Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, he then embarked on a solo career the following year with his debut studio album, Represent (1993). Cartegena formed the hip hop group Terror Squad and its namesake record label in the late 1990s, through which he signed fellow New York artists including Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, and Cuban Link, as well as then-unknown producers DJ Khaled and Cool & Dre.
Fat Joe was born Joseph Antonio Cartagena in the Bronx borough of New York City, where he was raised by parents of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent.[1][7][8][9] Living in the Forest Houses, a public housing project in the South Bronx neighborhood of Morrisania, Fat Joe began stealing at a young age to support his family.[10][11] He also admits that he was a bully in his childhood.[10] His brother introduced him to hip hop music.
Music career
1992–1995: early years
Under stage name Fat Joe da Gangsta and part of the rap group D.I.T.C., Cartagena was signed to Relativity Records in the early 1990s, recording material and working with many artists whom he would later sign to his own label. In 1993, his debut album Represent was released, featuring production from The Beatnuts, Diamond D, Lord Finesse, and others. Its lead single, "Flow Joe" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart; other minor singles from the album included "Watch the Sound" and "This Shit Is Real".[1]
In 1995, Fat Joe released his second studio album, Jealous One's Envy, which peaked at No. 71 on The Billboard 200 and at No. 7 on Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums. The album featured a guest appearance from KRS-One and production from Diamond D. The lead single was "Success", which did not chart, but his second single, "Envy" peaked at No. 8 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. One day while writing for the album at Chung King Studios, Fat Joe happened to find that his rap idol, LL Cool J was in another room with Trackmasters, working on the remix version of LL's single "I Shot Ya". After being welcomed to contribute a verse, Joe appeared on the record and in its accompanying video along with Foxy Brown, Keith Murray, and Prodigy of Mobb Deep. The track is considered by Joe to be one of his career highlights.[12][13]
During the recording of Jealous One's Envy, Joe discovered fellow Latino rapper Big Pun, who was featured on the song "Watch Out". Joe later explained the rapper's influence on him: "Latinos before us who had the opportunity to do it just didn't know how to do it. They came in trying to do this black music, waving flags. [But] we're trying to kick in the doors for other Latinos and represent our people, and it shows."[14]
1998–2005: signing with Atlantic, Terror Squad, J.O.S.E., 50 Cent feud
Fat Joe in 1999
In 1997, Fat Joe signed with Mystic Entertainment Group and The Warner Music Group's Atlantic Records through Craig Kallman's Big Beat Records. Under the deal, he was granted his own label, Terror Squad Productions. He subsequently began recording his third studio album. His third studio album, Don Cartagena was released on September 1, 1998. It was released in conjunction with his own label Terror Squad Productions. It peaked on the Billboard 200 at No. 7 and #2 on Top R&B/Hip Hop albums, eventually being certified gold by the RIAA.[15]
The album featured three singles with accompanying music videos, "Bet Ya Man Can't Triz", "John Blaze", and "Don Cartagena". Guest appearances included Nas, Puff Daddy, Big Pun, Raekwon, Jadakiss, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. On the album, Fat Joe debuted his own group Terror Squad consisting of the late Big Pun, as well as Cuban Link, Triple Seis, Prospect, Armageddon, and later Remy Ma.[16] Former Terror Squad member Triple Seis also went on record when asked who had written Fat Joe's lyrics, stating that he and Pun were Joe's ghostwriters for Don Cartagena, and asserts that Joe continues to hire ghostwriters.[17] Fat Joe executive produced and was featured on Big Pun's 1998 album Capital Punishment. In 1999, he appeared on Jennifer Lopez's single "Feelin' So Good" from her On the 6 album with late rapper Big Pun.
Fat Joe released his fourth album Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) in 2001, with Fat Joe executive producing the album. The album featured a star-studded lineup from the likes of Ashanti, Ja Rule, N.O.R.E., Busta Rhymes, Petey Pablo, M.O.P., Ludacris, R. Kelly, Buju Banton, and artists from his Terror Squad label. The lead single "We Thuggin'" featuring R. Kelly was a big hit in late 2001, but would not reach the level of his hit single "What's Luv?". At the time of the album's release, Fat Joe switched management from Mick Bentson to The Squad Music. The album was Fat Joe's biggest album commercially, being certified Platinum in America for shipping and selling over a million copies.[15] However, Fat Joe's fifth album Loyalty, released later in 2002, was not as successful.
