Fat Joe Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs

Joey Crack speaks on the songs that made him a Bronx legend. Ya gotta let em know, Joe.

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Image via Complex Original
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Fat Joe aka Joey Crack, niggas be like, ‘He’s phat,’ bitches be like, ‘He’s all that.’” That rhyme pretty much sums it up. Who doesn't love the South Bronx's own Don Cartagena? The fellas throw him pounds, the chicks give him hugs, and the industry’s top disc jockeys, producers, and artists all show him love (well, except for that one guy). After almost 20 years in the game, he’s one of the only rappers out who can make hardcore rap tracks and radio friendly hits, and still demand respect in the streets.

We caught up with a slimmed-down Fat Joe recently (congrats on the weight loss!) to ask him about the stories behind his 25 essential songs, including his solo smashes, collaborations with Lil’ Wayne, R. Kelly, and his Terror Squad twin Big Pun (RIP), not to mention the underground bangers with his Diggin’ In The Crates crew and posse cuts with everybody from Nas to Eminem to Rick Ross.

Find out what beat Joe was scared to spit on (it was just that dope), what rapper said he was going to get on a track with him and take all his fans, which hip-hop legend he used to be a hype man for, and the origin of Big Pun’s most celebrated tongue twister. He also tells us which one of his songs Biggie complimented him on and even discusses his beef with you-know-who. Coca!

As told to Daniel Isenberg (@stanipcus)

Fat Joe “Flow Joe” (1993)

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Producer: Diamond D

Album: Represent

Label: Relativity

Fat Joe: “I started out in the Apollo Theater. That’s where I got my start. I won Amateur Night four weeks in a row. I met Red Alert, who was the number one DJ in New York. He worked on 98.7 KISS FM. He asked me to give him a promo, like a jingle.

“So I went to Diamond D’s [crib], and he came up with the beat. He was like, ‘I just bought this vinyl off this dude on the train.’ And the minute he played it, [and I heard the sound he used for the sample], I remember Diamond started moving his head and doing the Diamond D.


 

Red Alert finally played it and I jumped off the couch and started screaming at everyone in the projects. I took my speaker and put it out the window, and was like, ‘Yo, my record is on!’ And the whole projects and everyone in front of the building started going crazy.


 

“I had never seen anyone produce a beat in front of me until that. He went in and just flipped it. He made it right in front of me, in his kitchen. He had his equipment in his kitchen, and he made the beat right there.”

“So I did it, and I gave it to [Red Alert], and he played it a couple of weeks later. I’ll never forget this. I had the flu, and I was laying down in the living room, and I had been waiting for like a month for him to play it. He finally played it and I jumped off the couch and started screaming at everyone in the projects, and took my speaker and put it out the window, and was like, ‘Yo, my record is on!’ And the whole projects and everyone in front of the building started going crazy. So that was where ‘Flow Joe’ came from originally.

“Then, Chris Lighty and Relativity [Records] approached me about signing me, and they wanted that to be the single. So we took that, and we turned it into ‘Flow Joe.’

“The other unique thing about ‘Flow Joe’ is that I never took a punch or anything. I didn’t know punching was allowed. I did my verses and hooks, everything, with the crowd of people there [saying the chorus], then I went in to the second verse. I didn’t even know what punching was. I was new to the studio.


 

Diamond D stepped to me and was like, ‘Every time I see you, you’re in beef, and you’re on some gangster shit. If you take that, put it behind music, and talk that gangster shit on music, you could be large.’ Essentially, he saved my life.


 

“Diamond D and Showbiz were big DJs from my projects. The thing that me and Diamond D had in common was graffiti. He used to write ‘D Rock,’ and I always wrote ‘Crack.’ I would see his name, and he would see my name and we became cool through graffiti.

“One day, I was standing by the light pole by my mother’s house in front of the building, and Diamond stepped to me and was like, ‘Yo, you keep getting in to all this trouble, and every time I see you, you’re in beef, and you’re on some gangster shit. I’m telling you, if you take that, and put it behind music, and talk that gangster shit on music, you could be large.’

“Essentially, he saved my life. He’s the one person I can honestly say saved my life. Because I wasn’t even thinking about rapping. He got me into that. And the rest is history.”

Fat Joe f/ Grand Puba and Diamond D “Watch The Sound” (1993)

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Producer: Diamond D

Album: Represent

Label: Relativity

Fat Joe: “Grand Puba was the hottest dude in the game. So we were cool. He came to the ‘Flow Joe’ video. That’s my man for years. I knew Grand Puba through the streets. See, before I was rapping, I was always around the rap game, even though I was in the streets.

