Bronx MC Fat Joe celebrated his 45th birthday yesterday, and today we tip our cap by giving him the throwback treatment. One of the great Latin rappers of all time, Joe helped to break down the boundaries of color and ethnicity and open doors for his people in hip hop.
The Terror Squad founder has had his fair share of club hits and hip hop classics over the years, from his days as Big Pun's protege to his run of early 2000s singles. Joe's versatility on the mic has garnered him success in the mafioso realm ("Don Cartegena") and the pop world ("What's Luv"). Though he hasn't put out a record since 2010, he is expected to drop a project sometime this year.
Today we'll focus on Fat Joe's older cuts, the joints he released in the 90s and early 2000s that he cut his teeth on.
Fat Joe - Flow Joe
Fat Joe's first single hit number 1 on the US rap charts. With Joe employing an early-90s flow, this is some classic stuff for those who dig the golden era.
Fat Joe ft Grand Puba & Diamond D - Watch The Sound
Based around a reggae sample from Tenor Saw, Fat Joe invited a couple of NY rappers on an early cut.
Fat Joe - Shit Is Real
Living the inner-city life is tough, and some of the best 90s cuts were created when the MC kept it really, really real. "Shit Is Real" does just that, and Fat Joe laments on some of the tough times as a youth:
"No matter what the fuck I did I never had no ends
And my moms was on welfare
I knew I had a father, but the nigga was never there"
Fat Joe - Success
The flip side to his poverty-stricken youth is his financial gains. Fat Joe went from rags to riches, and this track celebrates the latter.
Big Pun ft Fat Joe, Raekwon and Armageddon - Fire Water
Pun, Joe and Rae on a track is too fire. Give "Fire Water" a spin and remember why hip hop was so awesome 20 years ago.
Fat Joe ft Puff Daddy - Don Cartagena
There was that sweet spot in the 90s when everyone was making mafioso records. Here's Fat Joe's, which is pretty solid through and through.
Jennifer Lopez ft Fat Joe & Big Pun - Feelin' So Good
Here's a feel-good radio single from the year 2000. J Lo gave features to Big Pun and Fat Joe, and it would be one of the latest verses Pun ever recorded.
Fat Joe ft R. Kelly - We Thuggin
Poppin' bottles was all the rage back then...
Fat Joe ft Ashanti - What's Love
This track was wildly successful, charting in numerous countries and going #2 overall in the US. With hook-maker Ashanti, Joe achieved a great deal of crossover success with this cut.