In 2003, Fat Joe was featured in the pop single "I Want You" by Mexican singer Thalía. The same year, he and Tony Sunshine performed the single "Crush Tonight" from Loyalty on the Comedy Central program Chappelle's Show.
Despite the setback, Fat Joe scored a number-one hit in 2004 with his group Terror Squad, collaborating with Remy Ma on the Scott Storch production "Lean Back" from the album True Story.[16] Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic called the song "a perfect club-ready duet between Joe and Remy Ma that boasts a trademark Scott Storch beat and a memorable singalong hook and dance-along step".[18] He then began recording material for Ivy Queen's debut English-language album Real in support of her goal to compete in the world of English-language hip hop music.[19][20][21] Fat Joe portrayed himself and provided his own voice and likeness for the September 2004 video game, Def Jam: Fight For NY. The video game also featured Fat Joe's 2002 song Take A Look At My Life from Loyalty.
A year later, in 2005, Fat Joe released his sixth album All or Nothing, noted for featuring the popular diss track "My Fofo", aimed at fellow New York rapper 50 Cent, who had dissed Joe for recording with Ja Rule.[22]All or Nothing spawned the singles "So Much More" and "Get It Poppin" featuring Nelly, also with guest appearances from Eminem, Mase, Remy Ma, Mashonda, and R. Kelly. Responding to "My Fofo", 50 Cent attacked Fat Joe in his song "Piggy Bank" from his best-selling 2005 album The Massacre.[23][24][25] Fat Joe subsequently attacked 50's street credibility and called him a "coward" on a phone interview with Kay Slay of New York City hip-hop radio station WQHT.[26] The conflict carried on at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, while Fat Joe introduced the reggaeton act featuring Daddy Yankee, Joe remarked, "I feel safe with all the police protection—courtesy of G-Unit."[27] Shortly after, when MTV switched to a commercial break, 50 Cent directed an obscenity at Joe, and 50 Cent jumped on stage as Fat Joe was leaving.[28]
His recordings catalog for Atlantic Records is no longer under ownership of Warner Music Group, being divested in 2017 to RT Industries, a company founded by Razor & Tie founders.[29] However, Warner Music retains the digital distribution rights, now under its ADA division. This divestment was required as effect of a deal with IMPALA and the Merlin Network, related to Warner Music's acquisition of Parlophone Records from EMI.
2006–2008: Me, Myself & I, The Elephant in the Room, the 50 Cent feud continued, and more
Fat Joe performing in Portugal in 2006
Me, Myself & I, released in 2006, is Fat Joe's seventh album. It was his first album released on his new deal with Virgin Records. It featured the hit single "Make It Rain" with southern rapper Lil Wayne, followed by "No Drama (Clap and Revolve)". Fat Joe did a freestyle cipher segment for VH1's "Freestyle 59" competition in October 2006 prior to the VH1 Hip Hop Honors featuring New Jersey emcee Neuse.[30]
In June 2007, Catholic priest Michael Pfleger targeted Fat Joe as among several rappers he believed promoted misogyny in his billboard campaign "Stop Listening to Trash", which was launched June 18, 2007, throughout Chicago, where Pfleger preaches.[31] Also that month, Fat Joe was featured in the DJ Khaled singles "We Takin' Over" alongside Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Birdman, and Lil Wayne and the remix to Khaled's "I'm So Hood" with Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Big Boi, Ludacris, and Birdman. Verbal disputes between Fat Joe and 50 Cent continued during this time period: in September 2007, on the BET program Rap City, 50 Cent accused Fat Joe of being cowardly for not willing to confront him, but Fat Joe dismissed this claim as nonsense.[32] Later in January, 50 Cent released another Fat Joe diss, called "Southside Nigga (I'm Leaving)". At the end of January 2008, Fat Joe and his longtime accountant Brian Dittrich both denied rumors spreading on the Internet that Fat Joe owed the IRS taxes.[33]
Fat Joe's eighth solo studio album The Elephant in the Room was distributed by Imperial Records, a division of Capitol Records and Terror Squad Entertainment,[34][35] and released on March 11, 2008; its lead single was "I Won't Tell" featuring singer J. Holiday.[36] The album debuted at the sixth position on the Billboard Hot 100.[37] "Ain't Sayin' Nuthin'" followed and featured Plies.
