With emotionally honest lyricism, melodic delivery and melancholic beats, Alabama rapper FattMack is swiftly establishing himself as a force in hip-hop. A testament to hard work paying off, he’s now been named to SoundCloud’s 2025 Ascending class.
At the age of 5, McKenzie Haynes was already performing solos in his Mobile, Alabama church choir. Fast forward to today, and you can find the 20-year-old artist rapping about themes like mental health, trauma and survival to the many who can see themselves in his music. In the time between came years of grinding, game-changing releases that proved he could connect with an audience and the conviction that lyrical honesty was the way forward.
Now, FattMack has been named SoundCloud’s Ascending artist for November, joining a 2025 class that includes Florida rapper 1900Rugrat, indie pop songwriter Erin LeCount, alternative R&B artist SAILORR and the genre-defying honestav, to name a few. The Ascending program spotlights artists who are growing fast, finding a home on SoundCloud and shaping what’s next in music.
For FattMack, his 2023 album ‘Mr. Did It By Hisself’ changed everything. The 20-track project propelled him to new heights, from reaching new audiences to capturing the attention of labels. The title wasn’t just braggadocio; for FattMack; it was the truth. Reflecting on the pivotal album, he shares, “[That record] means a lot to me because, you know, I really didn’t have any help. We didn’t really have no money. I really did this shit all alone. Did it myself.”
What sets FattMack apart in a crowded hip-hop landscape isn’t just his hustle, it’s his unflinching emotional transparency. Instead of using bravado as armor, he aims to strip away the pretense.
“I tell the truth and I don't feel any shame in expressing my pain — and a lot of people do,” FattMack explains.
Sonically, FattMack has drawn comparisons to Juice WRLD, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and has cited Lil Wayne as a big influence growing up, but the Mobile artist’s sound is his own. On his latest album, 2025’s ‘Untreated Trauma,’ his melodic freestyled delivery rides over chest-thumping 808s and bursts of stank-face-inducing distorted guitar, such as on the track “08 Grand Marquis.” Elsewhere throughout his catalog, FattMack is known for drawing from trending sounds and putting his own spin on it, such as via sampling Mac DeMarco’s “Chamber of Reflections” on his 2024 track “BLRDDD,” and OkaySpade’s “Reigning in LA” on his 2025 track “Lebron James.”
This genre-hopping makes his sound accessible, while still being uniquely shaped by his upbringing in Mobile. The realities of his experiences living in the city are ever-present in his lyrics, where he tackles themes of depression, self-medication, trauma and flashbacks.
“[Mobile] shaped the way that I am as a human being, not just my music,” he says. “The music is my therapy too. It’s not just the fans’ therapy.”
FattMack first joined SoundCloud in 2017 as a teenager, uploading early experiments and finding his first die-hard fans. His 2020 debut “Rookie of the Year”, though modest in its success, connected with his hometown music scene. Then, the following year, his cousin, rapper Big Yavo, signed a record deal and hit the Billboard Heatseekers chart for the first time. It showed him a successful rap career was achievable from where he stood, inspiring him to lock in and sharpen his freestyling skills.
The pay-off came with his 2023 album ‘Mr. Did It By Hisself’ which set him on a trajectory towards consistent streaming growth, collaborations with Chicago rap legend G Herbo (“White Lies”), and, in 2024, signing a record deal with Sony-affiliate, Great Day Records. His influence within Alabama’s hip-hop scene has also continued to grow enormously, especially alongside now-collaborators TopOppGen and Jay Montana.
His personal transformation has been just as dramatic as his professional one. Between ‘Mr. Did It By Hisself’ and his follow-up ‘SkinnyMack’, he shed 140 pounds in eight months — a physical manifestation of the self-focus he now preaches.
That philosophy extends to his upcoming album ‘Mckenzie,’ due out in December 2025. “I guess you could say I’m finding myself as an artist, as a person,” FattMack says. “That’s why I named it after myself.” The album’s message is simple but hard-won: put yourself first, and pour into your own growth before anyone else’s.
To this day, FattMack’s fans disproportionately stream his music on SoundCloud compared to other platforms, showcasing how the community he built during those early years remains his loyal core. The numbers are undeniable, too. His plays on SoundCloud are up 400% this year alone, backing up what's clear to anyone watching: FattMack is ascending — and fast.
LISTEN TO ‘MCKENZIE’ BY FATTMACK ON SOUNDCLOUD
CHECK OUT WHAT’S NEXT IN MUSIC WITH THE ASCENDING PLAYLIST ON SOUNDCLOUD NOW
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