Hardo—born as Joseph Barnett on May 6, 1992—is an American rapper from Wilkinsburg, PA and based out of Pittsburgh, PA, who is known for his hardcore rap style and lyrics about street life. He was also known in-part for his work with other Pittsburgh artists such as Mac Miller, Wiz Khalifa, and Jimmy Wopo.

Having attended Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh, the same school attended by Mac and formerly Wiz, Hardo claims to have recorded his first-ever track in Mac Miller’s bedroom around 2007. Following Mac’s rise to fame shortly after, Hardo was inspired to pursue a career as a rapper.

However, Hardo was arrested a handful of times from 2009–2011 for a home invasion and drug-related charges. After he was released on bail following being arrested with possession of heroin with intent to distribute in March 2011, Hardo recorded his first music videos, including a video for “Cut Throat”. Only a few months later, Hardo was sentenced to two-to-four years in prison. The video for “Cut Throat” was released around the time of his sentencing, which garnered significant attention while he was in prison.

Hardo was released from prison early in 2012 and dropped his debut project Fame or Feds: Rap or Bricks, a collaborative mixtape with Deezlee. Shortly after, Hardo signed to Mac Miller’s independent label REMember Music. However, before he could release anything through REMember, his career would see another slew of complications following another handful of arrests; Hardo was in-and-out of jail from 2013–2015, following more drug charges (though he was ultimately acquitted this time) and violating his probation. In May 2015, he released his debut studio album Trapnati.