“I would be at all the parties, and all the events, and I was pretty hard to miss. I was one of the few Spanish cats sitting there with jewelry on, Dapper Dan suits. It was pretty hard to miss me. I also knew Puba from Jazzy Jay, and Strong City Records, before he was on a major label when he used to fuck with all the Zulu Nation cats. So I figured we should do a song together.

“Then Diamond came up with the beat, and it had the little Jamaican sample in it. And it was an honor for me, because Diamond D was probably the hottest real hip-hop producer in the game.


 

We actually shot that video in one of the most gangster places in the Bronx. Thinking back, I don’t even know how we pulled that shit off. That’s when niggas were buying crack on line like it was the stock market. We shot that shit in the middle of that.


 

“[Stunts, Blunts, and Hip-Hop] is a classic album. I did every ad-lib on that album. He says something, and I’m like, ‘Yo, what the fuck you talkin’ about?’ And the girl’s like, ‘Yo, chill!’ Or I’m in the background going, ‘Yo, that’s that shit...’ And that shit is crazy to me, because it is such a classic album.

“To this day, when we listen to Backspin [on satellite radio] or something, and a Diamond D record comes on, I’m like, ‘Yo yo yo yo, that’s me! That’s my ad-lib right there, nigga!’ [Laughs.]

“We actually shot that video in one of the most gangster places in the Bronx. Thinking back, I don’t even know how we pulled that shit off. That’s when niggas were buying crack on line like it was the stock market. We shot that shit in the middle of that.

“It was really exciting for me, for it to be the second single I ever dropped, and to be doing something with these guys at that magnitude. It was my first album, and I think my first record I did with a feature, so to have Grand Puba and Diamond on it was really crazy. When I look back in time, and I look back at early interviews I did, I can’t believe how I was blessed to have these kings around me.”

Fat Joe f/ Kool G. Rap & Apache “You Must Be Out Of Your Fuckin’ Mind” (1993)

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Producer: Diamond D

Album: Represent

Label: Relativity

Fat Joe: “God bless Apache, right? Kool G. Rap, one of the greatest of all time. You see, that’s what I’m trying to tell you about when I look back on my career. There’s this interview, you can probably look it up on the Internet somewhere. It’s me at The Fever on Video Music Box, and I look mad young, and I’m talking about how my album is coming out in a month.


 

When I first started, I thought I was wack. The thing I had over everybody was that I was the realest rapper. For one, it was like, ‘He’s Spanish. And ain’t no nigga come out that’s Spanish talking that shit like that.’ And two, ‘This is the nigga we see at the clubs, beating up the whole club, icey. He’s the truth. Even though I knew I wasn’t as good as a Nas, I know they knew my stories were real.


 

“I had Black Sheep there with me, Nice & Smooth, Sadat X, Showbiz and A.G. That was the equivalent to having Drake, Lil’ Wayne, and fucking every other nigga you can think of that’s large, sitting next to you while you’re saying, ‘Yo, I’m coming out next month with my album.’ I was sitting there [recently] looking at that interview like, ‘What the fuck did that look like to a regular hip-hop fan?’ Like, ‘This nigga is with the powers that be!’

“I knew Kool G. Rap before I was rapping: I used to go to all the clubs and pop bottles, I met him like that. He’d come and hang out at my table and I started fucking with him. He’s really a beautiful person. And he was like one of the largest niggas on Earth at the time too. So he came to the studio in the Bronx with me.

“And Apache had that ‘Gangsta Bitch’ song out, which was the biggest song out of the year at that time. I knew Apache too from just being around in the clubs and all that. So I was like, ‘My man, I’m doing my album, and I need you to get on it.’ So he came and got on it. That was huge for me. Not even big. Beyond huge.

“When I first started, I thought I was wack. Lyrically, I thought I was wack. The thing I had over everybody was that I was the realest rapper. For one, it was like, ‘He’s Spanish. And ain’t no nigga come out that’s Spanish talking that shit like that.’ And two, ‘This is the nigga we see at the clubs, beating up the whole club, icey. He’s the truth.’


 

I have a scar above my wrist, where my fist is at, from a razor blade slash. I was in a fight, and a nigga tried to cut my face, and I literally blocked it.


