PHFAT is the solo vehicle of South African rapper Mike Zietsman, a nimble and dark-toned emcee who first made his name as part of the Cape Town electronic rap crew P.H.Fat. Following the group's 2015 breakup, Zietsman used the slightly altered PHFAT moniker to launch a solo career. His versatile style allowed him to build on his previous group's success with popular singles like "Keep You Safe," "Caviar Dreams," and the 2019 EP sex | love | heartbreak. Along with fellow emcee Disco Izrael and beatmaker Narch, Zietsman -- who went by Smooth Mike -- launched the popular rap group P.H.Fat, gaining popularity as both a live act and for their 2011 LP Dinosaur Blood. After Izrael departed in 2013, he and Narch carried on as a duo for two more years before calling it quits. Rebranding himself as a solo act, Zeitsman cashed in on the name recognition of his previous outfit and simply stylized it as PHFAT. He enjoyed success right out of the gate with "Lights Out," a dark and moody cut that featured JungFreud and racked up millions of streams. 2015's "Caviar Dreams" was a collaboration with pop group Al Bairre and showed his expanded range. 2017's Mac Motel-assisted "Keep You Safe" had more of a chill vibe with R&B elements. PHFAT's first longform statement as a solo artist was the 2019 EP, sex | love | heartbreak, a versatile five-song EP that featured his old bandmate Narch, among others, Zietsman kicked off 2020 with the scintillating solo cut, "New Boy." ~ Timothy Monger