Isaac Freeman III (August 6, 1968 – August 31, 2024), better known by his stage name Fatman Scoop, was an American

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

recording artist and radio personality. Noted for his booming, raw vocal presence on various hip-hop songs, he was best known for his guest performances on the 2005 singles " Lose Control" by

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

and " It's Like That" by

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

, as well as his 1999

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...

single, " Be Faithful" (featuring the Crooklyn Clan), which topped the UK Singles Chart in 2003.

Early life

Isaac Freeman III was born on August 6, 1968, in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York City, and grew up in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, the son of Clara and Isaac Freeman Jr. He was educated at Cardinal Hayes High School and the

New York Institute of Technology The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a Private university, private research university, research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York (state), New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long I ...

Career

Freeman adopted the stage name "Fatman Scoop" from the nickname given to him by his Uncle Jack as a child, because he loved ice cream. He first came to prominence with the release of the single " Be Faithful" (featuring the Crooklyn Clan), which topped the charts in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland in October 2003, four years after its original release, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Denmark and Australia. Throughout his career, Fatman Scoop collaborated with numerous artists, including on

Ying Yang Twins The Ying Yang Twins are an American hip hop duo consisting of Kaine (born Eric Jackson on December 16, 1978) and D-Roc (born Deongelo Holmes on February 23, 1979). Despite the name, the duo are not twins, brothers or related in any way. They d ...

' 2004 remix of " Salt Shaker",

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

's 2006 remix of " So Excited",

The Pussycat Dolls The Pussycat Dolls were an American girl group and dance ensemble, founded in Los Angeles, California, by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995 as a neo-burlesque troupe. At the suggestion of Jimmy Iovine, Antin decided to take the troupe mainstrea ...

' 2008 remix of " When I Grow Up",

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

's 2009 remix of " One Love", and

Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...

's 2014 single " Recess". In 2004, Fatman Scoop was featured in the UK TV series ''Chancers'', broadcast on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

, mentoring six British musicians trying to achieve success in the United States. In 2007, he had a role on the animated television series ''

The Boondocks Boondocks are remote, usually brushy areas. Boondocks may also refer to: * The Boondocks (comic strip), ''The Boondocks'' (comic strip), a comic strip by Aaron McGruder ** The Boondocks (TV series), ''The Boondocks'' (TV series), the television s ...

'', appearing as himself in season 2, episode 5, "The Story of Thugnificent" and episode 15, "The Story of Gangstalicious Part 2" from the same season. In 2008, Fatman Scoop and his then-wife Shanda hosted a reality show and

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

called ''Man and Wife''. The show covered topics such as jobs, finance, relationships, and sex. On August 27, 2015, Fatman Scoop entered the '' Celebrity Big Brother 16: UK vs. USA'' house in the United Kingdom as a contestant. On September 14, he was the third housemate to be evicted, on day 20 where he finished in 11th place. In July 2018, Fatman Scoop was featured on the

remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She was discovered by record producer Jazze Pha in the early 2000s, and rose to prominence with her debut studio album, ''Goodies ...

's single " Level Up", which also featured

; the single remix was the first song to feature all three artists since 2005's " Lose Control". During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, being unable to travel, Fatman Scoop had to give up being a

hype man A hype man, typically in hip hop music, is a backing vocalist who supports the primary performer with exclamations, interjections, or ad-libs in an attempt to increase an audience's excitement or engagement. Origins Early hype men included Keef C ...

, so he started up other businesses, including trucking and an ice cream company. On August 30, 2024, Fatman Scoop released two collaborations; the first, with

Bingo Players Bingo Players is a Dutch dance and electro house musical project fronted by DJ and record producer Maarten Hoogstraten (). Bingo Players was originally a duo, which included Paul Bäumer, who died from cancer in 2013. After the death of Bäumer, ...

and Disco Fries on the single "Our House". The second was "Let It Go" with Dyce Payso; an official music video was released on the same day. "Our House" heavily samples the instrumental to

Ray J William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, television presenter, and actor. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother o ...

's 2001 single " Wait a Minute".

Personal life

Freeman had two children. He married twice, once to Shanda. They divorced after 13 years together.

Death

On August 30, 2024, Freeman collapsed during a performance in

Hamden, Connecticut Hamden is a New England town, town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant (Connecticut), Sleeping Giant". The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecti ...

; CPR was administered at the scene and he was rushed to a nearby hospital. The following day, it was announced that he had died at the age of 56. His death was determined to be from natural causes, due to hypertensive heart disease and

atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis, characterized by development of abnormalities called lesions in walls of arteries. This is a chronic inflammatory disease involving many different cell types and is driven by eleva ...

