Fat Pat & The Wreckshop Family :: Throwed in the Game

Fat Pat is a name that is familiar to any fan of Texas rap. The man was regarded as the dopest rapper in Houston during his short life and was expected to be the first Screwed Up Click member to blow up nationwide. It’s a shame that a man who meant so much to so many people was taken from us for so little. Fat Pat was murdered trying to collect money from a concert promoter for a concert Pat had already done. In the Texas world of independent rap hustling, Pat was responsible for collecting his own money and was shot in what many people say was a set-up at the promoter’s apartment. Fat Pat never had a chance to see his first album hit the stores as the highly anticipated “Ghetto Dreams” was released shortly after his death. “Throwed in the Game” was released a few months later and though it features Fat Pat’s name prominently, it is more of a compilation than a proper album. Despite the somewhat deceptive advertising, this CD shows us why Fat Pat was so highly regarded and why Wreckshop Records was considered THE independent Texas rap label back in 1998.

This albulation (Yukmouth, what up!) kicks things off with the title track as Double D, Chikken Hawk (not to be confused with H.A.W.K., Fat Pat’s brother), and Noke D pay tribute to a phrase Fat Pat made famous. There’s nothing to hate here, even with Fat Pat’s absence, as Double D drops a smooth beat and hook. For those new to Wreckshop Records, Double D and Noke D were the main reason the label was so dope since the in-house production by these two guys was smooth, funky, and enjoyable on every release. Fat Pat makes his first appearance on “Jammin’ Screw” where Wreckshop disguises the fact that Pat only spits two short verses with a super funky beat and an extremely drawn out hook. The amazing thing is that despite this, the song is still great and a Texas classic. Another Fat Pat term is given the tribute treatment on “Head and Shoulderz” as a slew of Wreckshop rappers re-do Fat Pat’s call for people to “Body Roc.”

The trend of minimal Fat Pat material and heavy guest assistance continues throughout this album. Fat Pat actually only appears on 3 tracks in addition to “Jammin’ Screw.” “If You Only Knew” is the only other Pat solo and is an R&B influenced track dedicated to the ladies. If you are not familiar with the Hawkins’ brothers, both Fat Pat and H.A.W.K. were masters as spitting game on a track. Fat Pat is featured on both “Wreckshop” and “Dreamz.” “Wreckshop” is a posse cut meant to show off Pimp Tyte and D-Gotti, who were next in line to drop Wreckshop albums after Fat Pat. Lyrically it’s one of the album’s harder tracks, but musically it lacks distinction. “Dreamz” once again revisits a Fat Pat classic in “Ghetto Dreams” and there’s nothing to complain about as we find a young H.A.W.K. following his brother’s footsteps and dropping some of his first verses.

“Throwed in the Game” is a good listen if taken as a tribute to celebrate Fat Pat’s life. The Fat Pat material is low, but the rest of the album bangs hard and is worth a purchase. A lot of the material is a dedication to Fat Pat in the sense that Fat Pat and his phrases are mentioned, but thankfully we don’t get any recycled hooks or beats. Tragically, the album not only features some of Fat Pat’s final work, but also material from Big Steve, billed here as Granpappy Mafioso, and H.A.W.K. who were both Screwed Up Click members who lost their lives far too early. Longtime Texas rap fans can also look forward to a couple of features from E.S.G., who would soon join the Wreckshop family for two albums of his own. The only complaint from a Texas/Wreckshop fan is that Big Moe (another SUC member who left us) hadn’t been discovered by Wreckshop yet so we don’t get any of his soulful rap/singing on this one. Overall, this album is great, funky Texas rap and comes highly recommended despite the lack of Fat Pat material.