Meet Madd Hatta | Husband, Father, Philantropist and Radio Host/Curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madd Hatta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madd, the decisions we make often shape our story in profound ways. What was one of the most difficult decisions you’ve had to make?
I walked away from radio after more than 30 years of non stop, day in and day out dedication. Radio and my career was all I had known from my late teens to my adult years and I ultimately realized that my life was completely out of balance. I needed a break to gain perspective and necessary time to reconnect with the man behind the mic. They say you can’t pour from an empty cup; my cup was bone dry. I gave everything to my career but when that dry cup disintegrated it was an epiphany that my mental health, wellbeing and overall happiness needed to be my number one priority. As a man, I was committed to taking care of everyone and everything around me but was doing a terrible job of cultivating my own peace.

It was the most difficult decision I’d ever made, but it ended up being the but the best decision I’d ever made. During my hiatus, I met the love of my life, got married and we added our baby boy to our family (I already had two amazing older daughters). Taking the time to examine life through a sharper lens was eye opening. I gained a much stronger sense of self and made a commitment to make room for the things that ultimately matter most. I’m able to show up for my family, serve my community and myself at the highest level. It was a game changer.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
As The Madd Hatta, I had a chance to be one of the cornerstones of Houston radio. The opportunity to become a part of someone’s day and become a benchmark for key moments in their life and in our community has been a tremendous blessing. My goal was to educate, entertain, and impact the people of Houston in a positive and thought provoking way. People knew they could count on me and my team to shoot straight and be a necessary outlet for the community. To cry out when times were tough, amplify the joy when there was something to celebrate, and to keep pushing each other forward as we navigated life in Houston together.

I remember broadcasting live from Sharpstown mall with a mission to register 5000 people to vote. I vowed to stay on the air until we got it done. It took five days. FIVE. It was Friday, we were almost to our goal when a Mom walked up with her son who just became eligible to register. She was struggling to get him to understand why voting mattered and HOW his vote counted. She was beside herself with frustration as nothing she said was getting through to him. I was probably halfway delirious with sleep deprivation, but I talked with that young guy for a long while and by the time we were done, not only did he confidently register, but he vowed to vote. In fact, he proudly shared his “i voted” sticker after he cast his first vote.

I’ve been a consistent voice and resource during so many key moments over the past 30+ years and I am reminded everyday of how much people count on the show. Rarely does a day go by without someone stopping to share a favorite memory or moment. To be a part of someone’s history is a blessing. In a lot of ways, we came up together.

As a music lover at heart, I also founded a record label, Paid in Full which helped amplify the sound of the city. I worked with many artists who became the cornerstone of Houston music culture. I’ve recorded several albums under my alter ego “Mista Madd”, in fact, you can still hear “Down South” featuring Slim Thug and Youngstar in rotation on 97.9 the Box or in a dj set at one of Houston’s hot spots.

These days, The Madd Hatta Cares Foundation is my passion. My foundation gave away $10,000 last year to Texas Southern University students for the “I Am Dream” scholarship for Communications students. I am also developing programming via the foundation that will focus on whole heath and wellness for families. My goal is to inspire others to seek balance and wellness in their own lives as well as to learn to develop healthy habits that they can make a part of their family culture.

My unwavering dedication to my craft, combined with a genuine passion for uplifting people and our community has been the key to my longevity. There is no doubt that the camaraderie and unwavering support of my morning show squad were essential elements of my success story by demonstrating the power of teamwork, collaboration and commitment. Shout out to J-Mac, Jimbo, Nnete, Kooper, Young Jas, J-Que, Rob G The General and Shelley Wade who were all significant to the success of The Madd Hatta Morning Show.

I now have an opportunity to travel on this new journey doing Afternoons on Majic 102.1 (weekdays 2p-7p) and I’m stepping positively into this adventure.

The journey includes hard work, perseverance, and a refusal to accept limitations as driving forces. My motto these days is “Life Be Life’n” but you gotta keep your resilience and the ability to find joy amidst all the challenges. Keep on Moving!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Houston is home! What I love the most about the city is…I can do anything that I want, it’s all right here in the city! There’s great food, great people and no shortage of experiences to be had. A great day always kicks off with a hearty meal at the Breakfast Klub. I know there are several great places to eat but that’s my first stop and from there we can explore anywhere. Houston lacks nothing when it comes to outdoors, sports, music, arts, culture, entertainment, museums, shopping and top of it all there is Kemah & Galveston for a change of scenery. To be honest, the most joy I’m having right now is re-experiencing the city through the eyes of my son. There is nothing better than watching him discover and experience so many things for the first time. That’s the real win!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The people most responsible for my career would be Yvonne Anderson who gave gave me my first shot to be on the at the college radio station at North Carolina A&T. College radio has always been competitive buy Yvonne saw something in me and gave me a place on the air and at the station to explore my passion for music.

Brian Douglas, legendary Program Director at 102 Jamz in Greensboro, NC coached me up from the media research team, to hosting overnights, then promoted me to nights at one of the most respected radio stations in North Carolina. Brian helped me set even higher standards of excellence for myself and provided my first hard look at what it would take to make an impact.

Larry Davis (who also worked at 102 Jamz) got my attention when I started on the air. Larry actually burst into the studio one night and told me that I was terrible on the air. I was shocked! Larry definitely got my attention, but then gave me countless resources and shared a wealth of information to help me hone my craft. I still have most of the books and articles that he shared with me. We are still in contact to this day!

Rick Party is an iconic voiceover talent and radio personality and someone I always looked up to in the industry. I remember sending him aircheck tapes of my show and letters asking for advice and feedback. Rick always responded and with encouragement and actionable advice. Rick was the person that put me on the radar of the General Manager in Houston, for the night jock opening for Majic 102. It was his recommendation that opened the door. We are both on Majic 102.1 now (Rick is the station voice) and I think it’s pretty great that things have come full circle. We finally work together.

Each one of these people saw something in me and gave me advice, insight and opportunity. Every person appeared at a key point in my journey and led me to where I am now. Without them setting my career and my ultimately my life on a trajectory that led me to Houston, I’m not sure how my life would look now.

Finally, my family is everything to me…My beautiful and brilliant Wife, Daughters, Sister and my Son make it all worth living.

Website: https://themaddhatta.com

Instagram: therealmaddhatta

Linkedin: Madd Hatta

Twitter: darealmaddhatta

Facebook: Madd Hatta

Youtube: The Madd Hatta Show

Image Credits
Tremaine Roberts
Desmun Photos