A record deal for a 19 year old coming from the streets of Atlanta is something that most artists only dream of, but for one rising Atlanta rapper, nicknamed Shawty Boy, it just came true.

“When I signed my deal with EMG I got on a plane for the first time, says Shawty Boy, its amazing what you can do when you work hard and believe in yourself.”

Shawty Boy, born Antonio G. Watson (July 6, 1991) to Carmeica Watson and Gabriel Payne, is the first born and oldest sibling of Chaz’min Watson and Shane Battle. His inspiration and love of hip-hop started at a young age. As a teenager, his parent’s split caused his mother to relocate from his current home at Mechanicville Project’s to Bankhead Highway. Drug’s and crime forced the family to move yet again to Douglasville, GA, which would become the foundation for Shawty to discover music. Shawty’s hardships inspired him to start writing rap lyrics to express himself, in a place where he felt he needed a voice.

“Hip-hop was my outlet to express myself… I wanted to provide a better life for my family… a better life for those around me… I know hip hop has a loud voice, and reaches a lot of kids that need inspiration, I want to be that voice that reaches out, and shows them they can do better than the street life.”

In 02, Shawty Boy formed his first rap group in Douglasville, a three-member trio known as Murk Mobb Bullets. Shawty’s drive and passion lead the group, but the other members were not as driven, and the group split ways in 03′. In 06, Shawty Boy formed another group called C.D.C. (Crank Da Crowd), which featured his younger cousin, Wachovious Glenn aka Killa-Kobe. The duo performed at popular venues in the Atlanta area. Shawty Boy’s street buzz was growing, but due to the passing of Killa-Kobe during the rise of their group, Shawty was forced to move in a new direction. He met Citty Da Cookie Man, a former member of the Atlanta rap group, Alliance. His single “Tatted-Up” featuring Fabo of D4L Records impacted the Urban Hip Hop Community. Shawty free-styled for Da Cookie Man at a local mall. Soon after, he joined Citty’s independent label A-Wall Entertainment working with Slip N Slide Records, including Trina, Rick Ross, Plies, and Trick Daddy.

At this point, Shawty began developing a reputation as the hottest teen rapper in Atlanta. Da Cookie Man took on the role as a manager a role model for Shawty Boy. Cookies background in the U.S. military left an impression on Shawty, encouraging him to be disciplined with his career. Shawty released the single “Put Dem A’s Up” that grew local notary amongst Atlanta’s Hip Hop teens, quickly becoming a street anthem.

In 08 Shawty made an appearance with Alphamega and T.I. in the video “Uh-Huh.” He also appeared in the Mica Swain video, “Shawty There Da Truth.” In April of 09, Shawty set fourth to further his career as a solo artist signing with Free Spirit Entertainment and Genesis Music Group, co-founded by Ronald Lopes, the younger sibling of the late multi-million dollar recording artist Lisa ‘Left-Eye’ Lopes of TLC. Co-managing the label was Eric Arnold, prior manager of the popular R&B duo BLAQUE. Shawty released his second single, “Dey Like My Swagg,” again making its way as a popular street anthem. The single streamed over 5,000 plays the first day it was released.

In November 2010 Shawty Boy met Robert Thorn. Their collaboration lead to Shawty Boy signing a major deal with Executive Music Group/Fontana/Universal ran by Jacob Cap “The Executive” and Jimmy Swan. Shawty Boy is set to release his first mainstream single on May 31, “Bet I Smash Her” which has already garnished over 20,000 hits on fan made videos on YouTube. Within weeks of his single impacting radio it has already received over 100 spins. Shawty is already in the studio working on a variety of new projects including the likes of the Eastside Boyz, Darnell Robinson, Project Pat, Slim Dunkin, Daron Jones (112), DJ Montana White, and CP Hollywood.

Shawty-Boy is an avid part of his local Atlanta community. He plans to work with charities and donate his time to the local youth at the Boy’s & Girl’s Club’s he was once a part of. Shawty is a humble artist and seen as a local inspiration in the ATL.

“I think that by being positive and honest that’s how you get ahead in life. Its all about how many people will stand by you at the end of the day based upon your reputation.”