Hip hop is in an interesting place. In so many ways, it’s the dominating force in music, owning the charts and dominating the live stages across the U.S. So when you’ve been grinding as long as Houston’s Fat Tony, it can seem like any success is a long time coming. On his latest release 10,000 Hours, he brings it all full circle proving that hard work pays off in the best way possible.

Tony has never had a hard time dropping music, though here it’s as if he’s found a way to sound future while being very present with his rhymes. Opener “Through the Storm” has this distanced sound that works and sounds like hip hop from another planet, while the title track, “10,000 Hours” hits with the precision that the rapper has become known for. The fast paced rhymes flow like a surgeon with a scalpel and prove that Tony’s still as on point as he was on his early releases. This continues on “No Beef,”with chip tuned sounding synths and Tony spitting at a quick stride with an auto tuned vocal that has him sounding better than most who go that route.

He mixes things up on tracks like “You Like It, I Love It,” opening with an acoustic guitar before dropping spacey beats. There’s what sounds like a live band backing him up on the twangy notes of “Got It Out the Mud,” and he holds to his Texas roots on “Texas,” possibly being the first to have a country feel on a rap song that doesn’t come off as cheesy.

On the final tracks of the album, Tony digs deeper and drops some of the most introspective tracks of the release. “No Features (fest. Amindi K. Fro$t)” feels closer to a hip hop ballad but still hits with weight and shows that the rapper is just as strong going slow as he is when he’s spitting with intensity. “Been Waiting” has this trip hop feel that holds your attention while the album’s closer “Best Life” hits chill wave notes but still stays in the hip hop world, complete with a slow beat that creeps on you in the best way possible.

You can stream the album on all platforms, you can purchase it from all digital stores or directly from Don Giovanni Records. The incredible energy of Fat Tony live will be on tour tonight at Good Will Social Club in Winnipeg until Saturday December 1 at Empire Control Room & Garage in Austin, Texas. A complete list of his tour dates can be accessed here. 

Image Credits: Photo by Nathaniel Turner.