Davionte Ganter, known professionally as GaTa, is an American rapper and actor known for his role in the

FXX FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Walt Disney Television unit of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and fea ...

TV series ''Dave'', as well as for being the

hype man A hype man, in hip hop music and rapping, is a backup rapper and/or singer who supports the primary rappers with exclamations and interjections and who attempts to increase the audience's excitement with call-and-response chants. The hype man's i ...

for rapper

Lil Dicky David Andrew Burd (born March 15, 1988), better known by his stage name Lil Dicky, is an American rapper, comedian, and actor. He came to prominence with the release of the music video for his song "Ex-Boyfriend" in 2013, which became popular w ...

throughout his career as well as on the show.

Early life and education

GaTa grew up in

South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as ...

, where he was adopted out of foster care by an aunt whom he considers his mother. He never knew his biological mother or father. Inspired by the rapper

Da Brat Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album ''Funkda ...

, he began rapping while a student at Audubon Middle School.

Career

Music

As a

, GaTa traveled the world performing with rappers including

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

and

Gym Class Heroes Gym Class Heroes was an American rap rock band from Geneva, New York. The group formed in 1997 when Travie McCoy met drummer Matt McGinley during their high school gym class. The band's music displays a wide variety of influences, including hip h ...

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

, GaTa, and his childhood friend

Schoolboy Q Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. In 2009, Hanley signed to Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and in late ...

formed the music label G.E.D., which GaTa says stands for "grinding every day, getting every dollar, getting educated daily." Around 2013, GaTa began working with

David Burd David Andrew Burd (born March 15, 1988), better known by his stage name Lil Dicky, is an American rapper, comedian, and actor. He came to prominence with the release of the music video for his song "Ex-Boyfriend" in 2013, which became popular w ...

, known professionally as

, who would become his close friend and with whom he would later star on the sitcom ''Dave''. After gaining popularity as an actor, he continued to build his own burgeoning solo rap career, most recently dropping the single "Check Up" in July 2021.

Television and film

GaTa began his acting career in the

TV series ''Dave'', in which he plays an authentic but "heightened" version of himself. Having never acted beyond music videos or taken any acting classes, he had to audition to play the role of himself on the show. His performance has been well received, leading some critics to say he deserved an

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

nomination. In 2022, GaTa appeared in the

stoner film Stoner film is a subgenre of comedy film that revolves around the Recreational drug use, recreational use of Cannabis (drug), cannabis. Generally, cannabis use is one of the main themes and inspires much of the plot. They are often representative ...

Good Mourning ''Good Mourning'' is the fourth studio album by American punk rock band Alkaline Trio, released May 13, 2003 on Vagrant Records. Background and production Towards the end of May 2002, the band recorded their next album; they "decided that wait ...

'' with

Machine Gun Kelly George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thomps ...

and

Mod Sun Derek Ryan Smith (born March 10, 1987), known professionally as Mod Sun (stylized as MOD SUN or MODSUN) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and rapper from Bloomington, Minnesota. He has released four solo studio albums, thr ...

Personal life

GaTa has

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

, a condition that was also given to his character on ''Dave''. He takes medication for the disorder. He was initially reluctant to talk about bipolar disorder on the show, but his family and David Burd convinced him that doing so could help others.

References

{{reflist African-American male rappers Rappers from Los Angeles African-American actors West Coast hip hop musicians Male actors from Los Angeles People with bipolar disorder 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American actors American male television actors 21st-century African-American musicians