 

“So even though I knew I wasn’t as good as a Nas, I know they knew my stories were real. Or if they verified and went back and asked their cousins from the Bronx or something, they would be like, ‘Yo, those are some crazy niggas right there.’

“But lyrically, I knew there was no way in the world that I could stand next to Kool G. Rap or Apache. But I grew up real violent. If you really analyze my music, there is a lot of violence in my music, because the Bronx at the era and time I was coming up was almost equivalent to how a Braveheart or Gladiator movie would be.

“I have a scar above my wrist, where my fist is at, from a razor blade slash. I was in a fight, and a nigga tried to cut my face, and I literally blocked it. So that comes out in my music. So for ‘You Must Be Out Of Your Fuckin’ Mind,’ getting the two hardest niggas out was necessary.”

Fat Joe f/ KRS-One “Bronx Tale” (1995)

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Producer: Diamond D

Album: Jealous One’s Envy

Label: Relativity

Fat Joe: “This was my second album. I would’ve been extinct in hip-hop if I didn’t step my game up lyrically. Because this is around the time that Nas, Biggie, and then Jay-Z came out. So the game was getting real lyrical. You couldn’t away with, ‘Bust it, check it, watch how I wreck it.’ I couldn’t get away with that. If that was the case, you were played out. So I studied a lot of Nas, and a lot of other artists, and I analyzed the game, and knew I had to step up my game lyrically.

“Of course, KRS-One is my idol. My three main idols were LL Cool J, KRS-One, and Heavy D. Actually being from the Bronx, and seeing the growth of KRS-One, I think I’m his number-one fan ever.


 

I would’ve been extinct in hip-hop if I didn’t step my game up lyrically. Because this is around the time that Nas, Biggie, and then Jay-Z came out. So the game was getting real lyrical. You couldn’t away with, ‘Bust it, check it, watch how I wreck it.’ I couldn’t get away with that.


 

“I was there the first time he did ‘South Bronx’ at a block party. So to actually have him come to the studio and work with me, and then rap on the record with the guy who I know is a million times better than me and still have to represent myself was a big challenge. And it was the biggest honor.

“After the success of my first album, and the success of ‘Flow Joe’ kind of faded, I was struggling to make some money and make ends meet. And KRS knew that, so he took me on the road with him, and I was [his hype man]. I was kind of like his Flava Flav at the time.

“So when I started doing my second album, I knew I was going to do a song with him. The problem was, I didn’t want to get shitted on [Laughs.] So I knew I had to step my lyrics up and talk that shit. And I think I did pretty well.

“For ‘Bronx Tale,’ I just wanted that hard shit. At this point, I was just so hard [Laughs]. I don’t even know how to explain it to you. I just wanted to come with the hardest shit. That’s all I knew. I never thought I would be making a song with Chris Brown or R. Kelly.

“But even though I was a hard dude, I played P.M. Dawn. I played De La Soul and Native Tongues. I would bump A Tribe Called Quest in my car all day. But my preference for making music was hardcore, gangster shit. Still, to this day, my preference is making hard shit.”

Fat Joe “Success” (1995) / “Success (DJ Premier Remix)” (1995)

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Producer: Domingo (Original Version) / DJ Premier (Remix)

Album: Jealous One’s Envy

Label: Relativity

Fat Joe: “I was really from the streets and I really did hustle in a major way. When I got my record deal, I left the streets alone, as far as hustling. I never ever hustled again. I said, ‘I’m gonna change my life, I’m going legit. This is where I’m at.’

“But when you get in the rap game, no matter how hardcore rap is, there’s a bunch of nice guys in this business. I was busy trying to act like a nice guy, trying to make people not be scared of me and work with me because I’m sure they were hearing horror stories from the streets.

But then, Jay-Z [was about to come out with] a whole drug dealer album, Biggie was talking about hustling, and they were talking about shit I really did.


 

Biggie and me were really cool, and we used to talk every other day on the phone. ‘Success’ was the one song he ever complimented me on. He was like, ‘You stepped your shit up, man! Damn, Joe!’


 

“So, at one point, I was like, ‘I know I’m trying to change my life and be b-boy hip-hop, but this is the lifestyle I know. Can’t nobody describe it like me. They know I got the real stories.’ In fact, Biggie and me were really cool, and we used to talk every other day on the phone. ‘Success’ was the one song he ever complimented me on. He was like, ‘You stepped your shit up, man! Damn, Joe!’ Biggie was a great dude. I watched him become the biggest guy on earth, but still be humble.

