FAT JOE

'Joseph Antonio Cartagena' (born August 19, 1970 in The Bronx, New York, USA^[1]), better known by his stage name 'Fat Joe', is a Latino-American rapper.

Contents

History

Conflicts

G-Unit

Terror Squad

Personal Information

Other information

Discography

Selected Filmography

See also

References

External links

History

Cartagena was born in The Bronx of Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage. He was popular in the New York-underground hip hop scene during the early and mid-1990s. He was also a member of the D.I.T.C. Crew ("Diggin' in the Crates"), along with well-respected rappers/producers Showbiz and A.G., Buckwild, O.C., Diamond D, Big L and Lord Finesse, and was featured on early records by various members. He is a member of the Latin Kings.
With 2001's release of ''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'', Joe scored two back-to-back hits with "We Thuggin'", which featured R&B superstar R. Kelly singing the chorus and "What's Luv?", which featured up-and-coming R&B/pop star Ashanti on its chorus and went on to become one of 2002's biggest pop hits.
In late 2002, Joe released the album ''Loyalty'' and had a couple of small hits with "Crush Tonite" (featuring Ginuwine) and "All I Need". The rapper also has appeared in several films, including the 2002 film ''Empire'' with John Leguizamo and Peter Sarsgaard.
Fat Joe also released a Terror Squad self-titled album in September 1999. After several roster changes (including Big Pun's sudden death and the departure of Cuban Link and Triple Seis, the clique released a second album, ''True Story'', in July 2004. The single "Lean Back", which featured only Fat Joe and new member Remy Ma (formerly known as Remy Martin), was a smash hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Singles Chart. The song was later remixed by Lil' Jon.
In September 2004, a former bodyguard for Fat Joe was arrested and charged with a 1994 murder which the rapper had allegedly witnessed. According to ''The New York Times'', Jose Mulero was charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and weapons charges, after being accused of shooting Ernesto Rivera, 16, on April 15, 1994.
In late 2004, Fat Joe scored another radio hit with his verse on Ja Rule's "New York", also featuring Jadakiss and a chorus taken from KRS-One's "100 Guns". In his verse, Ja Rule takes thinly-veiled potshots at 50 Cent, adding another chapter to their well-publicized feud. However, this led to further controversy as 50 Cent assumed that by collaborating with Ja Rule, his enemy, Joe and Jada were now aligning themselves against him and included them both in his new diss track, "Piggy Bank".
In 2005, Fat Joe released his album, ''All or Nothing''. The first single was "So Much More". The music video features an appearance by DJ Kay Slay, who has also called himself the "black Fat Joe". The second single, the Scott Storch-produced "Get It Poppin", features Nelly. It was used as the theme song for WWE's 2005 SummerSlam.
In November 2006 Fat Joe released a new solo album, "Me, Myself & I". The lead single is "Make It Rain" featuring Lil' Wayne.

Conflicts

G-Unit

Rapper 50 Cent attacked Fat Joe in his 2005 song "Piggy Bank", from ''The Massacre''. Angered by Joe's collaboration with Ja Rule, 50 said "that fat nigga thought 'Lean Back' was 'In Da Club' / my shit sold eleven mil, his shit was a dud."
Fat Joe went on record as being confused by 50's anger towards him. He also suggested that he and 50 Cent meet in New York and have a fistfight. Most interestingly, he attacked 50's street credibility, claiming that 50 had never literally appeared "in the club", while Fat Joe has built his reputation on live club performances. He offered $1,000 to anybody who would come forward with a picture of 50 Cent in a nightclub. No attempts have been publicly made towards taking the $1,000 prize. Within days of "Piggy Bank" leaking, an untitled response from Fat Joe had appeared online with the chorus being sung to the tune of ''The Flintstones''' theme song. MP3 versions were variously titled "Fake Gangsta", "Fuck 50"[1], and simply "Fat Joe 50 Diss Track". It was finally officially released as "My FoFo" (referring to a .44 Magnum) as a bonus track on ''All or Nothing'', along with the "Lean Back" remix featuring Eminem and Lil' Jon.
At the 2005 MTV VMA's, while Fat Joe introduced the Reggaeton act featuring Daddy Yankee, Joe remarked “I feel safe with all the police protection, courtesy of G-Unit."^[2] Shortly after 50 Cent and other members of G-Unit can be heard yelling obscenities at Fat Joe which weren't bleeped out during the initial broadcast. It is also rumored he jumped on stage as Fat Joe was leaving. Later in the show 50 again retaliated with obscenities (this time mostly bleeped out), during a performance featuring Mobb Deep and Tony Yayo.