On March 20, 2008, shortly after record sales were released for Fat Joe's new album The Elephant in the Room, 50 Cent released a video via his YouTube account, which features the "funeral" of Fat Joe, which shows 50 Cent crying in the fake footage. 50 Cent then talks about Fat Joe's record sales and states that he ended Fat Joe's career (like he says he did to Ja Rule's) and that his mixtape blew out Fat Joe's album.[38]
2009: Jealous Ones Still Envy 2
Fat Joe's ninth solo studio album, J.O.S.E. 2, was released towards the end of June 2009.[39] The project reprises the title of Joe's 2002 RIAA-Certified Platinum release, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), and marked Joe's third release since bringing his Terror Squad imprint to the EMI family in 2006. For this album, Joe has reached out to many artists, landing assists from Ron Browz, Fabolous, Lil' Kim, T-Pain, Lil Wayne, and Akon. Producers include Jim Jonsin, The Inkredibles, and frequent collaborator StreetRunner.[40] "One", featuring Akon, was the first single. The album was released on October 6, 2009, and sold 11,000 copies in its first week. It debuted on The Billboard 200 at No. 73.[41]
On March 28, 2010, Fat Joe signed a record deal with E1 Music.[43][44]The Darkside Vol. 1 was released on July 27, 2010, and sold approximately 12,000 copies in the first week and entered the Billboard 200 at No. 27.
2011–present: Feature on Champagne And Cocaine, Darkside Vol. 2., Plata O Plomo with Remy Ma, and Family Ties with Dre
On April 7, 2011, Jamie Drastik released his second mixtape Champagne And Cocaine which contains the song "One Hundred And Ten" featuring Fat Joe.[45]
In an interview with XXL Magazine on September 21, 2011, Fat Joe stated The Darkside Vol. 2 is going to be his first ever official mixtape and will feature the Mark Henry-produced songs "Massacre on Madison" and "Drop a Body", both of which were released earlier in the year. Joe went on to say he is also working on an album which is yet to be named but the first single is called "Another Round" produced by Cool and Dre and Young Lad and features Chris Brown.[46]
On October 19, 2011, "Another Round" the first single off Joe's yet to be named eleventh studio album was released on iTunes.[47] The second single released from the album is "Yellow Tape" which features Lil Wayne, ASAP Rocky, and French Montana. In September 2012, Joe featured in Grammy awards winner Alejandro Sanz's new album, La Música No Se Toca in a music named Down. Joe would then release another single, "Ballin'" on March 18, 2013. The song features Wiz Khalifa and Teyana Taylor.[48]
Fat Joe joined D.I.T.C. for their album Sessions. The album was released in October 2016 and was preceded by the lead single "Rock Shyt".[49][50] Via Hiphop Wired, Joe revealed that he and Remy Ma are releasing a joint album. The first single, "All the Way Up" featuring French Montana and Infared, peaked at No. 27 on the Hot 100, becoming his first top 40 hit in nearly a decade. The album, Plata O Plomo, and was released in February 2017.
On August 2, 2017, Fat Joe released "So Excited" with Dre. On July 24, 2018, he released "Attention" with Chris Brown. Fat Joe's second collaborative album called Family Ties, with Dre, was released in December 2019.[6]
In December 2020, Fat Joe appeared in the ComplexLand virtual event and talked about the best sneakers of the year.[51]
Fat Joe has been back to his old school in the Bronx, New York to donate computers for students.
In 2008, he attended the grand opening of the Hip Hop Soda Shop in Miami which was a community outreach project set up by Ben Chavis for the youth to hang out and do things such as record music, use the computers and play on Xbox 360s.[54]
By 1996, he weighed 300 pounds (140kg).[8] In 2005, Stuff magazine[57] and ContactMusic.com[58] profiled Fat Joe's weight loss efforts.