“I think [Biggie] was out of town when we did the video. I had Big L, Rosie Perez when she was like the baddest chick. Nas was in it, Raekwon. Diamond D, Showbiz, Ghostface, LL. The kings of the game. The whole world came out and was like, ‘Crack, what’s up!’ I had Nas and Common in the Bronx. Whooo! We had a great time.

“Primo’s always been [one of] the top three producers ever. I knew Primo since [Lord] Finesse got signed to Wild Pitch and Gang Starr was on there. I used to hang out with Guru in the Bronx before I was rapping. He would just come fuck with us and chill.

“So I stepped to Primo like, ‘Yo, I need you to do this remix for me.’ And he was like, ‘No problem.’ That was like getting touched by God right there, at that time. So he put that shit together, and I was like, ‘Oh man, this shit is hard!’”

D&D All-Stars “1, 2 Pass It” (1995)

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Producer: DJ Premier

Album: The D&D Project 12 Inch

Label: Arista

Fat Joe: “That was classic, because for years I had worked on albums at D&D. It was Primo’s home base. Everything with Premier was done at D&D. At the same time, that was the hangout. We would go to D&D, shoot pool, and talk to everybody.


 

[Primo sampled my line, ‘Bring it on if you think you can hang,’ on Jay-Z’s album]. I saw Jay-Z, and he was like, ‘Yo man, we’re gonna send you some publishing. We used your voice on this [song].’ That shit was cool.


 

“Being that it was a posse track, they said they only needed eight bars. So I turned around and did it. And you know, Lord Finesse was who inspired me to even rap. So at that time, I thought Finesse should have been on that record. So I think subliminally I threw a little shot, and was like, “Motherfuckers know who’s the best, if it ain’t Fat Joe then it must be Lord Finesse.’ That was letting them know, ‘Yo, that’s my brother, and I don’t know what he ain’t doing on this. But he deserves to be on here.’

“Then [Primo sampled my line, ‘Bring it on if you think you can hang,’ on Jay-Z’s album]. I saw Jay-Z, and he was like, ‘Yo man, we’re gonna send you some publishing. We used your voice on this [song].’ That shit was cool. Reasonable Doubt is a classic album. That whole album was crazy. To have my voice on there was dope.”

Fat Joe “The Shit Is Real (DJ Premier Remix)” (1995)

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Producer: DJ Premier

Album: Jealous One’s Envy

Label: Relativity

Fat Joe: “He threw me for a loop because when I was like, ‘I want you to do the remix for this,’ [the beat] was slow. It didn’t sound like a Primo beat. If you heard it, you would be like, ‘Yo, Primo ain’t do this.’ I remember we were all sitting in front of the projects, and I played it loud, and by the second or third time I heard it, I was like, ‘This shit is crazy!’ So I got excited.


 

They would offer me shows, and I’d be like, ‘Nah, I’m good.’ I didn’t want to leave the block. Why would I want to leave my block? They looked at me as the king over there.


 

“We shot the video for that version and all that. That shit was hard. It’s probably the hardest record I ever did in my whole career. And the whole shit was real. That was the whole point. I shot the video in my neighborhood, in my building, and in my projects. All over the hood. I always represented.

“Within my first two albums, I never left my block. I never even wanted to go anywhere. They would offer me shows, and I’d be like, ‘Nah, I’m good.’ I didn’t want to leave the block. Why would I want to leave my block? They looked at me as the king over there. So it was only natural that I shot the video back on the block.”

Fat Joe “Envy” (1995)

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Producer: L.E.S.

Album: Jealous One’s Envy

Label: Relativity

Fat Joe: “‘Envy’ was a bit of a challenge for me. It was smooth. That was the first [time] Fat Joe was trying to be on some fly shit. But it was still hard. If you listen to the lyrics, they’re real hard.

L.E.S. gave me that sound. He was Nas’ DJ forever, and he was a tremendous producer. The fact that I had someone down with Nas, who was the best rapper in the game at the time, was [incredible].


 

That was before we were clearing samples. So we didn’t even have to pay for Marvin Gaye’s shit.


 

“L.E.S. gave me the beat, and was like, ‘Yo, you can rap to this.’ I was like, ‘I don’t know if this shit is too smooth, and if niggas will still fuck with me. You know, I’m Army fatigue’d, Chukka’d up.’ But he was like, ‘Nah Joe, just spit that hard shit over this smooth shit.’ He opened the door to me using melodic beats and talking that fly shit so a girl could relate. Even though it was still a little too hardcore, girls could relate, and we could get it played on the radio.

