Today we’d like to introduce you to ATL Bama.
Hi ATL, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started out as just a local rapper performing at open mics in my city winning majority of the showcases. Industry execs immediately began tapping into my movement & reaching out to me in person & on my social media platforms. In the streets, I had one of the biggest movements Atlanta has ever seen, going around with AT LEAST 50+ people with me every time I stepped out! In 2007, I wrote a record called “I Know How To Surf” which was later stolen & by a local rap group in Atlanta by the name of Fast Life Youngstas (F.L.Y). FLY put out “Swag Surfin” & went global, hitting #1 on multiple charts & I couldn’t do anything but sit & watch a record I WROTE just blow up & not get any money or recognition AT ALL from it.
A lot of people don’t know but, if I wouldn’t have got locked up in Clayton County Jail for six months, the world probably would NEVER KNOW who FLY was. The time I was locked up gave them enough time to come up with a strategic plan to back door me. Me & my crew at the time already had everyone surfing to every record we put out FAR BEFORE a record was ever recorded anyway. The Southside had its own lingo & swag & just a different way of doing things than ANYBODY ELSE in the city, and everyone knew it. I was already hanging with stars like Jeezy, TI, Yung Joc, Shawty Lo and more and I wasn’t even signed yet.
Once “I Know How To Surf” hit WorldStar HipHop, I received over 3,000,000 views in just ONE DAY….. ALL THE LABELS CAME AT ONCE! I ended up inking in with Jeezy since I already was unofficially CTE since 2004, by association, but we made it OFFICIAL in 2008, following my numbers & buzz. Keep in mind, I was around him for YEARS before I actually signed to him so success doesn’t happen over, you have to put the work in, PERIOD! I parted ways with Jeezy in 2010 after a bar fight with DJ Drama & The Aphilliates, which left me with stabbed in the face, head & body…. I damn near died right there in the club. I was hoping Jeezy was gone embrace me MORE since this had NOTHING TO DO WITH ME and I still handled it like it was my beef, but instead we grew apart. Two years later, I ended up entering the “New Skool Rules” contest that landed me overseas in Europe with Drumma Boy, Bryan Michael Cox, Sway from MTV and more by way of Henca Maduro. Once I came back to the United States, I felt like I belonged in The Netherlands because the loved I received there was REAL and I knew I would never feel that type love again.
I never really been anywhere outside of a few States surrounding Georgia so, THIS WAS MAJOR TO ME! About a year or two past & I found myself bagging more & more away from music because I knew I had more to do, more to accomplish. I knew I wasn’t done…. I ended up selling cable for Comcast/Xfinity as an independent contractor for a few years before I jumped into the Ice Cream Business. While selling cable, I bought a 2004 Dodge minivan to promote my cable company but later turned that same Dodge Minivan into an Ice Cream Truck! The Ice Cream Truck was fun & a good idea, but in the winter months, I suffered.
I had to dig deep & think of something else, SOMETHING BIGGER! I was blessed to be in situations to team me BUSINESS because that was the only thing I was lacking. Now that I had direction, I got a new vision & created the world’s first mobile gas station & called it “Corner Store On Wheels!” Corner Store On Wheels was what I was missing & the success story I needed after feeling like I failed myself all these years. I’m proud to say that when you check trademark databases, I not only own the business, I own the Copyright & Trademark to Corner Store On Wheels! Now that I’m in a better place in life, I’m able to think clearer & refocus myself to be THAT ARTIST I always knew I could be. If you ain’t learned anything from me, just know that YOU control your destiny & can’t no man nor woman dictate your future. I love each & everyone me of my family, fans & supporters…. I LOVE YALL! @atlbama
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing is never a “smooth road,” you just have to stay focus & don’t let any of the obstacles that pop up stop you from achieving your goals.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an artist an entrepreneur & I specialize in GETTING THE JOB DONE BY ANY MEANS! I’m widely known for my lyrical ability & live stage performance, also for creating ways for not only me & my family to eat, but people in my community via Corner Store On Wheels.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
Risk and sacrifice are the only things that got rich & wealthy people where they are. The ones willing to risk & sacrifice the most will be the ones to make it the farthest. Me & another artist can have the same talent but they not gone sacrifice their job & livelihood & do what I’m willing to do to make my dream a reality. I be thinking so big, I scare myself… without RISK, there will be no “GREAT REWARD.”
Pricing:
- $2500 Shows
- $1500 Ghost Writing
- $1000 Features
- $500 Walkthrough
Contact Info:
- Email: 1atlbama@gmail.com
- Website: www.atlbama.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/atlbama
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ogatlbama
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/atlbama
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/atlbama
- SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/atlbama
- Other: g.page/atlbama
Image Credits:
Antonio Henry aka ATL Bama Lil Kid From The Southside Corner Store On Wheels CSOW CME AON NPG FOWO Hoodrich OneK Management