In 2011, Fat Joe unveiled his latest weight loss efforts in the video for his song "Drop a Body"[59] after losing 88 pounds (40kg) off his previous weight of 350 pounds (160kg).[60] Furthermore, he follows a low-carb approach, eating sweet potatoes but not eating certain carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, and white pasta.[61]
In 2022, Fat Joe said that he would not change his stage name from Fat Joe despite his weight loss, because it would not be a good marketing move.[62][63]
Legal issues
On September 8, 1998, Fat Joe and Big Pun were arrested on assault charges for hitting a man with a baseball bat and stealing the man's gold chain on June 14 that year.[9] Joe was arrested again on May 12, 2002, for allegedly fighting with another man at B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square, but the charges were dropped on January 10, 2003.[64]
In two murder cases, Fat Joe has been named a witness:
Joe's former bodyguard, Jose Mulero (also known as Sing Sing), was arrested on September 17, 2004, for the April 15, 1994, shooting death of 16-year-old Ernesto Rivera at a Bronx nightclub. Responding to a subpoena, Fat Joe claimed to have heard the shooting and seen people fleeing the scene, but investigators argued that he was standing closer to Mulero, by a door.[65]
Miami Beach police also named Fat Joe as a witness in a 2007 Memorial Day double murder outside David's Cafe II in South Beach. Jermaine Wufgang Chamberline of Miami Gardens was accused of shooting Lessli Paz and Joey Navarro to death on that morning; Fat Joe and the two victims were sitting in a rented Cadillac Escalade parked outside the restaurant when a fight broke out between passengers and another man.[66]
In December 2012, Fat Joe pleaded guilty to tax evasion for not paying income tax on over $3million from 2007 to 2010. On June 24, 2013, he was sentenced to four months in prison for tax evasion.[67] He began the sentence on August 26, 2013, and was released on November 28, 2013.[68]
LGBT beliefs and support
During an interview with Vlad TV, Joe stated that he believes that gay people should not hide their sexuality and should stand by who they are. He mentioned that it's possible that he has done songs with gay rappers and that there are likely several gay people besides rappers in the hip hop industry who are in the closet, describing it as a "Gay Mafia".[69]
His comments came after he was asked to comment on radio personality Mister Cee being arrested for public lewdness with a transgender sex worker.[70]
G-Unit was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released their debut album Beg for Mercy in 2003, which went on to ship over four million copies in the US and was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Terror Squad was an American hip hop collective that was first established in 1998. Based in the Bronx in New York City, the members of Terror Squad collectively debuted on a song in member Fat Joe's albums Jealous One's Envy and Don Cartagena. Terror Squad released its debut album, Terror Squad: The Album, in 1999, with its first major hit "Whatcha Gon' Do", credited mostly to Big Pun, who died of a heart attack in 2000. After Big Pun's death, his longtime partners Cuban Link and Triple Seis left the group and were subsequently replaced by Remy Martin and Tony Sunshine. In 2004, their song "Lean Back" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jealous One's Envy is the second studio album by American rapper Fat Joe, who had previously released his first album under the name Fat Joe da Gangsta. The album was released on October 24, 1995, by Relativity. The song "Watch Out" is known for having the first ever appearance of fellow New York rapper Big Pun.
"Lean Back" is a song by American hip hop group Terror Squad. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, True Story, on June 1, 2004. An uptempo hip hop song built for the club environment, it contains vocal performances from group members Fat Joe and Remy and production from Scott Storch. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on August 21, 2004, and topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart for seven weeks. Worldwide, the song reached the top 20 in several other countries, including Denmark, where it peaked at number five.
Felix Delgado, better known by his stage name Cuban Link, is a Cuban American rapper and original member of Terror Squad.
Cool & Dre are a record production and songwriting duo from North Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Antonio Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon. The duo are best known for their work with Terror Squad founder Fat Joe, first collaborating on the albums Jealous Ones Still Envy and Loyalty in 2001 and 2002 respectively, Lil Wayne's Tha Carter II, Tha Carter III, Tha Carter IV, and Tha Carter V, and more recently their work with Jay-Z and Beyonce on their collaborative album, Everything Is Love, 2018.
Loyalty is the fifth studio album by American rapper Fat Joe. The album was released on November 12, 2002, by Terror Squad and Atlantic Records The album debuted at number 31 on the US Billboard 200 chart. Take A Look At My Life was featured in the 2004 video game Def Jam: Fight For NY, which featured Fat Joe as a playable character.
Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) is the fourth studio album by American rapper Fat Joe. Originally scheduled for a summer 2000 release, the album was released on December 4, 2001, by Atlantic Records, Warner Music Group, and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions. The title is a reference to Fat Joe's second album, Jealous One's Envy.
Me, Myself & I is the seventh studio album by American rapper Fat Joe. The album was released on November 14, 2006, by Terror Squad, Virgin and Imperial. The album was supported by the single "Make It Rain" featuring Lil Wayne, which peaked at number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"New York" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Ja Rule, released October 27, 2004 as the second single from his sixth studio album R.U.L.E. (2004). The track, produced by Cool & Dre, features fellow New York rappers Fat Joe and Jadakiss. The song's chorus is based on Boogie Down Productions' 1990 song, "100 Guns".