“I never, ever, ever [got a hard time for making ‘Envy’]. People love it. To this day, people tell me about that song. And that was before we were clearing samples. So we didn’t even have to pay for Marvin Gaye’s shit. It was crazy. Nah, [no one ever came back looking for us to clear the sample].”

Fat Joe “Dedication” (1995)

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Producer: Domingo/Fat Joe/Rated R

Album: Jealous One’s Envy

Label: Relativity

Fat Joe: “That beat was so hard. My man Rated R found the sample. I believe The Beatnuts helped me flip that. It was a reflection of the time in hip-hop, where there was no beefing, and it was just love, and everybody supported each other. I made a song about everyone I had ever met in hip-hop and everybody I thought was dope. It was a dedication to hip-hop.


 

[People] talk about Fat Joe’s turbulent career, and having beef with this one and that one. If you listen to ‘Dedication,’ you’ll be like, ‘Damn, this nigga got along with everybody.’ It was a time when everybody would show up at everybody’s video, and everybody would support everybody. There were no real big egos in New York hip-hop.


 

“Everyone was repping. [People] talk about Fat Joe’s turbulent career, and having beef with this one and that one. If you listen to ‘Dedication,’ you’ll be like, ‘Damn, this nigga got along with everybody.’ It was a time when everybody would show up at everybody’s video, and everybody would support everybody. There were no real big egos in New York hip-hop.

“Writing that came easy. Whenever you’re writing some shit when you’re not trying to be so lyrical and you’re just trying to tell a real story, those are the easiest stories to tell. It’s like I’m talking to you.

“I don’t think Craig G ever liked me again in my life after [I said, ‘Craig G, forever trying to look like me.’] What happened was Craig G used to look like me. And if I would talk to a girl in the Bronx, he would talk to her. People would think I was him, and people would think he was me. So I was bigging him up, but at the same time, making a joke out of it, because so many people would stop us.

“Craig G was that nigga. He’s still up in Connecticut running that radio. Craig G is dope. He’s like the Funkmaster Flex up there.”

Fat Joe f/ Raekwon, Big Pun, & Armageddon “Firewater” (1996)

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Producer: Born Lords

Album: Envy/Firewater 12 Inch

Label: Relativity

Fat Joe: “It was the dawn of a new day. Big Pun is in the building. Big Dog Punisher. Damn, that nigga Pun changed the game, nigga! [Laughs.] He came in the game like, ‘I’m all about business and enterprising, surprising, realizing, [mumbles rest of the rap]....’ [Laughs.]

“The first shit I put Pun on was on my second album, ‘Watch Out.’ It was him, Armageddon, and Keith Nut. And ‘Firewater’ [was done after the album was out], so we threw it on the B-side to ‘Envy.’


 

Pun was acting humble and cool, but he wanted to destroy and conquer. He would lure in other rappers like he was their friend and then destroy them on records. That was his job in life.


 

“That night, I think we did that at The Hit Factory or something in New York, and everybody was in the building too. It wasn’t like now, where you do a song with somebody and send them the Pro Tools. Back then everyone was in the building.

“Pun was a breath of fresh air. He was hilarious. The funniest dude you would ever meet, doing pranks, telling jokes. At the same time, he knew he was about to be unveiled. So imagine you know you’re better than everyone but the world hasn’t discovered you yet. And you’re finally there, and you catch your little break. So he was acting humble and cool, but he wanted to destroy and conquer. And that was Pun the whole time. He would lure in other rappers like he was their friend and then destroy them on records. That was his job in life.

“So he was in there. And niggas were like, ‘Oh you’re nice? Yeah, Joe said he got a dude that raps.’ And then he comes up in there and bodies it. And then he looks at you to see what you think.


 

I had Nas and Kool G. Rap hanging out with me. I told Pun to rap for them. Imagine a hungry Pun. You could see it in their faces, niggas were looking like, ‘Oh my God. This nigga’s a problem.’


 

“Pun was with me at the ‘Success’ video. I had Nas, when Nas was the best nigga in the game, and Kool G. Rap, both hanging out with me. I told Pun to rap for them. Imagine a hungry Pun. You could see it in their faces, niggas were looking like, ‘Oh my God. This nigga’s a problem.’

