ATL Jacob found himself this week unexpectedly having to clarify that he is, in fact, alive and breathing — contrary to the belief of a Lil Durk fan.
Taking to Twitter on Friday (May 26), the Donda 2 producer responded to a fan who thought he had passed away, after remarking that his demise resulted in Lil Durk’s songs going down in quality.
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“Ever since atl Jacob died durk songs been ass,” the fan wrote, to which an unamused ATL Jacob responded: “N-gga I’m still living [crying face emoji].”
Later on, however, the fan clarified that he was referring to Turn Me Up Josh, Lil Durk’s producer who passed away in May 2021.
The Atlanta native has crafted his own unique sound that has caused him to stand out among a crowded field of beatmakers. In May of 2022, he reached the No. 2 spot on the Hot 100 Songwriters chart. He was also named “Top Producer” by BMI in 2021 and was nominated “Producer of the Year” at the BET Hip-Hop Awards this year.
Over the last few years, you’ve heard his ATL Jacob production tag on hits such as Future’s “Wait for U,” Kodak Black’s “Super Gremlin,” and Lil Baby’s “Right On.”
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As a teenager, he first displayed his aptitude for music as a member of his high school band. As a multi-instrumentalist, the lessons he learned as a band member would be instrumental as developed his production style.
“It’s about knowing when a certain instrument should come in, when you should take it out, or when to have something solo,” ATL Jacob shared exclusively with HipHopDX last year. “Just growing up knowing those techniques from band, I use that same theory today.”
“Besides piano, I play some trumpet, a little trombone alto sax, clarinet, marimba, and xylophone,” he added.” The whole percussion section: bass drum, timpani, quads, and drums,”
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After selling tracks for $90 a piece, ATL Jacob’s production eventually was discovered by Freebandz CEO Casino who would introduce him to Future and the rest is history. After the chance meeting, he would become the in-house producer for Freebandz and produced seven tracks on The WIZRD in 2019.
“When I was in high school, I never bragged about hanging with Future,” he went on. “Only my close homies knew. They were telling everybody but nobody believed them [Laughs].”