The discography of American rapper Fat Joe consists of ten studio albums, two collaborative albums, three mixtapes and twenty-two singles, as well as other artists' singles in which Fat Joe did a guest performance. Fat Joe is an American rapper known for his solo work and membership in the rap groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad. His first solo album was Represent, released in 1993, followed by Jealous One's Envy in 1995. From 1998 to 2006, he was signed to Atlantic Records, releasing four albums under the label, Don Cartagena in 1998, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) in 2001, Loyalty in 2002, and All or Nothing in 2005. Starting in 2006, when his album Me, Myself, & I was released, Fat Joe was signed to Imperial Records, which distributes through Terror Squad Entertainment. His follow-up album was The Elephant in the Room, which was released in 2008; Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 , the sequel to his successful album Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), was released in 2009.
"What's Luv?" is a song by American rapper Fat Joe, released through Atlantic Records and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions as the second single from his fourth studio album, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) (2001). The song features additional vocals from singer Ashanti and from rapper Ja Rule on the remix and album version on the song. "What's Luv" was produced by Irv Gotti and Chink Santana. The lyrics of the song's chorus are based in part on the title refrain of the 1984 Tina Turner hit "What's Love Got to Do with It". The song additionally includes a lyric that references the 1998 song "Still Not a Player" by Big Pun. Fat Joe, Ja Rule, and the song's two producers are credited as the writers of "What's Luv", as are Big Pun and the lyricist of "What's Love Got to Do with It", Terry Britten.
Christopher Lee Rios, better known by his stage name Big Pun, was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx, he came to prominence upon discovery by fellow Bronx rapper Fat Joe, and thereafter guest appeared on his 1995 album Jealous One's Envy.
Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 is the ninth solo studio album by American rapper Fat Joe, and is a sequel to his platinum-selling album Jealous Ones Still Envy (2001). It is also the third album in his Jealous One's Envy series. After several delays, the album was released on October 6, 2009. The album's production was done by Rico Love, Ron Browz, the Inkredibles, Eric Hudson, Jim Jonsin and DJ Infamous, and features guest contributions from rappers Lil Wayne, Lil' Kim, Raekwon, T-Pain, T.A. and Swizz Beatz and R&B singers Akon and Pleasure P.
"One" is the first single from rapper Fat Joe's album Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 .
"We Thuggin'" is a single by American rapper Fat Joe featuring American singer R. Kelly. It is a single from Fat Joe's 2001 album Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.).
Terror Squad Productions is an American Hip hop and Rap record company founded by Fat Joe in 1997. The label has been distributed by Atlantic, Virgin Records, and Columbia Records. The label's flagship artist was Big Pun.
The Darkside Vol. 1 is the tenth studio album by American rapper Fat Joe. The album was released July 27, 2010 by Terror Squad Entertainment and E1 Music. The album's production was handled by Cool & Dre, Streetrunner, DJ Infamous, Just Blaze, Scram Jones, DJ Premier, Raw Uncut, and Scoop DeVille, among others. The album also featured guest appearances came from Trey Songz, Too Short, R. Kelly, Cam'ron, Clipse, Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy.
The Darkside Vol. 2 is the second mixtape by rapper Fat Joe. The mixtape was released October 31, 2011. The mixtape's production was primarily handled by Mark Henry, Hype and RoJ & TwinkiE.
Darkside III is the third volume in the Darkside series by rapper Fat Joe. The mixtape was released August 26, 2013 via DatPiff.
↑ Daniel Isenberg (December 7, 2011). "Fat Joe Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs". www.complex.com. That sh-- was the craziest collabo. LL Cool J was my idol. He was working in the next room with the Trackmasters. This is when I was doing my second album. And Tone from the Trackmasters came to my session, and heard my second album with 'Fat Joe's In Town' and all that. And he was like, 'Oh sh--, you're killin' it. I'm doing this remix for LL, you wanna jump on that?'
↑ Ahmed, Insanul (July 19, 2012). "Trackmasters Tell All: The Stories Behind Their Classic Records (Part 1)". www.complex.com. Chris Lighty was managing Fat Joe at the time. Joe really wanted to be on an event record and that would have been the staple for him. He was like, 'Yo, lemme just go on. I promise you the rhymes are gonna be amazing.' So we were like, 'Okay.' So he got on the record.
↑ DiPasquale, Cara (May 28, 2003). "The skinny on Fat Joe". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 8, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