“And you know, Raekwon and me, we started out together. And the thing that’s so special about Rae, he would go Platinum, but still have love for the niggas that started with him. If I called him, like, ‘Yo, I need you on this record,’ he’d show up and get busy, with no question. Biggest nigga in the game, he got ‘Incarcerated Scarfaces’ out, he got the most classic Only Built 4 Cuban Linx out, and he’d show up in one second and show love.

“So being that he was always so real and so humble with me, he got a special place in my heart. Me and Rae got this bond that can’t be broken. To this day, he still calls me and asks for advice. I call him. It’s a serious alliance.”

LL Cool J f/ Fat Joe, Keith Murray, Prodigy, & Foxy Brown “I Shot Ya (Remix)” (1996)

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Big L f/ Fat Joe “The Enemy” (1997)

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Producer: DJ Premier

Album: Internationally Known/The Enemy 12 Inch

Label: D.I.T.C. Records

Fat Joe: “That’s one of my proudest songs ever. Big L was like my little brother. He was a member of the Diggin’ In The Crates crew. He was our baby brother. Finesse brought him in. Me and Big L spent a lot of time together, telling jokes, a lot of chilling. I used to mentor him.

“Every time you’re rapping with somebody, it’s like a competition, but it goes without being said. No one ever really [makes it known]. But Big L was the first rapper [to challenge me on a song].


 

Big L was the first rapper [to challenge me on a song]. I had just went Gold on Don Cartagena, and he was like, ‘I need you on my record, and I want you to know, I’m gonna rip you down, and take all your fans.’ No one ever put pressure on me like that on a song!


 

“I had just went Gold on Don Cartagena, and he was like, ‘I need you on my record, and I want you to know, I’m gonna rip you down, and take all your fans.’ No one ever put pressure on me like that on a song! I’m like, ‘What, L?’ He said, ‘I’m gonna take all your fuckin’ fans. You went Gold. I need them niggas.’ I put my heart and my best effort into that song. I tried my hardest, because Big L was basically like, ‘I’m gonna destroy you on this record.’

“We always felt like [the cops were giving us a hard time and wouldn’t give us a break even though we were legitimately doing the right thing]. Especially at that time. That’s what that was.

“Big L would have been a giant in the game. He was one of the best, most lyrical rappers. He was charming, witty, smart, a handsome kid. Real intelligent, an entrepreneur. He was about to get his own label deal. There ain’t no telling what it would have been for him. The sky’s the limit for him.

“Who knows, there may have been another Dip Set. You know, he’s from Cam’ron’s block. He could’ve had his own little Dip Set there too.”

Big Pun f/ Fat Joe “Twinz (Deep Cover ‘98)” (1998)

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Producer: Dr. Dre

Album: Capital Punishment

Label: Loud/Terror Squad

Fat Joe: “I knew I had to do a song with Pun on his album. I also knew the world was bigger than New York, so we had to do a track that I knew they would play on the West Coast. When Snoop first came out, and him and Dr. Dre did that ‘Deep Cover,’ that was the hardest shit. And nobody had fucked with it.

“So I said, ‘Yo Pun, let’s go back and forth on this bitch so I can introduce you to the game.’ So we sat down and wrote it. Back and forth, we’re going in. Hard. We wrote it together.


 

The ‘Dead in the middle of Little Italy’ rhyme wasn’t even a rhyme. Pun used to play around and say [that tongue twister], just like he used to walk around going, ‘Packin’ the Mac in the back of the Ac, packin’ the Mac in the back of the Ac.’ These were like jokes to him.


 

“I ain’t bug out when he first said the ‘Dead in the middle of Little Italy...’ rhyme. That wasn’t even a rhyme. He used to play around and say [that tongue twister], just like he used to walk around going, ‘Packin’ the Mac in the back of the Ac, packin’ the Mac in the back of the Ac.’ These were like jokes to him.

“I had to argue with him to put ‘Dead in the middle of Little Italy...’ in the song. I was like, ‘That’s the hardest shit on earth.’ He was like, ‘Are you crazy? That’s a fuckin’ joke. Niggas will laugh at me. Are you serious?’ Then he did it, and it was the illest shit.

“Snoop gave us his blessing and came and did the ‘Deep Cover’ video. And no disrespect, no one can ever say anything about that song. That shit is a body. Get the white sheets out. There’s no way around it. That’s a historic track. Legendary forever.”

