Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew in 1992, and pursued a solo career with the release of his debut studio album, Represent the following year. Cartagena formed the hip hop group Terror Squad and its namesake record label in the late 1990s, through which he has signed fellow New York artists including Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, Cuban Link, Triple Seis, as well as then-unknown producers DJ Khaled and Cool & Dre.
Represent was preceded by his debut single "Flow Joe", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked atop the Hot Rap Songs chart. The album was followed by Jealous One's Envy, Don Cartagena, and Jealous Ones Still Envy —the latter received platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America and yielded the hit single, "What's Luv?". The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, while his 2004 single "Lean Back" peaked atop the chart and remains his most commercially successful release. Cartagena has also released the top 40 singles "Make It Rain" in 2006, and "All the Way Up" a decade later.
Cartagena has appeared in several films, including Scary Movie 3 and Happy Feet, as well as Spike Lee's Netflix series ''She's Gotta Have It.''
Early life
Joseph Antonio Cartagena was born on August 19, 1970 in the Bronx, New York City, where he was raised by parents of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. Living in the Forest Houses, a public housing project in the Morrisania neighborhood, Cartagena began stealing at a young age to support his family. He also admits that he was a bully in his childhood. His older brother, Angel, introduced him to hip hop music. At the time, Cartagena had been kicked out of his family's apartment following a fight with his father and began dealing drugs.Music career
1992–1995: Early years, ''Represent'' and ''Jealous One's Envy''
Cartagena began performing music under the alias, Fat Joe da Gangsta, and became part of the rap group D.I.T.C., formed by producer Diamond D. After performing at the Apollo Theater's Amateur Night even in 1991, Cartagena was represented by music executive Chris Lighty of Violator and then, signed to Relativity Records in the early 1990s, recording material for his debut studio album and working with many artists whom he would later sign to his own label.On July 27, 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 singles from the album included "Watch the Sound" and "This Shit Is Real".
On October 24, 1995, Cartagena released his second studio album, Jealous One's Envy, which peaked at number 71 on the Billboard 200 and at number seven on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The album featured a guest appearance from KRS-One and production from Diamond D. The lead single was "Success", which failed to chart. His second single, "Envy" peaked at number eight on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.
One day while writing for the album at Chung King Studios, Cartagena happened to find that his rap idol and friend, LL Cool J, was in another room with Poke and Tone, known together as the production duo, the Trackmasters. They were working on the remix version of LL's single, "I Shot Ya". After being welcomed to contribute a verse, Cartagena appeared on the remix, along with Foxy Brown, Keith Murray, and Prodigy of Mobb Deep. The track is considered by Cartagena to be one of his career highlights. A video, directed by Hype Williams, was shot for the remix.
During the recording of Jealous One's Envy, Cartagena discovered fellow Latino rapper and New Yorker Big Pun, who was later featured on the song, "Watch Out". Cartagena 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. we're trying to kick in the doors for other Latinos and represent our people, and it shows."
1996–1999: Signing with Atlantic, ''Don Cartagena'' and Terror Squad
In 1996, Cartagena left Relativity, after discovering that the label had underpromoted him. However, he is still featured on the label's compilation, Relativity Urban Assault on the track, "Firewater".In 1997, Cartagena attempted to sign with Sean "Diddy" Combs' imprint, Bad Boy Records, but later signed with Atlantic Records after the label offered him his own music label, Terror Squad Entertainment. Combs blessed Cartagena to join Atlantic after he denied him permission to launch Terror Squad under Bad Boy. Rapper Eminem sent Cartagena a demo for him to join his Terror Squad imprint under Atlantic, but Cartagena rejected it six times. He executive produced and also was featured on Big Pun's 1998 debut album, Capital Punishment.
He subsequently began recording his third studio album, Don Cartagena, which was released on September 1, 1998. His first under Terror Squad and Atlantic through a joint venture with Mystic Entertainment Group and Atlantic's Big Beat Records, it debuted on the Billboard 200 at number seven and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, eventually being certified gold by the RIAA a month after its release for shipping 500,000 copies in the United States. 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 members Krayzie Bone and Layzie Bone. On Don Cartagena, he debuted his own group, Terror Squad, consisting of Big Pun, Cuban Link, Triple Seis, Prospect, Armageddon, Tony Sunshine and later, Remy Ma. Triple Seis claimed that he and Pun were ghostwriters for Don Cartagena, and asserts that Cartagena continues to hire ghostwriters.
