Fat Joe | |
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 Fat Joe in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Antonio Cartagena |
| Also known as |
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| Born | (1970-08-19)August 19, 1970 (age 54) The Bronx,New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Discography | Fat Joe discography |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels |
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| Formerly of | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage nameFat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member ofhip hop groupDiggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a solo career with the release of his debut studio album,Represent (1993) the following year. Cartegena formed the hip hop groupTerror Squad and itsnamesake record label in the late 1990s, through which he has signed fellow New York artists includingBig Pun,Remy Ma,Tony Sunshine, andCuban Link, as well as then-unknown producersDJ Khaled andCool & Dre.
Represent was preceded by his debut single "Flow Joe", which entered theBillboard Hot 100 and peaked atop theHot Rap Songs chart.[1] The album was followed byJealous One's Envy (1995),Don Cartagena (1998), andJealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) (2001)—the latter receivedplatinum certification from theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and yielded the hit single, "What's Luv?" (featuringJa Rule andAshanti).[2][3] The song peaked at number two on theBillboard Hot 100, while his 2004 single "Lean Back" (with Terror Squad) peaked atop the chart and remains his most commercially successful release. Cartagena has also released the top 40 singles "Make It Rain" (featuringLil Wayne) in 2006, and "All the Way Up" (with Remy Ma featuringFrench Montana and Infared) a decade later.
Cartagena has appeared in several films, includingScary Movie 3 andHappy Feet, as well asSpike Lee'sNetflix seriesShe's Gotta Have It. In 2018, he created and hosted theCoca Vision podcast onTidal, where he discusses music, friendships, andpop culture with variouscelebrity guests.[4][5]
Fat Joe was born Joseph Antonio Cartagena inthe Bronx borough of New York City, where he was raised by parents of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent.[6][7][8][9] Living in theForest Houses, apublic housing project in theSouth Bronx neighborhood ofMorrisania, Fat Joe began stealing at a young age to support his family.[10][11] He also admits that he was abully in his childhood.[10] His brother introduced him to hip hop music.
Under stage name Fat Joe da Gangsta and part of the rap groupD.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 albumRepresent was released, featuring production fromThe 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".[6]
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 fromKRS-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 atChung King Studios, Fat Joe happened to find that his rap idol,LL Cool J was in another room withTrackmasters, 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 withFoxy Brown,Keith Murray, andProdigy ofMobb Deep. The track is considered by Joe to be one of his career highlights.[12][13]
During the recording ofJealous One's Envy, Joe discovered fellowLatino rapperBig 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]
In 1997, Fat Joe signed with Mystic Entertainment Group andThe Warner Music Group'sAtlantic Records throughCraig Kallman'sBig 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 labelTerror Squad Productions. It peaked on theBillboard 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 includedNas,Puff Daddy, Big Pun,Raekwon,Jadakiss, andBone Thugs-N-Harmony. On the album, Fat Joe debuted his own group Terror Squad consisting of the late Big Pun, as well asCuban Link, Triple Seis, Prospect, Armageddon, and laterRemy 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 albumCapital Punishment. In 1999, he appeared onJennifer Lopez's single "Feelin' So Good" from herOn the 6 album with late rapper Big Pun.
Fat Joe released his fourth albumJealous 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 albumLoyalty, released later in 2002, was not as successful.[18]
In 2003, Fat Joe was featured in the pop single "I Want You" by Mexican singerThalía. The same year, he and Tony Sunshine performed the single "Crush Tonight" fromLoyalty on the Comedy Central programChappelle'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 albumTrue Story.[16] Jason Birchmeier ofAllMusic called the song "a perfect club-ready duet between Joe and Remy Ma that boasts a trademarkScott Storch beat and a memorable singalong hook and dance-along step".[19] He then began recording material forIvy Queen's debut English-language albumReal in support of her goal to compete in the world of English-language hip hop music.[20][21][22] 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" fromLoyalty.
