FatRat Da Czar: Da Cold War Out Now!

FatRat Da Czar: Da Cold War

Listen closely to his lyrics, and you can hear the tension beneath the relaxed veneer; the smiling threat beneath the invitation to merely enjoy the track. It is this artistic duplicity that makes FatRat a fan favorite… (The CASHionista, 2007)

DA COLD WAR, one of the most highly anticipated hip-hop releases of 2008 from Streetside Records solo artist and South Carolina veteran emcee, FatRat Da Czar, will be on April 22, 2008.

With DA COLD WAR, FatRat is clearly drawing a line between himself and other hip-hop artists. The music collective sounds more like a soundtrack to a movement then merely a collection of songs. The Hopkins emcee has reached out to producers locally and regionally to compile this urgent soundtrack that pushes the boundaries of not only hip-hop music, but the usual format and style that we are used to hearing from a hip-hop album or mixtape.

“Da Cold War project is very personal,” says FatRat. “At a time where artists have abandoned the rules and regulations of the culture… I wanted the world to see, touch, and feel something that will make them think.”

Fat Rat has enlisted Hot 103.9 FM’s (WHXT Columbia, SC) Shekeese Tha Beast to add an incredible vibe through DA COLD WAR journey. Becoming more of a guide than a regular mixtape host on this project, Shekeese’s every utterance acts as a warning shot for FatRat while maintaining the intensity and urgency of DA COLD WAR’s sonic texture. In addition to Shekeese, the production laid down by MIDIMarc, Jah Freedom, M-Phazes, Frank Hustle, Juice, Kenny Boom and Choo-Choo Man provide an atmospheric landscape to this work that pushes FatRat to create songs like “Can’t Live Without You”, a revealing testimony fueled by the love for his son and “Hard Times,” a vivid portrait of risk and reward reminiscent of the late Notorious B.I.G.’s “Everyday Struggle.” At no point does the album veer toward the almost stereotypical trendiness of materialistic fantasies on wax. Like FatRat, the album stays true to itself.

The willingness to constantly push his own musical parameters separates FatRat lyrically and conceptually from his peers, and encourages a deeper discourse than what is usually available in today’s hip-hop market. DA COLD WAR would appear to be the antithesis of what makes up the greater part of mainstream hip-hop. It challenges the notion that bigger is better by mastering a ‘less is more’ approach. Its very nature forces listeners to expect more from their music, while providing a soundscape that hardcore as well as novice music fans will not only appreciate, but celebrate. As FatRat puts it, “No additives, no preservatives…just straight up and down fluff-free HIP-HOP!”
Da Cold War is available NOW for retail as well as digital purchase!

Can’t Live Without You (produced by MIDIMarc)

Hopefully (produced by M-Phazes)

Da Damage Is Done