If you’re in Atlanta, you’ve probably heard Gaten’s “Hummin” taking over the streets, clubs, and airwaves. The undeniable banger serves as the first single off of his upcoming mixtape titled Glitch God, set to release in the near future.
The inspo behind the record? Straight hustle. Gaten states, “Everyday you wake up to new challenges, living in a country built to break you. ‘Hummin’ inspires you to get up everyday and strive to reach your goals! My goal everyday is to wake up and get me some BRAND NEW MONEY!”
Hailing from East Atlanta, Gaten is a rising star who reminds me he’s “Da One.” When it comes to his sound, the one word he uses is “electrifying.” His versatility and ability to switch up his flow does not go overlooked, and his lyrics will touch your soul. His one advice: you gotta have the volume turned all the way up.
To date, Gaten has opened for the likes of Bankroll Fresh, Lil’ Keed, No Plug, and Young Dro.
AllHipHop spoke with Gaten to discuss his roots in Atlanta, biggest influences, “Hummin” going crazy, studio essentials, tattoos, and more!
AllHipHop: Talk about who Gaten is, for those who don’t know.
Gaten: I am the one and only, the real deal. I’m from the Eastside of Atlanta, Georgia. I represent the Eastside of Atlanta, Georgia. Bouldercrest and Candler Road. But I was born in Atlanta. I was born in the Bluff, but I migrated to the Eastside of Atlanta when I more so started going to school.
I started going to Cedar Grove Elementary, Cedar Grove Middle, Cedar Grove High School. Then I went to Douglass, back to the Westside. So I’m tied in with both of them. I just represent the Eastside of Atlanta, that’s me.
AllHipHop: Can you describe the Eastside of Atlanta?
Gaten: We get our money, but it gets rough though. The Westside of Atlanta is different. You gotta know the difference between the Westside and Eastside. The Eastside of Atlanta: we get our money but it’s smooth. The Westside of Atlanta: they get their money, it’s rough but they wide open.
Gaten: Ain’t no smoothness, hard ball. We smooth with ours, but we get our money.
AllHipHop: When did you fall in love with music?
Gaten: I grew up around music. I grew up in the music game. A lot of folks who were rapping, a lot of folks who got on, they’re my personal bro. Lucci, Keed, Bankroll Fresh, Solo Lucci, Thug. I grew up around it, I was 13/14. Then I got into a car accident when I was 14, my best friend died. That’s what made me really want to stick to rapping and make something out of it.
AllHipHop: Biggest influences growing up?
Gaten: I grew up listening to Gucci, Tip, and Wayne. They were the three.
AllHipHop: Do you have a favorite Lil Wayne song?
Gaten: My favorite song is “A Milli,” but that’s just because my best friend. Before he died, that was the only song he was singing all day. So that’s my favorite song too, I gotta ride with him.
AllHipHop: What was the moment you wanted to do music for real? Was it when your friend passed?
Gaten: Yeah, that’s when I had really got serious. When my friend, that really woke me up. That made me figure out I had to really do something with my life. When I started taking music serious, that was about three years ago. Once I dropped my first single and it started doing something. It started getting a little traction and folks started getting some feedback, that’s what had me like oh I’ma start rapping. Start pushing, see where I can get with it.
AllHipHop: Where’d the name Gaten come from?
Gaten: I created Gaten. Gaten is the spiritual meaning of GOAT. I created it, it’s custom. I represent that. I’m the energy Gaten, I bring it so that’s what it is.
AllHipHop: Talk about your song “Hummin” going crazy!
Gaten: “Hummin” right now, it’s going crazy. It’s in the clubs, it’s on all the radio stations. 94.5, they played it on 107.9. I made “Hummin” when I was really grinding. I was grinding every day. I came up with the whole hook, just waking up and getting some new money everyday. I put it out, my whole everyday what I was living and going through. I put it out on the song.
AllHipHop: Did you think it would do what it did?
Gaten: Honestly, I can’t say I knew, because I make a lot of music. I probably have 500 songs recorded.
I can’t say I knew it was gon’ go, I just had to have the right folks around me and they picked it out. The CEO of the label, Mon, he personally handpicked that song.
He liked that song. A couple of folks that were around, we were picking some other songs. “That one’s hard, that one’s better.” He picked it out like he knew that’s the one. We put it out, them folks ate it up and we ran with it.
AllHipHop: Best memory from the video shoot? It looked super lit.
Gaten: Yeah the video shoot was lit for sure. Just having everybody around. At the last function, everyone’s on one accord and vibing out. Vibing out with the people. I like vibing out with the — I don’t even call them fans. These are real people and real supporters, so vibing out with the supporters. Have a chance to link with everybody, see how they support me. That was fun.
That and riding the 4-wheelers. I like riding 4-wheelers. I can do one hand, another hand, I do all that on the 4-wheels. I couldn’t do it on the video because I didn’t want to mess my shoes up, but I can get nasty on the 4-wheelers.
AllHipHop: What do you want fans to get from your story?
Gaten: I really want them to understand and feel I came from nowhere. I came from the mud. I came from the bottom of having nothing. Came from the same background as — if you came from the mud, I really came from the mud so you gon’ really feel it. Damn near everything I’m rapping is real life, it’s nothing made up. Anybody can relate. If you don’t feel it, somebody around you can relate to it. That’s what I really want you to get from me rapping, it’s a whole story behind it. A whole meaning behind it, for sure you can relate to it.
AllHipHop: Three things you need in the studio at all times?
Gaten: I got to have some food around, gotta have that. I be having the bros, but when the bros come, they gotta bring some vibes in there. Gotta have some vibes in there so it makes sense. The brothers, you can’t come thinking it’s just me and y’all. Gotta have some vibes to even it out.
Some weed, some vibes. Third, probably some Hennessy or something. So we can get extra lit or something. But I don’t need the Hennessy, I’m already turnt as is.
AllHipHop: What’s your favorite tattoo?
Gaten: Man, I got so many tattoos. My last tattoo is my favorite now, I got Gaten across my stomach. That’s my last tattoo.
AllHipHop: Did that hurt?
Gaten: Yeah, on the ribs it hurt. [laughs] The stomach more so kind of, then right here hurt. [points to ribs] I got sleeves, all types of tattoos. I got Jimmy Neutron, that’s my second favorite tattoo.
I got road to riches, I got Atlanta right here. The Hawks, the Falcons. My best friend who died, he right there. I got studio, I wish you could see it all.
AllHipHop: What else can we look forward to? What you got going on next?
Gaten: We got a lot going on. The way it’s looking, ain’t no telling. The single’s going so crazy, we got “Hummin” on the streets right now everywhere. I got the Glitch God on the way, that’s the mixtape in the vault. I got a couple videos we already shot, we trying to figure out which one to drop first. We got so much fire, we smashing the gas on them.
I got music in the vault so you really gotta stay tuned. Stay tuned on Instagram, really follow so you can see how we coming next. Right now, it’s moving fast for me. We got SXSW, we got a couple stages. We got the plug with DJ Holiday. We got a tour coming on March 15th, we gon’ be gone for a week and a half.