Discography

Compilation albums

* ''Fatman Scoop's Party Breaks: Volume 1'' (2003) * ''In the Club'' (2006) * ''Party King'' (2015, Japan only)

Singles

Featured songs

* 2001: "Drop" (

Timbaland & Magoo Timbaland & Magoo were an American hip hop duo, composed of Virginia natives Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley (born March 10, 1972) and Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff (July 12, 1973 – August 13, 2023). Formed in 1989, the duo signed with Blackground Re ...

featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2004: " Dat Sexy Body" (Remix) ( Sasha featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2004: " Salt Shaker" (Remix) (

featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2005: " Lose Control" (

featuring

and Fatman Scoop) * 2005: " It's Like That" (

featuring

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

and Fatman Scoop) * 2006: " Take the Lead (Wanna Ride)" (

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (formerly known as B.O.N.E. Enterpri$e and also referred to as simply Bone Thugs or Bone) is an American hip hop group formed in 1991 in Cleveland, Ohio. Consisting of rappers Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone, Layzie Bone, Krayzie ...

and

Wisin & Yandel Wisin & Yandel were a Puerto Rican reggaeton duo consisting of Wisin and Yandel. They started their career in 1998 and stayed together until 2023, winning several awards including a Grammy Award in 2009. They became the first and the only regga ...

featuring Melissa Jiménez and Fatman Scoop) * 2006: " So Excited" (Remix) (

featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2007: " Behind the Cow" ( Scooter featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2008: " When I Grow Up" ( Darkchild Remix) (

featuring Fatman Scoop, Diddy, and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

) * 2008: " What You Got" (Remix) (

Colby O'Donis Colby O'Donis Colón (; born March 14, 1989) is an American singer. He is best known for his guest appearance on Lady Gaga's 2008 single "Just Dance (song), Just Dance", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100, spent over ...

featuring Fatman Scoop and Klepto) * 2009: " Clear!" (

Kardinal Offishall Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall ( ), is a Canadian rapper and record producer. Often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", he has been regarded as one of the country's most prominent ...

featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2009: " One Love" (Remix) (

featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2010: " Please Don't Break My Heart" ( Kalomoira featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2011: " Rock the Boat" (

Bob Sinclar Christophe Le Friant (; born 10 May 1969), better known by his stage name Bob Sinclar (), is a French record producer, DJ, and remixer. He is the owner of the record label Yellow Productions. Musical career A native of Paris, Le Friant began D ...

featuring Fatman Scoop, Pitbull and Dragonfly) * 2011: " Drop It Low" (Remix) (

Kat DeLuna Kathleen Emperatriz DeLuna (born November 26, 1987) is an American singer. DeLuna began pursuing a career as a singer when she was a teenager and later signed with Epic Records. Her debut single, " Whine Up", released in 2007, went on to become ...

featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2014: " Recess" (

and

Kill the Noise Jacob Stanczak, known professionally as Kill the Noise, is an American DJ and record producer from Rochester, New York. His collaboration with Skrillex, Fatman Scoop and Michael Angelakos, "Recess (song), Recess", entered the UK Singles Chart at ...

featuring Fatman Scoop and Michael Angelakos) * 2015: " Don't Stop the Madness" (

Hardwell Robbert van de Corput (; born 7 January 1988), known professionally as Hardwell, is a Dutch DJ and music producer from Breda. He was voted the world's number one DJ by ''DJ Mag'' in 2013 and again in 2014. In 2022, he was ranked at number 43 in ...

and W&W featuring Fatman Scoop) * 2018: " Level Up" (Remix) (Ciara featuring Missy Elliott and Fatman Scoop) * 2022: "Pro Freak" ( Smino featuring Doechii and Fatman Scoop)

Awards and nominations

Awards

* 2005:

Grammy Award for Best Rap Song The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...

– Nomination – (" Lose Control", with

) * 2005: Smash Hits Poll Winners Party – Star Of The Year – Won – (voted best overall personality in 2005 by

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

readers) * 2005:

Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video The Grammy Award for Best Music Video is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to performers, directors, and producers of quality short form music videos. ...

– Won – ("Lose Control", with Missy Elliott & Ciara) * 2006: Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Dance Cut – Won – ("Lose Control", with Missy Elliott & Ciara)

Notes

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fatman Scoop 1968 births 2024 deaths 20th-century African-American musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American rappers 21st-century African-American musicians 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers Alternative hip-hop musicians Cardinal Hayes High School alumni Deaths from atherosclerosis Filmed deaths of entertainers Filmed deaths Grammy Award winners Hype men Musicians who died on stage New York Institute of Technology alumni People from Harlem Rappers from New York City