A year later, in 2005, Fat Joe released his sixth albumAll or Nothing, noted for featuring the popular diss track "My Fofo", aimed at fellow New York rapper50 Cent, who had dissed Joe for recording with Ja Rule.[23]All or Nothing spawned the singles "So Much More" and "Get It Poppin" featuringNelly, also with guest appearances fromEminem, 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 albumThe Massacre.[24][25][26] 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.[27] The conflict carried on at the2005 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 ofG-Unit."[28] 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.[29]
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 byRazor & Tie founders.[30] However, Warner Music retains the digital distribution rights, now under itsADA division. This divestment was required as effect of a deal withIMPALA and theMerlin Network, related to Warner Music's acquisition ofParlophone Records fromEMI.
Me, Myself & I, released in 2006, is Fat Joe's seventh album. It was his first album released on his new deal withVirgin Records. It featured the hit single "Make It Rain" with southern rapperLil Wayne, followed by "No Drama (Clap and Revolve)". Fat Joe did a freestyle cipher segment forVH1's "Freestyle 59" competition in October 2006 prior to the VH1 Hip Hop Honors featuring New Jersey emcee Neuse.[31]
In June 2007, Catholic priestMichael 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, throughoutChicago, where Pfleger preaches.[32] Also that month, Fat Joe was featured in the DJ Khaled singles "We Takin' Over" alongsideAkon,T.I.,Rick Ross,Birdman, andLil Wayne and the remix to Khaled's "I'm So Hood" with Lil Wayne,Young Jeezy, Rick Ross,Busta Rhymes,Big Boi,Ludacris, andBirdman. Verbal disputes between Fat Joe and 50 Cent continued during this time period: in September 2007, on theBET programRap City, 50 Cent accused Fat Joe of being cowardly for not willing to confront him, but Fat Joe dismissed this claim as nonsense.[33] 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 theIRS taxes.[34]
Fat Joe's eighth solo studio albumThe Elephant in the Room was distributed byImperial Records, a division ofCapitol Records and Terror Squad Entertainment,[35][36] and released on March 11, 2008; its lead single was "I Won't Tell" featuring singerJ. Holiday.[37] The album debuted at the sixth position on the Billboard Hot 100.[38] "Ain't Sayin' Nuthin'" followed and featuredPlies.
On March 20, 2008, shortly after record sales were released for Fat Joe's new albumThe Elephant in the Room, 50 Cent released a video via hisYouTube 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.[39]
Fat Joe's ninth solo studio album,J.O.S.E. 2, was released towards the end of June 2009.[40] 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 hisTerror Squad imprint to theEMI family in 2006. For this album, Joe has reached out to many artists, landing assists fromRon Browz,Fabolous,Lil' Kim,T-Pain,Lil Wayne, andAkon. Producers includeJim Jonsin, The Inkredibles, and frequent collaborator StreetRunner.[41] "One", featuringAkon, 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.[42]
In January 2010, Fat Joe announced that he was working on a new album,The Darkside Vol. 1. MTV News reported that Fat Joe intended "all the material...to be much harsher" than his previous album. Production comes fromThe Alchemist,Cool & Dre, Streetrunner,DJ Premier, Scoop DeVille,Just Blaze,Scram Jones, Raw Uncut andDJ Infamous with guest appearances byBusta Rhymes,Trey Songz,Lil Wayne,R. Kelly,Clipse,Cam'ron,Rico Love,Too $hort, TA, andYoung Jeezy.[43] The first single fromThe Darkside Vol. 1 is "(Ha Ha) Slow Down", which features Young Jeezy. The second single off the album is "If It Ain't About Money" and featuresTrey Songz.
On March 28, 2010, Fat Joe signed a record deal withE1 Music.[44][45]The Darkside Vol. 1 was released on July 27, 2010, and sold approximately 12,000 copies in the first week and entered theBillboard 200 at No. 27.
On April 7, 2011, Jamie Drastik released his second mixtape Champagne And Cocaine which contains the song "One Hundred And Ten" featuring Fat Joe.[46]
Joe was featured on a remix toDJ Khaled's song "Welcome to My Hood", which also featuresLudacris,T-Pain,Busta Rhymes,Twista,Mavado, Birdman,Ace Hood,Game,Jadakiss,Bun B, andWaka Flocka Flame. It is included as the final track on Khaled's fifth studio albumWe the Best Forever.
