Fat Joe: Rewards Loyalty, Ignores Traitors

[STILLDRE IS THE GODFATHER]

Fat Joe: Rewards Loyalty, Ignores Traitors
Monday - March 17, 2003
Ricardo Hazell
On August 19, 1972 a child was born in the Bronx. Christened Joe Cartenga by his loving mother, this baby would grow-both horizontally and vertically-until he took the form we know today. That form is known to the music loving public as Fat Joe. I had the pleasure of sitting down with a very cordial, yet party weary, Fat Joe at the Atlantic Records offices in New York City. It was the weekend after the Grammy celebrations stormed through the city and looked like he got his money’s worth.

“It was crazy. We had the only hood Grammy party,” said Joe. “Nore, M.O.P., Kay Slay, all the thugs, the BX (The Bronx)…everybody was there. I think if I had won it would have been the first Grammy really taken back to the hood where niggas in the hood really would have seen the shit. That’s really who I represent, even though I make music now that mainstream America is listening to and you know we’re getting all this MTV play and all that, but I represent the hood no matter what. That’s who comes out to see me.”

Who can remember when Fat Joe first came on the scene with such barn burning lyrical offerings as “Flow Joe” and “Shit Is Real”? Not to mention all the dope D.T.I.C. affiliated singles he has appeared on? Though he’s enjoying his new found mainstream success, Joe told me that he is more than a little irritated that radio and industry folks have not accepted him for the style of music that he has mastered all a long. That style being the rugged, hardcore shit.

“It’s terrible when I see somebody like 50 Cent do his numbers doing what he wants to do,” admitted Joe. “It ain’t just him. He’s rolling with a click that’s been getting away with that for a minute. Dr. Dre, him and Snoop Dogg, is the only niggas that can make hardcore, slow, bop your head type of music that radio and video would play. When I do shit like that they never give that shit play. They look at it almost as if like it’s too real or something. So, I don’t really get to capitalize off of what I really do. I love making songs for the women, party joints and this “All I Need” joint that I wrote for my wife, but my true passion is writing joints like “My Lifestyle” “Gangster” “Shit Is Real” you know that’s what I’m about.”

Though he’s known for keeping it real, the Capo of the Terror Squad knows talent when he hears it, and Tony Sunshine will never starve if he has anything to say about it.

“Pun gave him the name Tony Sunshine and I was there. I was like ‘Yo, that’s a hot name.’ Tony is incredible. He’s like a little brother that I adopted from Pun really. I grew up with Ton since day one in my projects. But Pun was the one that really had him under his wing. He was like ‘Yo, Joe, we gotta put this kid out. This kid is incredible.’ You know, I just took him from there and he’s like my little brother now.”

When Big Punisher passed away Fat Joe and the industry mourned greatly for him, the first Puerto Rican emcee to go platinum. But, not long after the smoke cleared, Joe noticed the landscape began to change. Pun’s widow and even former Terror Squadian Cuban Link said some not-to-flattering remarks about the deceased rapper. I asked Joe how he felt about Pun’s widow’s new Big Pun Foundation and its activities.

“Whatever, you know what I’m saying. They do what they do, we do what we do. I loved Pun to death and Pun loved me to death. Before he died him and me never even had an argument. He just looked at me as a big brother and I looked at him as a little brother that I would take care of. After his passing it’s been really hard for me to get along with his people because, you know, it just turned into a whole different ball game after he passed. You know, I made efforts and all types of approaches to try to fix things and everything, but it seems like every couple of months later some other shit happens. It’s whatever man. If that’s what his wife wants to do then that’s what she does. You know, I don’t really keep track of them I just keep going.”

And what about Cuban Link? The duo had a much publicized falling out and even came to blows. How did someone who wants professed allegiance turn so quickly?

“I don’t know, you gotta have him,” said the NFL jersey-rocking giant with a grin. “I thought that was my dog. I don’t know. The nigga just bugged. When Pun died I guess he thought Joe wasn’t going to make it happen and jumped ship. He was down with us and we loved that nigga to the death and he just flipped. He bounced, and that was cool, and after he bounced we gave him the rights to leave, no problem. You know, his publishing and everything. He got everything. I lost crazy money on that nigga. I spent millions of dollars shooting videos and doing an album with crazy niggas singing on it. I spoke to him like 2 or 3 times after he left and everything was cool, next thing you know about a year and a half later I’m hearing this nigga is dissing me at shows, on mixed tapes and this and that. I was like ‘oh shit!’ But, you know, that 50 Cent shit got in style. I guess he figured that was the way to get on or whatever the case maybe, but I’m not really answering him back with shit like that. He can entertain himself. I got a lot of positive energy to deal with. I ain’t with that negative shit.”

Joe reflects nothing but love to the music buying masses on his newest release, “Loyalty.” Powered by several radio friendly tracks, the set has more than enough hardcore fodder for “dat ass!” Joe also told me that he is working on getting his FJ Films production company off the ground as well. With a full plate of artistry, and a belly that never grows weary of devouring emcees, Fat Joe’s fame is fixing to loom even larger over the industry.