Getting funky with Decarlo Tatum Jr.

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Getting funky with Decarlo Tatum Jr.

By Scott “Funk is My Middle Name” Belzer

Ahh, Atlanta. 

A hotbed of traffic, gentrification, potholes, bad history, good history, culture, and more. The “Mouth of the South,” so they say. I don’t know who “they” are, and I can’t remember where I originally heard that phrase.

Fortunately, Atlanta is also one of the finest purveyors of hip hop and rap. From the underground to major labels around the world, our fair city is looked at as an inspiration—there are people in Ireland, England, Australia, Brazil, Russia, China, and motherlovin’ BOTSWANA that try to reproduce our overall vibe.

DECARLO TATUM JR. is part of that overall vibe. They craft sensual lyrics and sonic soundscapes fueled by science fiction, real-world love, fantastical imaginings, and the overall Atlanta ethos. DeCarlo’s main priority is to be themselves, first and foremost, and let the art flow afterward.

In anticipation for DeCarlo’s upcoming show at Boggs Social & Supply on June 8, we caught up with DeCarlo to see what it takes to be an Atlanta hip hop artist in 2025. 

  1. DeCarlo Tatum Jr! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. That’s an interesting name – is there a story behind that, or is it your legal name? 

Yes, that is my artist name is my legal name. The story behind my legal name becoming my artist name is I believe in being your authentic self and my name is me.

  1. Tell me a little bit about how you got into hip hop in general. What’s your origin story?

I got into hip hop at an early age — maybe around the age of 3, I began to show signs of interest. My mother took notice when I recited the song “Jump” by Kris Kross word for word.

  1. I’ve always been curious, and I imagine it changes from person to person. What comes first, the beat or the lyrics? Or do you work on them separately at separate times?

For my creative process, it’s the beat first…then the lyrics. After that, I record a rough demo. To see if the song sounds good.

  1. When collaborating with other rappers, do you send the beat first so they can feel the flow? Do they freestyle while recording? Or do you see if they have anything prepared?

Well mostly, since I record so much, I have so many ideas. So most times I send over a rough demo, or if the other artist has a rough demo and ideas, I go along with them.

  1. Tell me about your latest album, So Glad I Found You. How does this album differ from your first album, Devotion? 

So Glad I Found You explores more of an artistic approach, but with better execution musically. On this album I was able to comfortably experiment and collaborate with other musicians in the comfort of my home. The main producer, Neal Howard, was open to my creative ideas on experimenting with his records with live instrumentation. This process also opened up a new skill for me: I can now say I can produce an album. On the album Devotion, Neal Howard was the main producer but the project was executively produced by my previous management company. So, I didn’t have much creative control over that project. It was just me rapping over .mp3 file instrumentals. Then they choose the best songs and arranged them into an album.

  1. There’s a lot of textures, samples, sound effects and instruments on So Glad I Found You, ranging from thunderstorms, violins, insects, spoken word and synthesizers. Where does inspiration for this come from? Who are your chief influences? I know you mention Outkast, Jimi Hendrix and James Brown – who else stands out in your mind?

The inspiration behind all those creative trinkets was from my love of fantasy and science fiction. I enjoy reading and writing fiction in those genres. The beautiful thing about fantasy and science fiction is that you can explore it with electronic and orchestral music. I always strive to elevate my sound. One of my inspirations is OutKast. I love how they would incorporate different sounds or effects on records and infuse them with their hip hop sound. As far as another artist that stands out creatively and artistically will be Prince. He always aimed to push his music to a higher ground without an industry appraisal or standard.

  1. Tell me about your tutelage with Rico Wade. What crucial skills did he teach you? What does a proper apprenticeship look like when it comes to making music? 

The time I spent with Rico Wade was very vital and important to my development as an artist. It was priceless. Rico taught me how to focus on harmonizing before actually writing anything, paper or recording. He told me that if you can find the melody first, then you have a song, otherwise, you are just rapping. The proper apprenticeship from my own experience would be having the opportunity to develop your artistry under someone who understands talent first, then business second, no matter the genre of music.

  1. About how long does it take for a song to go from idea to recorded track?

The amount of time it takes for an idea to become record all depends on the artist. You can sit on a concept for years and suddenly you can feel the need to record that idea, depending on how you feel at that time.

  1. The new album’s overall emotion seems to be very passionate and downright sensual. Outside of music, where does this come from? What things are you reading, watching, experiencing or studying in your life that brings this out? 

Great question. I have been a relationship for ten years with my partner Catherine, and we have two young children together. I think part of my ideas and concepts lately have been based around her personality and my life experience with her. I read a lot of classic science fiction books and graphic novels. I’m also a filmmaker, fashion designer, and comic book artist. So I watch art films, cartoon animations, and fashion shows.

  1. Atlanta itself has always been a hotbed of hip hop. How does the city of Atlanta play into inspiring you? What separates Atlanta from other cities when it comes to brewing the best hip hop?

I was born here in Atlanta. So I have lived here for a while. And to no surprise, the cultural architecture of Atlanta is flooded in my DNA. It’s all I know. It’s who I am. When it comes to hip hop, other cities try to find Atlanta in their city instead of just being themselves. It’s sort of changing. Now, most artists are just representing the sound of their city instead of trying to follow the trend.

  1. Being syndicated on HBOMAX, BET and NBA2K is quite the accomplishment! Congrats! Tell me about that process – is it as shady as I imagine it being? How surprised were you when these giant companies reached out about using your music? 

First and foremost, I would like to thank Matthew Moses of Certified Deluxe for the opportunity on landing those syncs. Thankfully, I have not experienced any shadiness, it’s lucrative and love on my experiences. We felt blessed to be able to receive the exposure. It also has given me motivation to continue to pursue music.

  1. Where were you the first time you heard your music being played on a TV show or video game? What was the reaction? I bet you were stoked!

I was at home, and I was watching the show on BET that my music was playing on. Yes, I was happy!

  1. Other than Boggs, what spots should fellow hip hop heads be scoping out right now for shows similar to yours?

That’s a great question, I would say if to the fellow hip hop heads, you should check out my homie Big Joc’s spot, The Blue Room, in East Point, GA. He is a huge advocate for the community of hip hop, giving artists a platform without charging to perform.

  1. What can folks expect during your show at Boggs?

You can expect an experience of funk and galactic energy like you never seen.