This week on the “Big Facts” podcast, co-hosts Big Bank, DJ Scream, and Baby Jade sat down with ATL Jacob. The Atlanta-based producer and rapper covered several topics, including his growing success and popularity in hip hop, his dream collaborations, and some of the lessons he’s learned since entering the industry.
Although he’s only 23 years old, ATL Jacob’s resume already includes several collaborations with some of music’s most prominent artists, including Kanye West, Lil Baby and Future. Still, the musician admitted that he’s had to adjust to frequently working with some of the industry’s top-charting acts, noting he’s always remained humble.
“It … motivates me to go harder,” he declared on the topic of garnering his first big hit. However, the rising star shared the downside to gaining success and how some have even tried to take credit for his artistry.
“You know when you get your first hit, it be so many people chasing that money. They say you ain’t make a hit ’til everybody starts coming for the check. So it’s like, you got this person saying they did this and this person saying they did that, and it’s just fucking up the money,” ATL Jacob explained before clarifying himself. “Not fucking it up, but really just holding it back where you gotta wait longer. So it’s like damn, I got to go even harder.”
“Get another hit because this money finna take a long time because these folks saying this. And then it’s like you get another hit, then you got another person saying something. You [think you did] the deal perfect and it’s another one — so now I have to get another hit,” he added.
The producer said that with so many people claiming a stake in his art, he’s refrained from using specific techniques when creating music. “That’s why I rarely use loops unless it’s like I was there when they made it or just know for sure that they did it,” he shared. ATL Jacob also said that given what he’s learned from the industry’s business side, he often feels most comfortable working with vetted acts, noting, “That’s why I just stay in my circles with my producers.”
Still, he has his list of dream collaborations he’d like to see happen, including working with award-winning producers Timbaland and Mannie Fresh. He also noted that he hopes to work with Grammy Award-winning English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran someday. He feels strongly that eventually, he’ll “get it.” “Imagine Justin Bieber on mine, too,” he added. “That’s gon’ be a vibe.”
In 2022 alone, ATL Jacob has already earned credits on some of this year’s most significant projects, including Kanye West’s eleventh studio album Donda 2 and over half of the tracks that appear on Future’s latest album, I Never Liked You. His work can be heard on several standout records, including Lil Baby’s “Right On,” “Keep It Burnin” with Ye, “Wait For U” with Drake and Tems, and “For a Nut” with Gunna and Young Thug.
Later in the episode, the producer discussed some of the projects coming down the pipeline for fans eager for his next release. He shared that he’s been working with Gucci Mane and rising rapper Cordae, who’s working on his forthcoming album.
DJ Scream also picked ATL Jacob’s brain for a Q&A session, asking him to name a late emcee he’d bring back to work with, if possible. The artist answered Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy, better known as Florida-based rapper XXXTentacion. The singer-songwriter died after being shot during a botched robbery in his hometown of Deerfield Beach.
The musician revealed that he “never cried when nobody died — I didn’t even know that man, but I really broke down.” “That was crazy because bro was putting out positivity. No matter his past, he was still putting out positive vibes and stuff. And then the way bro died was on some street shit when he was just there to go buy a motorcycle … Shit happens, but that’s definitely one I’d bring back,” ATL Jacob explained. In his short time in hip hop, X garnered a large fan base and gained respect from supporters and peers for his versatility. The artist often experimented with different music genres, including emo, drill, lo-fi, and punk rock. ATL Jacob shared that he firmly believes X “would’ve been one of the greats.”
When asked who he thinks is currently dominating the music scene, the producer said it’s a tie between Ye and Drake. “Kanye just because of creativity, then what he did in the fashion world and just him overall as a businessman. Then there’s Drake because of the charts — the man’s been running the charts for over a decade.”
Like always, if you liked what you heard, be sure to stay tuned every week for new episodes of “Big Facts.” Also, click here to watch ATL Jacob’s full episode.