Terror Squad

Joe has received criticism for releasing only one solo album by a former Terror Squad member, Remy Ma, the most recent addition to T.S., as well as barely featuring original members Prospect and Armageddon on "True Story." Terror Squad singer Tony Sunshine has had possible album release dates pushed back over three years, and Joe had stated that artists Prospect and Armageddon have not released solo albums yet as the result of them being "really lazy"^[3]. 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, and asserts that Joe continues to hire ghostwriters.^[4]

Personal Information

He was friends with Big Pun, who he always referred to as "Twinsito" or simply "Twin". Fat Joe paid for the funeral of Big Pun . He stated that Jennifer Lopez was the first one to call him, after the tragic death of his close friend. He has said of Pun, "I'm used to young people dying by gettin' shot. Ya know, a lot of my friends have died by gettin' shot, killed, or an accident. But I've never seen a young nigga die 'cause he was fat."
On Fat Joe's album Me, Myself, & I, Fat Joe made a song called Bendicion Mami, in which he made as a tribute to his mother, Maria Cartagena. He talks about how his mother went through a lot, but she was a great mother. At the end of the song, he says that he cried during making the song.
May 28, 2007, Fat Joe's friends Lessli Paz, 25, and Joey Navarro, 26, were killed by a fatal double shooting. June 1, a police spokesman claimed Joe - real name Joe Cartagena - was an acquaintance of the two victims, and that he was a potential witness. However, Fat Joe's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman tells the New York Daily News his client saw nothing and that he called police when reports emerged linking him to the scene of the crime. Lichtman said Fat Joe would talk to the police on June 4, either in person or on the phone. Florida cops have charged Jermaine Chamberline, 24, with second-degree murder and possession of a firearm.
Fat Joe currently is married to Lorena, with two kids. He also has a son named Ryan.

Other information

In 2005, he overcame his fear of flying when he travelled by plane for the first time,^[5] a move that may have been prompted by taunting from G-Unit member Tony Yayo ("Fat Joe ain't a gangsta, he scared to fly"). Also in 2005, he donated 20 PC's and a media lab to the elementary school he attended in the Bronx.
^[6]
On October 24, 2006, he decided to visit the students of University High School in Orlando, Florida, because of the murder of Michael Nieves, a student from this high school. In his speech he cheered all to keep studying, to be united and to learn that the lyrics of the music are for entertainment, not to make them reality.
Fat Joe has contributed much to the Reggaeton movement. He was featured in Don Omar's remix of the song "Reggaeton Latino". He also made the song "Cuidate Tu" with Ivy Queen.

Discography

★ 1993: ''Represent''

★ 1995: ''Jealous One's Envy''

★ 1998: ''Don Cartagena''

★ 2001: ''Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)''

★ 2002: ''Loyalty''

★ 2005: ''All or Nothing''

★ 2006: ''Me, Myself & I''

★ 2007: ''My World''

Selected Filmography

★ ''Thicker Than Water (Lonzo Medina)'' (1999)

★ ''Prison Song'' (2001)

★ ''Empire'' (2002)

★ ''Scary Movie 3'' (2003)

★ ''Happy Feet (Seymour)'' (2006)

See also

★ List of famous Puerto Ricans

★ List of Cubans

★ Latin rap

★ List of number-one dance hits (United States)

★ List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart

References

1. IMDb page
2. "Daily Hip-Hop News"
3. HipHopGame.com - Fat Joe Interview
4. Nobody's Smiling: Triple Seis – Third Times a Charm
5. "Fat Joe Visits 'Last Call'", June 23, 2005; includes unofficial transcript of Fat Joe's interview on ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' (June 22, 2005)
6. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0196117/bio

External links

★ The official Fat Joe site

★ Fat Joe at WikiMusicGuide