Fat Joe f/ Nas, Big Punisher, Jadakiss, and Raekwon “John Blaze” (1998)

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Producer: Ski

Album: Don Cartagena

Label: Atlantic

Fat Joe: “That was a classic collaboration. It was around the time when everyone was getting together. Nore came after that with [‘Banned From TV’], and his shit was crazy too. I just wanted to get the nicest niggas in the game.

“Also, Pun was behind that. Pun was like, ‘We gotta get Nas and me on the same track.’ Like I said, he wanted to get his favorite rappers on a song and go crazy. [Laughs.] So we had Jadakiss, Nas, and you know I always got Rae. We all got together.


 

Pun was behind that. Pun was like, ‘We gotta get Nas and me on the same track.’ Like I said, he wanted to get his favorite rappers on a song and go crazy. [Laughs.]


 

“To me, Pun had the most legendary verse. ‘Even if I stuttered, I would still sh-sh-shit on you.’ That shit was crazy! Everybody was in the studio. Nas was there. I think Busta Rhymes was there, just hanging out. It was fun.

“We’ve always been fans of Jadakiss. He’s hot now. I just dropped a mixtape with a song with Jadakiss. He’s one of the best that ever did it. We got him on board, the young gunner. And he went crazy.

“Then Raekwon starts off his [verse] like, ‘My sons cool out, don’t beef yo...’ Rae was like, ‘It sounds like everybody’s battling on this song.’ That’s why Raekwon came on like, ‘We all family. Why is everybody sounding like they’re taking this personal?’

“Nas did change his verse like two or three times. But I never heard [that early version] again. I never thought anybody ever heard that. I thought that shit was like, lost. We flipped the beat too [from the original version that came out on mixtapes]. We wanted to change it up.”

Fat Joe f/ Jadakiss & Remy Martin “My Lifestyle (Remix)” (2001)

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Producer: Buckwild

Album: N/A

Label: N/A

Fat Joe: “The beat was by Buckwild. And the original had the streets in a frenzy in New York. We wanted to do a remix, and at the same time we had just signed Remy, so we wanted to give her exposure. And I went and got Jadakiss, who’s another one of the giants in New York. And we went in there, and we got crazy.

“And for me, that was the first time I had really started playing with new flows, like, ‘Hoodied down with the Mac/Boogie Down where it’s at/Fuck around hear the sound of them gats.’ I had never rapped like that before. It was evolution.”

Fat Joe f/ R. Kelly “We Thuggin’” (2001)

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Producer: Ron G

Album: Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)

Label: Terror Squad/Atlantic/Warner

Fat Joe: “Even though I knew Trackmasters, the biggest niggas in the game, and was cool with everyone, Fat Joe was stereotyped. I was almost like an actor who was stereotyped, like, ‘That’s a gangster actor.’ So even though I was cool, and popping bottles with all the nice-guy producers, they wouldn’t give me [those type of mainstream beats].


 

Fat Joe was stereotyped. I was almost like an actor who was stereotyped, like, ‘That’s a gangster actor.’ So even though I was cool, and popping bottles with all the nice-guy producers, they wouldn’t give me [those type of mainstream beats].


 

“So [mixtape legend] Ron G, out of all the unlikely heroes, said, ‘I got a beat for you.’ We were listening in the truck, and [when we heard it] we hopped outside the truck and started dancing. I was like, ‘I got it. It’s a hit.’

“The beat is a hit. If you listen to ‘Lean Back’ and how I went in so crazy on that, it’s because the beat was so ill. The beat makes me go crazy. So with ‘We Thuggin’,’ the beat was so ill that I knew it was going to be a hit.

“I had just met R. Kelly in D.C. at All-Star Weekend, and he was like, ‘Yo, I’m a big fan of yours.’ And he was like the biggest nigga on earth, so I was like, ‘Huh?!?’ And Pun had just passed, so he was like, ‘Sorry about your brother that just passed. Pun was my favorite. You guys [are great]. I’ve been studying you for years.’ And he was like, ‘I wanna do a song with you.’

“So we drove all the way to Orlando, because [that’s where] he was working on his album. And I’ll never forget, Tone from the Trackmasters was doing his album, and he heard [the ‘We Thuggin’’ beat] and was like, ‘Oh shit! This shit is a hit!’


 

I met R. Kelly in D.C. at All-Star Weekend, and he was like, ‘Yo, I’m a big fan of yours.’ Sorry about your brother that just passed. Pun was my favorite. You guys [are great]. I’ve been studying you for years.’


