the Columbia hip-hop scene, and at 6 feet 3 inches, an imposing figure when he takes the stage. Fat Rat Da Czar has been performing in the capital city almost since he moved here from Virginia in 1995 and will be hitting the familiar New Brookland Tavern stage once again Saturday for his first show of 2012.
Although he was born and raised in Newport News, Va., Fat Rat was no stranger to Columbia even in 1995.
"My relationship with South Carolina started back in 1979," he said.
His father was in the military and was stationed at Fort Jackson. When his parents divorced, he moved back to Virginia with his father.
"Even though I left and went back with my father ... South Carolina is where I spent all my Christmases, here with my mom and everything," Fat Rat said.
He even attended two different Columbia high schools, Dreher and Lower Richland, during his sophomore year, but moved back to Virginia again during his junior year. After graduating in 1995, though, Fat Rat said he came straight back.
He began his career in Columbia as a part of the now-defunct hip-hip trio StreetSide and in September of 1995 was even able to open for The Notorious B.I.G. at the Township Auditorium. While he wasn't able to personally talk to Biggie Smalls, he still credits the rap superpower with giving him and the group one of their first breaks.
In a fitting tribute, Fat Rat features the tour poster from that show in his brand new single "Trying to Make It."
StreetSide, also featuring rappers Misfit and Charlie Waters, broke up in 2006, but Fat Rat credits age and other obligations — particularly family — as reasons for the dissolution rather than any negative feelings among them. He remains good friends with his former group members, calling them some of the best people he's ever met. He began his solo career that same year, but recalls the grassroots effort he made to rebuild a fan base for himself.
"People knew us from back then because we were everywhere selling our product," he said. "That was back in the days of selling out of the trunk, literally. But the thing is, you can be with a group and people can love the group, but you have to do the process all over again (when you go solo). You don't necessarily transfer fans when the group is over. I had to get on the ground level and try to make some music that [those fans] would like, but I also had to make some new elements and get some new fans."
He said one of the main influences on his solo style was the time he spent working with Misfit and Waters.
"They were two of the best emcees here in this state, so I was able to work with some really top-notch people," he said.
Fat Rat dropped his first solo mixtape in late 2006, and a year and a half later, in April 2008, he began one of the most recognized and applauded efforts of his career — "Da Cold War" series of releases officially known as mixtapes but dubbed "street albums" by Fat Rat.
The second in the soon-to-be trilogy, "Da Cold War 2," was what Fat Rat called a "breakout" moment for his solo career. The series, together with "Da Cold War 3" — to be released in late spring or early summer, according to Fat Rat — was a very personal undertaking.
Fat Rat has been lauded for the honesty behind his lyrics, and despite 17 years and many successes into his hip-hop career, those lyrics are still just as down to earth, as evident in the first two singles from "Da Cold War 3" — "All Around the Town" and "Trying to Make It."
"I'm believable because I'm not lying," he said.
His subject matter varies widely, touching on issues like fatherhood, relationships with women and even domestic violence in "Something Ain't Right" (2010), but never seems disconnected. He achieves a cohesiveness that only a genuine, experience-based lyrical narrative can accomplish.
"I touch on a lot of different things," he said. "There's nothing that I don't discuss if I've been a part of it and I feel like I can make a record that people will be able to at least understand. My music oftentimes deals with a struggle, and everybody has to deal with a struggle at some point. Be it black, white, rich or poor, everyone has a struggle."
Fat Rat has described his music as "blue-collar hip-hop," and he believes in not only working for your successes but also helping to grow the future of the hip-hop genre.
Saturday's show is a good example of that belief, as the lineup showcases some of the acts that Fat Rat believes are the hardest working and most deserving out there.
"I reached out to a few different elements that the city is offering right now. Sometimes, older artists don't welcome in the new breed of artists, and in this case, there are people I really think are working hard. I think they have some exceptional music and need a shot at an opportunity to perform in front of a bigger crowd," he said.
He is confident that the artists he handpicked to open for him Saturday — LeLe (aka Bad Bad), Wally Fatz and Ox and Los Caus — will appeal to his fan base in particular, and do a great job of warming up the crowd before his performance.
"I have a couple different purposes here," Fat Rat said. "Of course I'm maintaining a career, but at the same I always want to be part of welcoming and producing new music, especially with hip-hop. I've been a pillar of this hip-hop community for years, so I want to stay involved with it."
Saturday's show at New Brookland Tavern will be one of many that Fat Rat has played and will play in the future. He holds a special bond with the owners at New Brookland, and fans can rest assured they will always be able to catch the artist there, no matter his success.
"New Brookland has always been a home for hip-hop in this city," he said. "That is a venue that I will continue to play no matter where I go or how large I get, simply because of how they've treated me over the years."
The show starts at 8 p.m., and costs $10 at the door.