In 1999, he and Big Pun appeared on Jennifer Lopez's single, "Feelin' So Good", from her album, On the 6. Also that year, Terror Squad released a compilation album, Terror Squad: The Album. The compilation sold below commercial expectations.
2000–2005: Personal crisis, continued music career and "Lean Back"
In 2000, Cartagena's friend and Terror Squad artist Big Pun died that February of a heart attack. That same year, he lost his older sister and grandfather. The aftermath of his family and Big Pun's deaths sent Cartagena into a clinical depression. He began drinking heavily to cope with the pain. Around the same time, Triple Seis left Terror Squad and Cuban Link have parted ways with Cartagena's Terror Squad imprint due to internal conflicts with him and Atlantic Records. Cartagena began seeking therapy for his depression issues with the help of his wife, Lorena.Cartagena then released his fourth studio album, Jealous Ones Still Envy , on December 4, 2001. A sequel to his 1995 album, Jealous One's Envy, the album featured guest appearances by Ashanti, Ja Rule, N.O.R.E., Busta Rhymes, Petey Pablo, M.O.P., Ludacris, R. Kelly, Buju Banton, and various artists from his Terror Squad label. The lead single, "We Thuggin'", featuring R. Kelly was a hit single, but would not reach the superior level of its follow-up single, the Irv Gotti-produced song, "What's Luv?", featuring Ja Rule and Ashanti, which was released in early 2002. "What's Luv?" would chart at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Cartagena's second biggest commercial hit single in his career. It was also included on the soundtrack to the 2002 dramedy film, Juwanna Mann. At the time of the album's release, Cartagena's management transition to the Squad Music, a management wing of Terror Squad Entertainment after parting ways with Mick Bentson and Chris Lighty's Violator company. Jealous Ones Still Envy is Cartagena's biggest selling album in his career to date, having been certified platinum by the RIAA in May 2002 for the shipment over a million copies. During this period, Cartagena's wife, Lorena, became his stylist for the time being, also being credited for half-dressing her husband in a sleeveless jacket with his chest being nearly shown to the crowd while performing "What's Luv?" at MTV's annual Spring Break concert in 2002.
However, despite the continuing success of "What's Luv?", his fifth studio album, Loyalty, released on November 12, 2002, was not as successful as Jealous Ones Still Envy. It debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200. Its first single, "Crush Tonight" featuring Ginuwine, was also a commercial disappointment, peaking at number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100. Cartagena later appeared on Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz's single, "Play No Games", alongside Oobie and Trick Daddy. Tony Sunshine filled in for Ginuwine as the chorus performer for "Crush Tonight" when he and Cartagena performed the song on a 2003 episode of the Comedy Central program Chappelle's Show. Also in 2003, he was featured in the pop single "I Want You" by Mexican singer Thalía.
Throughout October 2003 and April 2004, Cartagena reunited with his group Terror Squad to record a second compilation album. He also setup a studio session with record producer Scott Storch, which would end up producing the song, "Lean Back". He began singing a melody for the beat to Storch, who later materialized the production. Originally a Fat Joe solo track for the Terror Squad compilation, Remy Ma overheard the session and demanded that she appear on the second verse of the track upon recording it. 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". "Lean Back" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks before being ousted from the top position by singer Ciara's single, "Goodies". It was also certified gold by the RIAA in January 2005. However, the Terror Squad compilation, True Story, released on July 7, 2004, did not fare well commercially. It sold 90,000 units in its first week, though it was a commercial success on Billboard, debuting at number seven on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart respectively.
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. Cartagena 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 Cartagena's 2002 song "Take A Look At My Life" from Loyalty.
That November, Cartagena appeared on Ja Rule's single, "New York", alongside rapper and the Lox member, Jadakiss. This was what provoked a feud between Cartagena, Jadakiss and 50 Cent, due to 50's disapproval of the former two appearing on a Ja Rule song, and the fact that 50 Cent himself had a violent feud with the rapper since 1999. Cartagena dissed 50 Cent on the track, "My Fofo", which later appeared on his sixth studio album, All or Nothing, which was released on June 14, 2005. Despite the inclusion of "My Fofo", 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; the album also included a remix of "Lean Back" as a bonus track. Despite favorable reviews from critics, the album was yet another commercial failure for Cartagena, debuting at number six on the Billboard 200, with 106,000 copies sold in its first week, the lowest first-week sales for a Fat Joe album and the lowest-selling studio album in Cartagena's music career.