Shabazz Sinclare Ford (born February 17, 1980), known by his stage name Fatt Father, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan.[2] He is a one fourth part of the Fat Killahz[3] (with Marv Won, Bang Belushi and King Gordy) and one half of Twin Towers[4][5] (with Marv Won).

Fatt Father
Fatt Father in 2016
Fatt Father in 2016
Background information
Birth nameShabazz Sinclare Ford[1]
Also known as
  • Fatts
  • Fathero
  • King Father
Born (1980-02-17) February 17, 1980 (age 44)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
GenresUnderground hip hop
OccupationRapper
Years active2000–Present
Labels
  • No Tyze Entertainment
  • Fueled By Life Media Group
Member ofFat Killahz
WebsiteFattworld.com

Early life

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Shabazz grew up in Detroit with his mother and two brothers, Sammie and Jerry. The oldest, Shabazz was forced at a young age to become the leading male role model he and his brothers never really had. Shabazz found himself with many different roles in the household, which he was not comfortable with at first. He said, "I grew up and I found my niche, which was music". Studying at Denby High School, music was his way to escape his home problems. He said, "Without that, I would have been out on the streets hustling, and doing what I needed to do in order to survive".[6]

Career

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Fatt Father made his appearance on the Teamstaz debut album Don't Cross The Line (2000, No Tyze Entertainment).[7]

Widely recognized as a core-member of the Detroit hip hop collective Fat Killahz (formed in 2001), Fatt Father has built a strong fan base via his work with the group, coupled with his own mixtapes and street projects ranging from the classic Tales of the Childless Father to Father's Day[8] on to You Are The Father and Fatherly Advice; all of which garnered Fatt Father a lot of support and praise within the underground hip hop community.[9]

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?, Fat Killahz debut album, allowed Fatt Father and his group to share the stage with hip hop icons like Ice Cube, 50 Cent, Method Man & Redman as well as Detroit's Royce Da 5'9", Danny Brown, Slum Village, D12 and Trick-Trick.

His debut self-titled album, executive produced by himself and Trick-Trick, enabled Fatt Father to be recognized even without his friends. Over the years he released music such as My Kids Need A Coat[10] which not only showcased his lyrical skill but also shined a light on his loyalty to his children. It was his sophomore album, Fatherhood, that solidified his place as a hip hop heavy-weight.

Fatt Father has also collaborated on records with rappers such as Kuniva, Denmark Vessey, Guilty Simpson, Sean Price, Black Milk, Roc Marciano, Elzhi, and more. Fatts stated Scarface, Notorious B.I.G., Royce Da 5'9", The Temptations and the Fat Killahz as his biggest influence.[11]

Personal life

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Shabazz Ford is married and has two children. In 2003, Shabazz’s younger brother Sam was killed at the age of 19, he died on their mother's birthday in 2003.[6] He was a friend of now deceased rappers Chris Cobb and Proof.

In 2014, he started a cartoon project "Storytime With Fattfather" with graphics by Auxiliary Cinema,[12] but only one episode has been released.[13]

In addition to his rap career, Shabazz Ford is a real estate investor and CEO of Fueled By Life Media Group and co-founder of Early Ventures LLC along with his younger brother Jerry Ford.[14]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Street albums

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  • 2010 - Fatherly Advice (The Legend of James Evans Sr.)[21]

Mixtapes

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Non-album songs

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  • 2007 - Father's Day[8]
  • 2008 - Letter To Barack Obama[25]
  • 2009 - B.U.M.S. (Being Underground Makes Sense)[26]
  • 2010 - The Corner[27]
  • 2015 - My Kids Need A Coat[10]
  • 2016 - They Know[28]
  • 2016 - Daddy Dearest[29]
  • 2016 - Slow Down[30]

