No one in Atlanta is hotter than Fatt Smaxk right now. Just ask Playboi Carti—not only did he hop on a remix of “Smaxk or Die” last week, but the pair have another, brand new song ready to release. For the famously reclusive and reticent-to-drop superstar, there’s no higher form of praise. It’s a testament to Smaxk’s tightly coiled flow, which seems to take soulful cues from NoCap and Rylo Rodriguez, that not even the OPIUM labelhead can outshine him on his own song.
When I call him five days after the remix drops, Smaxk is riding around Atlanta feeling, “wonderful, great, Smaxk-arific.” The Carti remix practically fell in his lap—the bigger artist had DM’d Smaxk’s older brother and cut a verse on his own while Smaxk was on a trip to New York. Smaxk doesn’t have too many stories to tell about hanging with Carti, though he does tell me the video shoot was like a “Batman movie.” And while Smaxk has been celebrating the remix, lately every weekend is like that—success feels good, especially when you’re getting love in your hometown.
While listeners in the know might be acquainted with Fatt Smaxk (fka HardNard) via his fall single “Butta B,” the Atlanta rapper hasn’t done any press before. The FADER caught up with Fatt Smaxk for an exclusive interview to chat about Smaxk Season 2, growing as a rapper, and building his sound.
Growing Up in Atlanta
Smaxk’s roots are firmly planted in the city. “I’m really from Thomasville. I was born and raised a little bit in Kirkwood, but really I’m a Thomasville baby. It’s a project called Thomasville Heights that grew me into the person I am today,” he explains. “Most folks don’t get love from their city, so it feels good to get the love from my own city.”
His musical foundation was built on a mix of classic soul and local legends. “In the house, that’s where my old school samples come from. My dad used to play all the old school, Marvin Gaye, the Gladys Knights. And then my auntie, she used to play Monica, shit like that, so them samples always stuck with me,” he says. “But the new, upcoming when I was like 13 though, I would listen to a lot of Rich Kidz, a lot of Travis Porter, a lot of goddamn, Waka Flocka. Basically Atlanta music.”
Finding His Flow
Reflecting on his early days, Smaxk admits his initial attempts at rapping were far from polished. “My first song was on some BandLab shit. I thought I was Gucci Mane when I was young, so I used to just be talking about shit I never even knew about,” he laughs. “Really I did not understand the music until I got like 16, 17. So my first song was really trash, but when I understood the music, I got better and better.”
He credits his growth to learning how to “walk the beat.” “A lot of motherfuckers don’t know how to walk the beat. A lot of motherfuckers be offbeat, cuz I used to be offbeat a lot. I had to find my position in the beat, and that’s kind of hard for a lot of rappers to do. Now I can rap on any beat, cuz it’s like a mind thing really.”
The Success of Smaxk Season 2
When asked about the viral success of “Butta B,” Smaxk notes that he knew it was hitting a nerve when the feedback started coming from outside his immediate circle. “I knew around October 20. I was getting a lot of feedback, but it was feedback from people I don’t know. People who I knew in the city were like, ‘Bro that song is so hard,’ but it was people who I know for sure wasn’t never listening to me.”
His production choices are equally intentional. “I love old samples, especially the Isley Brothers. I made four songs out of that one sample,” he shares. Regarding his creative process, he prefers to punch in rather than write. “I don’t write, hell no. I mean, I wrote in jail, but I feel like it’s so time-consuming just writing. I might write a hook. That’s the only thing I might do cause I feel like naturally, God gon walk me through it man.”
