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. Roles that he wasn’t entirely comfortable playing at first. "I had to feel my way through life", he reflects. "But as you know, I grew up and I found my niche, which was music". Studying at Denby High School, music became Shabazz’s salvation and escape from his problems at home. It was his way of venting. "It gave me an outlet", he said. "Because without that, I would have been out on the streets hustling, and doing what I needed to do in order to survive".
Career
Fatt Father made his appearance on the Teamstaz debut album Don't Cross The Line. Widely recognized as a core-member of the Detroit hip hop collective Fat Killahz, Fatt Father has built a strong fan base via his work with the group, coupled with his own array of mixtapes and street projects ranging from the classic Tales of the Childless Father to Father's Day on to the well-crafted You Are The Father and Fatherly Advice; all of which garnered Fatt Father a lot of support and praise within the undergroundhip hop community. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?, Fat Killahz debut album, paved the way for Fatt Father to share the stage with such hip hop royalty as Ice Cube, 50 Cent, Method Man & Redman as well as Detroit's own Royce Da 5'9", Nolan The Ninja, Danny Brown, Slum Village, D12 and Trick-Trick to name but a few. His debut self-titled album, executive produced by himself alongside Trick-Trick, enabled Fatt Father to be recognized as a lyrical force even without his loyal comrades. Over the years Fatt Father has released soul touching music such as the unforgettable My Kids Need A Coat 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 figurative and literal place as a hip hop heavy-weight. Fatt Father has also collaborated on records with lyrical all-stars such as Quelle Chris, Kuniva, Denmark Vessey, Guilty Simpson, Sean Price, Black Milk, Bishop Lamont, Roc Marciano, Ro Spit, Elzhi, and more. Fatts stated Scarface, Notorious B.I.G., Royce Da 5'9", The Temptations and the Fat Killahz as his biggest influence.
Personal life
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. He was a friend of now deceased rappers Chris Cobb and Proof.
Other ventures
In 2014, he started a cartoon project "Storytime With Fattfather" with graphics by Auxiliary Cinema, but only one episode has been released. 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.