In an interview with XXL Magazine on September 21, 2011, Fat Joe statedThe 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 byCool and Dre and Young Lad and featuresChris Brown.[47]
On October 19, 2011, "Another Round" the first single off Joe's yet to be named eleventh studio album was released on iTunes.[48] 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 winnerAlejandro Sanz's new album,La Música No Se Toca in a music namedDown. Joe would then release another single, "Ballin'" on March 18, 2013. The song featuresWiz Khalifa andTeyana Taylor.[49]
Fat Joe joined D.I.T.C. for their albumSessions. The album was released in October 2016 and was preceded by the lead single "Rock Shyt".[50][51] Via Hiphop Wired, Joe revealed that he andRemy Ma were to release a joint album. The first single, "All the Way Up" featuringFrench 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, was released in February 2017.
On August 2, 2017, Fat Joe released "So Excited" withDre.On July 24, 2018, he released "Attention" withChris Brown.Fat Joe's second collaborative album calledFamily Ties, with Dre, was released in December 2019.[5]
In December 2020, Fat Joe appeared in theComplexLand virtual event and talked about the best sneakers of the year.[52]
Fat Joe has been married to his wife, Lorena since 1995. The couple welcomed their only child together, a daughter named Azariah, on May 12, 2006. Joe also has two sons from previous relationships: Joey, who was born when Joe was 19, and Ryan who was born in the mid-90s.[53] His son Joey has Autism andDown syndrome, Joe has discussed raising him as a young single father.[54]
Fat Joe has been back to his old school inthe 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 byBen Chavis for the youth to hang out and do things such as record music, use the computers and play on Xbox 360s.[55]
At a "School is Cool" assembly inPublic School 5 inJersey City, New Jersey on June 11, 2009, Fat Joe was a speaker.[56]
On January 23, 2011, Fat Joe appeared withNewark mayorCory Booker and fitness expertJeff Halevy at an event to promote the Newark branch ofMichelle Obama'sLet's Move! initiative against childhood obesity.[57]
In March 2024, Fat Joe attended a roundtable discussion with Vice PresidentKamala Harris at the White House to discuss cannabis policy reform.[58] On November 4, 2024, the day prior to election day, Fat Joe spoke at a Harris presidential rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania.[59][60]
By 1996, he weighed 300 pounds (140 kg).[8] In 2005,ContactMusic.com[61] 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"[62] after losing 88 pounds (40 kg) off his previous weight of 350 pounds (160 kg).[63] Furthermore, he follows alow-carb approach, eatingsweet potatoes but not eating certaincarbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, and white pasta.[64]
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.[65][66]
In 2024, Fat Joe revealed that he uses the GLP-1 agonist drugOzempic to help maintain a healthy weight.[67]
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 inTimes Square, but the charges were dropped on January 10, 2003.[68]
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 asubpoena, 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.[69]
Miami Beach police also named Fat Joe as a witness in a 2007 Memorial Day double murder outside David's Cafe II inSouth Beach. JermaineWufgang Chamberline ofMiami 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 rentedCadillac Escalade parked outside the restaurant when a fight broke out between passengers and another man.[70]
In December 2012, Fat Joe pleaded guilty totax evasion for not paying income tax on over $3 million from 2007 to 2010. On June 24, 2013, he was sentenced to four months in prison for tax evasion.[71] He began the sentence on August 26, 2013, and was released on November 28, 2013.[72]
The feud between Fat Joe and50 Cent was instigated due to Fat Joe's involvement withJa Rule a longtime adversary of 50 Cent and G-Unit.[73][74] The feud took aim at Fat Joe following his 2002 single "What's Luv?", which featured Ja Rule. Fat Joe also continued his collaborations with Ja Rule on the latter's 2004 single "New York" (which also featuredJadakiss), prompting 50 Cent to release a diss track aimed at Fat Joe titled "Piggy Bank", a track on 50 Cent's 2005 albumThe Massacre. Fat Joe later responded with "My Fofo", a track from Joe's albumAll or Nothing (2005), which released later that same year.
