If you want to understand why Houston rap sounds the way it does, start with Fat Pat.
Born Patrick Lamark Hawkins on December 4, 1970, and raised in the Dead End neighborhood on Houston's Southside, Fat Pat became one of the founding voices of DJ Screw's Screwed Up Click — the collective that invented the slowed-down, syrup-thick "chopped and screwed" sound that would eventually reshape hip-hop far beyond Texas.
The Dead End and DJ Screw
Fat Pat came up alongside his older brother John "Big Hawk" Hawkins in a neighborhood whose name — the Dead End — became a badge of pride. After graduating from Sterling High School, he began freestyling on DJ Screw's now-legendary mixtapes in the early 1990s. Those gray tapes were less like albums and more like documentaries: a room full of friends passing the mic, narrating Houston life in hyperlocal slang over beats slowed to a crawl.
Fat Pat wasn't just present for that era — he defined it. DJ Screw's biographer Lance Scott Walker has called him the most complete artist in the room when the freestyle era began. His booming, melodic voice and effortless hooks set the lyrical template for the Screw tapes, on classics like No Drank (1996) and It's All Good (1997), the tape that celebrated his 27th birthday. Alongside Big Hawk, DJ Screw, and Kay-K, he also formed the Dead End Alliance (DEA), putting their neighborhood's name on wax.
Ghetto Dreams and "Tops Drop"
In March 1997, Fat Pat signed with Houston's Wreckshop Records and began recording his debut album, Ghetto Dreams. Its anchor was "Tops Drop" — a joyous anthem for Houston's slab culture of candy-painted cars, swangas, and trunk-rattling bass. The song remains one of the city's defining street anthems, still guaranteed to set off any Houston function decades later.
He never got to see any of it. On February 3, 1998, Fat Pat went to a promoter's apartment to collect payment for a performance and was shot and killed in the corridor outside. He was 27. His murder has never been solved.
Ghetto Dreams was released two weeks later and sold over 20,000 copies in its first week — the album release party became a wake, with Scarface, Willie D, Lil' Keke, and DJ Screw among those paying respects. A second album, Throwed in da Game, followed later that year.
Legacy
Fat Pat's voice only grew louder after his death. He's the unforgettable presence on DJ DMD's "25 Lighters" (1998) and Lil' Troy's "Wanna Be a Baller" (1999), which cracked the Billboard Hot 100 and carried Houston's sound to a national audience. Paul Wall named his firstborn son after him. Tragedy kept following the family — Big Hawk, who carried the S.U.C. torch after his brother's death, was himself killed in 2006 — but the brothers' music remains the bedrock of Houston hip-hop. Every artist who ever leaned on that slow, syrupy Houston bounce, from Slim Thug to Travis Scott, is working in a lane Fat Pat helped pave.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Fat Pat die? Fat Pat was shot and killed in Houston on February 3, 1998, after going to a promoter's apartment to collect an appearance fee. He was 27 years old, and the case remains unsolved.
What was Fat Pat's real name? His real name was Patrick Lamark Hawkins (some sources spell his middle name "Lamont"). He was born December 4, 1970, in Houston, Texas.
Was Fat Pat's album released before he died? No. His debut album Ghetto Dreams, featuring "Tops Drop," was released two weeks after his death and sold over 20,000 copies in its first week.
Was Fat Pat related to Big Hawk? Yes — Big Hawk (John Edward Hawkins) was his older brother and a fellow Screwed Up Click member. Big Hawk was killed in 2006, and both brothers are remembered as Houston rap royalty.