Biography:
One of the first Memphis rappers to make the major-label jump, Gangsta Pat never attained the acclaim or success of fellow Memphis pioneers Three 6 Mafia and Eightball & MJG, yet he still remains noteworthy for his trailblazing. Pat`s career began promisingly when Atlantic signed him at the dawn of the gangsta rap era and released #1 Suspect (1991) as well as two accompanying singles, "I`m tha Gangsta" and "Gangsta`s Need Love 2." Like most of Atlantic`s other rap releases from the time, Pat`s debut made little impact, quickly going out of print and leaving the rapper without a recording contract soon after. Pat returned to the underground the next year with Wrap Records, a short-lived indie label distributed by Ichiban. Wrap released two Pat albums, All About Comin` Up (1992) and Sex, Money & Murder (1994), as well as two respective singles, "Gangsta Boogie" and "That Type of Gangsta." Once again, Pat found little success beyond the Atlanta-Memphis axis and thus packed his bags, moving to Power Records for Deadly Verses (1995) and Homicidal Lifestyle (1997). These two albums showcased a more introspective and mature style, as Pat sped up his flow à la Bone and darkened his themes à la Three 6 Mafia. Regardless, despite the cult following he began to garner with these two highly regarded albums, he couldn`t translate the support into national sales, and he moved on to yet another label, Red Rum. He remained there for quite a while, releasing a string of albums beginning with The Story of My Life (1997) that tended to emulate the trends of their respective eras. Perhaps as a plea for much-needed publicity, Pat targeted Three 6 Mafia on his 1999 album, Tear Yo Club Down, with a pointed dis track.