Tensions boiled over during the2005 MTV Video Music Awards when Fat Joe presented the award for Best Hip Hop Video, during which he told the audience "I feel so safe tonight with all this police protection courtesy ofG-Unit". 50 Cent later retaliated with a profanity-laden diatribe following his performance of the songSo Seductive with fellow G-Unit artistTony Yayo, exclaiming "Fat Joe's a pussy man! [...] Pussy Boy, Nigga What?!". The feud later affected Fat Joe financially as he sought to secure a $20 million contract endorsingAir Jordan sneakers in early 2005,Michael Jordan himself later cancelled the contract following the VMA incident as he was in fear of conflict with 50 Cent or any other affiliates.[75] Following this, little action was taken on either side as the feud seemed to calm down by 2011. Murder Inc. co-founderIrv Gotti later expressed anger at Fat Joe following his proposal to quell their longstanding feud with G-Unit in 2010.[76] In 2012, 50 Cent approached Fat Joe in talks of ending the feud following the two agreeing to perform at a memorial ceremony for then recently-deceased music executiveChris Lighty.[77] Despite the prior history between the two, 50 Cent and Fat Joe became close friends and business associates shortly thereafter despite Fat Joe's lengthy connections with Ja Rule.[78][79]
In the early 2000s, Fat Joe started beefing with rapperCuban Link after Joe allegedly shelved Cuban's debut studio album24K, which was set to be released onAtlantic Records andTerror Squad Entertainment. This caused Cuban to leaveTerror Squad and go solo but Fat Joe had him blackballed from the industry which forced Cuban to go underground. In 2001, Fat Joe got into an altercation with rapper SunKiss at a release party forAngie Martinez. Cuban tried to stop the fight but it resulted in him getting his face cut which left long-lasting scars on his face. As of 2025, Joe is still beefing with Cuban.
During an interview withVlad 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 is 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".[80]
His comments came after he was asked to comment on radio personalityMister Cee being arrested for public lewdness with a transgender sex worker.[81]
Studio albums
Collaborative albums
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | I Like It Like That | Biker Inmate | |
| 1999 | Urban Menace | Terror | Video |
| Whiteboyz | Don Flip Crew #2 | ||
| Thicker Than Water | Lonzo | ||
| 2001 | Blazin' | Big Jay | |
| Prison Song | Big Pete | ||
| 2002 | Empire | Tito Severe | |
| 2003 | Scary Movie 3 | Himself | |
| 2006 | Happy Feet | Seymour | Voice |
| Rap Sheet: Hip-Hop and the Cops (2006) | Himself[83] | ||
| 2009 | Breathe | Eddie Cortes | Short |
| 2011 | The Cookout 2 | Bookie | |
| Narx | Big Ed | ||
| 2015 | Supermodel | Xavier | |
| 2016 | Checkmate | Freddie "Flash" Morales | |
| 2017 | Lady Rider | Freddie "Flash" Morales | |
| 2018 | Night School | Bobby | |
| 2019 | New York Undercover | Beto | TV movie |
| 2020 | Fearless | DJ | Voice |
| 2024 | This Is Me... Now: A Love Story | Therapist | Musical film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–2019 | She's Gotta Have It | Winny Win Winford | Recurring cast |
| 2022 | The Captain | Himself | Sports documentary |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Def Jam Fight For NY | Crack | Voice role and likeness |
| 2006 | Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover | Crack | Voice role and likeness |
| 2007 | Def Jam: Icon | Himself | Voice role and likeness |
| Year | Title | Brand | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | "Dunkin’ ‘The DunKings’ ftBen Affleck,Matt Damon,Tom Brady,Jack Harlow,Jennifer Lopez, & Fat Joe" | Dunkin' Brands | Himself | Super Bowl commercial[84][85] |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | What's Luv? | Top Soundtrack Song of the Year | Won |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | I Don't Care/Que Mas Da (Dance Remixes) | Latin Dance Club Play Track of the Year | Won |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "What's Luv?"(featuringAshanti) | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration | Nominated |
| 2005 | "Lean Back"(Terror Squad) | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | Nominated |
| 2008 | "Make It Rain"(featuringLil Wayne) | Nominated | |
| 2017[86] | "All the Way Up"(withRemy Ma featuringFrench Montana & Infared) | Best Rap Performance | Nominated |
| Best Rap Song | Nominated |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "All the Way Up"(withRemy Ma featuringFrench Montana & Infared) | Hip-Hop Song of the Year | Nominated |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Lean Back | Viewer's Choice | Nominated |
| 2017 | Fat Joe & Remy Ma | Best Group | Nominated |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | What's Luv? | Best Hip-Hop Video | Nominated |
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?'
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.
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