By Adavie Gutierrez
Sporting a black hoodie with the words KING ME in red italics, Frederick Thomas awaits his crown on the musical throne. His round, chubby-cheeked face and bigger than life appearance contradicts the laid back and patient characteristics that he possesses, much like the bulldog on his fitted hat.
The charismatic Thomas, 27, better known as Fred the Godson, sinks his teeth into every beat that crosses his path. Today he is one of the hottest rappers representing the Bronx — birthplace of hip-hop.
Born in Bronx Lebanon hospital in 1986, he is the oldest of six kids. Thomas vividly remembers when a fire displaced him and his five siblings from their childhood home into a cramped shelter room on 156 Street and Fox.
“It was just a big family, a lot love. That’s what kept us strong,” he recalls.
Throughout his life he has suffered from asthma, high blood pressure, kidney disease and later diabetes. As a child, he was told he wasn’t going to be able to perform in different arenas, including rap. His first introduction to hip-hop began when his father, who worked as a security guard at the Tunnel a club where rappers performed back in the 90’s, brought home records like Jay-Z Reasonable Doubt (The Fader). Thomas started rapping on the street level like the infamous Biggie, who he is constantly compared to.
“I just like doing it,” he said. “Once I seen whatever I was doing was making them excited in a way, I was like wow this is nice. So I can do this.”
Following years of writing, studio sessions and showcases, Thomas kept in close contact with his doctor. When he informed her that he was pursuing a career in music, she initially told him no. However, she changed her mind once she saw him perform. Taken aback by his stamina and showmanship, she told him that he was like “God’s son.” And Fred the Godson was born.
In an interview with Power 105.1’s Ed Lover, Thomas tells the story of how he got his stage name. When Ed Lover asks, “Who were you before then?” Thomas casually replies “Fred,” and the two burst out in laughter. “That’s the illest sh–t I ever heard in my life,” Ed Lover replies.
With a hot stage name and punch lines that make jaws drop, there is little to stand in his way. Constantly producing and releasing mix tapes from the Bronx studio Blok Work, that he co-owns, Thomas keeps his music relevant not only to fans but to music professionals. The hottest New York radio disc jockeys such as Funk Flex, Clue, Ed Lover and DJ Drama collaborated with him on his City of God mix tape.
“Everything you been hearing, everything you been seeing, we take our money and we invest in our self and we get more spins than the average person — that is sign for a million dollar to a label,” Thomas said. “Two years ago, when they first started playing the music on the radio, I was one of the first (unsigned) artists in New York that was really getting 40 to 50 spins a week. That’s unheard of.”
In an interview with VIBE.com in 2011, The Godson expresses the importance of getting recognition from the hottest DJs in the city.
“Most of us at this stage, especially upcoming rappers, we have this thing — we want Flex to bomb our joints and we want a mix tape that’s a Gangasta Grillz from DJ Drama,” Thomas said in a serious tone. “The City of God, yeah that’s big, that’s huge, that’s me, but to have that Gansta Grillz stamp on the end of it. It’s a privilege, an honor.”
That same year the Godson made the cover of the popular hip-hop magazine XXL Freshman Class edition, along with Meek Millz, Kendrick Lamar and Reverend Run Son Diggy.
“When Fred raps, you know I got a head on my shoulders,” Thomas said referring to himself in the third person. “It’s just not nonsense coming out and you can tell the way I put the words together and the metaphors. There’s some type of smarts going on in that big size eight head.”
His raw references of real-life struggles and word-of-mouth promotion has opened doors for him to work with some notable artists such as Fat Joe, Diddy, Jadakiss, Pusha T, Busta Rhymes, Lil Kim, Vado, and underground rappers such as Cory Gunz and Remo the Hit Maker. Monique’s Room, the Godson’s hottest single to date has received more than 500,000 views on YouTube and more than 10,000 spins on the radio.
Fred the Godson’s story is an inspiration for many who yearn for a profession in the music industry. Growing up in a neighborhood plagued with drugs and crime is not an ideal circumstance, but it lends itself to graphic visuals and witty verses. His lyrics capture the hard-knock life endured by a generation that dreams of getting out.
“That’s all we are trying to do,” Thomas said. “Everybody in the ‘hood, we start off in a negative state anyway, so we all are trying to take that negative and turn it into a positive,” the rapper said. “Nobody really has a silver spoon story in hip-hop — the great rappers.”
No comments