Wayne “Bone Crusher” Hardnett Jr. is a rapper and actor best known for his track “Never Scared” from 2003. Hardnett was born in Atlanta, Georgia on August 23, 1971 to unidentified parents. Hardnett was a member of the ensemble Lyrical Giants, which comprised Donald “Baby D” Jenkins and Bizar. The group, however, only lasted about a year before disbanding.
Hardnett then signed with Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def music label, and his debut album, AttenCHUN!, was released in 2003, featuring the single “Never Scared” with Clifford “T.I” Harris and Michael Santiago “Killer Mike” Render. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart and at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums, selling 500,000 sales. Hardnett’s single “Never Scared” peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 8 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks.
During the 2003 MLB season, the Atlanta Braves adopted the song, which would later be used in the Madden NFL 2004 video game. “Never Scared” would be Hardnett’s only Billboard charting single.
Hardnett released his second studio album, Release The Beast, in 2006, which included the single “Southern Gorillas,” followed by Free in 2007. Neither album sold more than 500,000 copies.
Throughout his career, Hardnett collaborated with musicians including as T.I., Killer Mike, and Jay Young. Marah Carey and Jeezy Jenkins Hardnett also appears in the computer game Def Jam: Fight For NY and appeared on the weight reduction VH1 show Celebrity Fit Club season four in 2006. Along with Carnie Wilson, Nicholas Turturro, and Erika Elenaik, he was the captain of The Fight Crushers. His team defeated Hot Buttered Soul, which included Tina Yothers, Vincent Pastore, Angie Stone, and Ted Lange, in the season finale.
He has also acted in films such as ATL (2006) and Dead Heist (2007), as well as as a guest judge on the Food Network cooking show Iron Chief America.
In 1994, Hardnett married Aneesah Hardnett. Hardnett is also the father of five children.