Guest appearances

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Year Track title Performer(s) Album
2004 "Runnin' Yo Mouth" Proof, T-Flame I Miss the Hip Hop Shop
2005 "Fat Father (Skit)" Bizarre Hannicap Circus
2008 "Somethin' 4 Da Hataz" Trick-Trick, Paradime, Diezel The Villain
"Fire (Remix)" Elzhi, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Danny Brown, Fat Ray The Preface
2010 "Fat Father (Skit)" Bizarre Friday Night At St. Andrews
2011 "Shirley C" Sean Price, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson Random Axe
"The Sun" Shim-E-Bango, Miz Korona, Invy Da Truth The Bridgecard EP
"Detroit 101" Ro Spit, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Fat Ray, Marv Won The Glass Ceiling Project
"Change Ya Mind" Moe Dirdee Dirdee Motown 2
2012 "Everything (Modern Family)" House Shoes Let It Go
2014 "Choices" Jpalm, Marv Won Kuklinski
2015 "Don't Jump" Charles Lovjoy, Kong Da Monsta, Konphlict Zodiac Killer
2016 "Stargazing" BLK MRKT Mnply
"Part Of Me" Ty Farris, Denmark Vessey Rydah Music
"Stayed Down Til I Came Up!" Hundred Barz Solace
"Test My Trill" Top Prospect, Guilty Simpson, Maestro, Seven The General The World Is Yours, Vol. 1
2017 "Murder Suspect" Asher Gemini Caskets On Concrete
2018 "Stranded" Dabrye Three/Three
"Blackout" Aztek The Barfly, Hatch Line King
2019 "Blue Note Lounge" Kuniva The Bando Theory
"Oh Lord" Apollo Brown, Journalist 103, Valid Sincerely, Detroit
2024 "Measuring Stick" Marv Won, Elzhi I'm Fine, Thanks For Asking.

References

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  1. ^ "ALL DAY". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  2. ^ "Fatt Father: A Veteran on Veterans Day (Interview)". URB Magazine. 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  3. ^ "Fat Killahz's Biography — Last.fm". www.last.fm. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  4. ^ "Twin Towers 313". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  5. ^ B, Mia (2014-12-02). "Twin Towers (Fatt Father x Marv Won) feat. Ro Spit - "Ca'Mon" | New Video | SooDetroit Magazine". SooDetroit Magazine. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  6. ^ a b Okayplayer. "Detroit's Fatt Father Talks Loss, Growth + 'Veteran's Day' [Interview] Okayplayer". www.okayplayer.com. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  7. ^ "King Gordy: Rap's new and unstoppable 'Entity'". NewsTimes. Retrieved 2016-12-21.
  8. ^ a b "Father's Day (feat. L Renee), by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  9. ^ "Fatt Father Bio | Fatt Father Career". MTV Artists. Retrieved 2016-12-16.[dead link]
  10. ^ a b "My Kids Need A Coat, by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  11. ^ "10 Questions with Detroit's Fatt Father". Extraordinary Nobodies. 2016-03-19. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  12. ^ "Fatkillahz Cartoon, "Storytime with Fattfather" - Auxiliary Cinema". Auxiliary Cinema. 2014-05-01. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  13. ^ AUX Cinema (2014-05-30), Storytime with FattFather: The AND 1 Story, retrieved 2016-12-16
  14. ^ "Fueled By Life Media Group LLC (@fblmediagroup) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  15. ^ "Fatt Father, by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  16. ^ "Fatherhood, by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  17. ^ "Veterans Day, by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  18. ^ "Veterans Day by Fatt Father on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  19. ^ "King Father, by FATT FATHER". Bandcamp.
  20. ^ "Soccer Dad, by FATT FATHER". Bandcamp. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  21. ^ "Fatherly Advice (The Legend of James Evans Sr.), by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  22. ^ "Tales Of The Childless Father Vol.1, by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  23. ^ "You Are The Father (hosted by Hex Murda, by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  24. ^ ""Christmas with Fatt Father", by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  25. ^ "Letter To Barack Obama (Prod. By House Shoes), by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  26. ^ "B.U.M.S. (Being Underground Makes Sense), by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  27. ^ "The Corner, by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  28. ^ "They Know (feat. Marv Won & My Kids), by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  29. ^ "Daddy Dearest (feat. MJ Robinson), by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
  30. ^ "Slow Down, by FATT FATHER". FATT FATHER. Retrieved 2016-12-16.
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