The Garden State Gargoyle Speaks: An Interview With Fatboi Sharif
We chop it up with rap’s ultimate authority on all things horror, talking live shows and his latest LP ‘Goth Girl on the Enterprise.’
Art via Evan Solano
Staley Sharples says that writing is telling yourself you’re worthless and a God at the same time.
Like a far more amicable Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, I once again come face-to-face (or Zoom-to-Zoom) with musician, writer, and cinephile Fatboi Sharif, hip-hop’s ultimate authority on all things horror. The New Jersey-based rapper and I first crossed paths upon the initial 2023 release of his and Roper Williams’ album Planet Unfaithful, where Sharif name-checks Stanley Kubrick’s psychosexual Christmas nightmare Eyes Wide Shut and lesbian werewolf horror cult classic Ginger Snaps.
His newest record with Williams, Goth Girl on the Enterprise, is a mind-melting evolution. “That was something that came together off of one song I made, the title track,” Sharif recalls. “Roper thought the song was crazy, he wanted to do a whole project based off the style and vibe. It came together super quick. It was all home grown. We'll go to the studio, he'll show me the production he made, I wrote right there, came up with the concepts and the lyrics, recorded everything, and it all fell together. We probably did it in a month, getting the beats, the recording, and then Roper took it to the next level with the sequencing and putting it together. It’s one of my favorite things me and Roper did.”
Sharif’s influences make up a supernova of experimental electronica, industrial grunge, and spoken-word lyricism for an eight-track spiritual journey unprecedented in modern rap music. “Lust Wounds” is a trip through a haunted jazz club and “Death in June” is permeated with spectral piano stabs straight out of Joseph Bishara’s Insidious score, while “Seance” weaves footwork drum patterns through a dreamcatcher strung with Sharif’s unsettling vocalizations and hallucinogenic verses.
His singular flow conjures the eerie threat of a liminal space, matched by warped beats and cutting truths on the mundanity of everyday evil. An avid book collector, worldbuilding is essential to Sharif as a musician, who often incorporates a written story with his releases. “Setting the mood is as much a part of the music as the lyrics are,” he says. “I always write something whenever I drop a project. I like that because it's giving the music the story before [you hear] the music. I always like when you get a book, and you read the synopsis at the back, and it's telling you stuff without telling you stuff. Then you read the book, and you get the same vibes and energies from these particular [sections], so I like to be able to do that with the music too."
The immersion extends to Sharif’s live shows, too. Theatricality is integral to his performances. Donning a hospital gown or Hannibal Lecter mask, the Garden State Gargoyle crafts his very own hip hop penny dreadful on-stage. During a recent touring stint in Europe, Sharif found himself wandering the lonely midnight streets of Utrecht, channeling old-world vampires of the past. “I definitely didn't have a good sleep schedule, ever,” he says. “The night we landed in Utrecht, we was on trains like all day, 16 hours. I think I might've slept like, maybe two to three hours, and woke up and walked around the rest of the night and just wrote.”
Living by the motto “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” for the past two decades, or so he tells me, Sharif has never found dozing to be a reprieve for his creative fulfillment. His mind is always active, thinking about the next project, but Sharif is focused on staying present as well. As he prepares for a February 2026 run of shows on the West Coast, he ends our conversation with gratitude. “Thanks to everyone for showing love to the movement, getting the movement and the vision, and just stay tuned. Lots more amazing creative things on the horizon.”
How do you put your show together?
Fatboi Sharif: Kind of like, [based on] vibes and energies. Usually I'll let my DJ go out there and play music for about 10 minutes to get the crowd hype. I always make the stage show an experience. Like, I’ll perform in a ski mask and hospital gown. I been performing in a Dickies suit with this Hannibal Lecter mask, but it got the mouthpiece cut out. I like to transform the costume into the stage show into the overall energy of the room. I change it up night by night, depending on the vibes and the type of music that's on the bill.
Let's talk about your European tour—what was your experience playing in Latvia for the first time?
Fatboi Sharif: That was amazing. Super dope, definitely a one-of-one trip. It’s funny too, because a lot of people were telling me that Latvia might not be the most popular spot for shows. A few artists that I spoke to, they say they never been to Latvia. When I came back I told them they definitely should make that a part of all of ya'll's shows and tours, because it's definitely a super dope, amazing sound and energy. The people out there was beautiful. Seeing everybody and building with all of the fans. Big shoutout to the one and only Elijah who set that all up. I definitely want to go back.
The energy was through the roof. I had delayed echo on the mic, so I was going through different parts of the room, rapping the lyrics, but you couldn't really tell where it was going from, I did that for a few tracks.
It was like a two day festival, it was just as high energy and on point as the first day. That's always important. [The Skaņu Mežs festival organizers] have been doing it for years. You can tell everybody was there to support the arts, everybody was buying merch, everybody was giving straight energy. No people left out of the room, it was literally busy from point A to point B. From when the doors open to when the last person went on at 2 am, it was just wall-to-wall packed. It was definitely one of my favorite shows I ever done, for sure, it was super dope. All together great energy, all around.
What was the international response to the music like?
Fatboi Sharif: Definitely all about the arts, having a good time and supporting something that's different. Latvia, London, Bristol, Utrecht, they came to enjoy the show and have a great time. Big shoutout to London. We did Windmill Brixton out there. That was a super ill night. A bunch of fans came to show love. Utrecht was two days after. We did Le Guess Who?, that was amazing. Big shoutout to Julian and the whole team over there. We ended it in Bristol, with several things. That was super dope.
The vibes and energy in Bristol, everyone was there to have a good time, support, and just vibe out to the music. The whole area was dope around there. I ended up doing a photoshoot. Big shoutout to Tim Fish, we got some dope, amazing stuff. beautiful area.
We posted a few images from the shoot. It was just kind of like, let’s do something dope real quick.
Big shoutout to my man DJ Boogavelli, he always with me on the road. Been my DJ for going on 10 years, and he's always great with getting the vibe right before every show. He'll come out and get on the mic, he might play the jersey club music, the stuff we like to vibe out to, it'll always go crazy. In every crowd. We're doing Madison, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit next.
Are you doing a van tour?
Fatboi Sharif: Yeah, I travel with Boogavelli, the rest of the Strangers Live crew, Icky Reels, obviously. Between those guys, it's always a great time on the road.
Who's driving?
Fatboi Sharif: Depends on who's particular. 90% of the time it's Boogavelli.
Do you like to drive, or are you more of a passenger?
Fatboi Sharif: I'm more of a passenger, honestly.
What horror films are modern classics to you?
Fatboi Sharif: Barbarian and The Lighthouse. Definitely. I could watch those over and over.
70s—late 70s—80s, slasher, Maniac and New York Ripper, obviously the first Nightmare on Elm Street. Those movies, [and] a lot of the B-horror movies are my favorites. A lot of the classics with an unsettling undertone, like Misery, Silence of the Lambs, Dolores Claiborne, I love those kinds of movies too.