 

“R. Kelly had a tape recorder. He started singing into it and getting the idea [for the hook and the melody]. That was like history for me. It took me to another level. That opened the door. That was it. That was Joe making some money. That was the start. That was my biggest record at the time.

“I started getting way different kinds of looks. They actually had girls at my shows. Before that song, I would have two thousand niggas with razors in their mouths at my show. After ‘We Thuggin’,” I was like, ‘Oh, girls come to shows?!?!?’ That opened up the door, and then ‘What’s Luv’ just smacked the door wide open.

“Everybody embraced it. It wasn’t soft at all. R. Kelly was like the gangster of R&B. R. Kelly had only done two songs with rappers, Nas and Biggie. And I was the third rapper he did a song with. It was a huge look.

“This guy is on top of the earth, and he’s super exclusive, and he’s going to go and do a song with the nigga with the Chukkas and the Army jacket? That was like, ‘Oh shit, we gotta take Joe serious. We always knew he was the hardcore nigga, but he got it. He opened that door.’”

Fat Joe f/ Ja Rule & Ashanti “What’s Luv?” (2002)

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Producer: Irv Gotti/Chinky

Album: Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)

Label: Terror Squad/Atlantic/Warner

Fat Joe: “I met Irv Gotti for the first time. Irv Gotti was cool with some guys that didn’t get along with me and didn’t care for me too tough. So we never talked to each other and never met.

“So we go to the studio and we get introduced by—I don’t know how ironic this is—Chris Lighty, who later on became his arch-nemesis because that’s 50 Cent’s manager. But I was always cool with Chris Lighty.


 

Chris Lighty introduced me to Irv Gotti and we started talking from 11 at night to 7 in the morning. We were so much alike. He said, ‘I used to say I wanted to meet Fat Joe and everybody used to try and stop me. But I know why now, because we’re brothers. We just never knew we were brothers.’


 

“So Chris Lighty introduced me to Irv Gotti. And Irv Gotti and I started talking from 11 at night to 7 in the morning. We were so much alike. So we start joking, and going back and forth.

And he said, ‘No one wanted me to be cool with you. I used to say I wanted to meet Fat Joe and everybody used to try and stop me. But I know why now because we’re brothers. We just never knew we were brothers.’ And I’m like, ‘Irv, it’s all good.’

“Right after I met him, like a week later, Pun died. And I’ll never forget this. I was crying in the chair at the funeral, and I looked up, and it was Chris [Lighty], Gotti, and Ja Rule. And this is when Ja Rule was the biggest nigga on earth. And they were like, ‘Yo, sorry about your man.’ It was an ill moment in my life. And I was like, ‘Thanks for coming.’ There was a lot of respect.

“A week later, I’m in my house, and my phone rings at like four in the morning, and it’s Irv Gotti. And he was like, ‘Yo, yo, come now!’ And I’m like, ‘Who the fuck is this?!’ And he’s like, ‘It’s Irv. I’m at The Hit Factory, come now.’


 

Ja Rule wrote and sung the hook. And they were like, ‘Yo, get J. Lo on the hook.’ And I was like, ‘Aiight. Have a girl reference it.’ Ashanti did it, and I was like, ‘You know what Irv? She sounds amazing on it. We don’t even need J. Lo.’ He was like, ‘You sure? You’re cool with J. Lo. She just sold six million records.’ I was like, ‘We don’t need her for this. Let’s [keep] Ashanti.’


 

“So when I get there, he plays me, [sings] ‘Always there when you call, always on time.’ He played me that, and I was like, ‘Oh shit, that’s a hit!’ And he was like, that’s Ja Rule’s record. But guess what? Me and Ja made a record for you. And he plays ‘What’s Luv.’ And I was like, ‘Oh shit!!!!!!’ That was it.

“The hook was there. Ja Rule wrote hook and sung the hook. And they were like, ‘Yo, get J. Lo on the hook.’ And I was like, ‘Aiight. Have a girl reference it.’ And Ashanti did it, and I was like, ‘You know what Irv? She sounds amazing on it. We don’t even need J. Lo.’ He was like, ‘You sure? You’re cool with J. Lo. She just sold six million records.’ I was like, ‘We don’t need her for this. Let’s [keep] Ashanti.’ It was her and Ja, and it was a movie.

“That went number one in America for like seventeen weeks. Number one in Europe, everywhere. That shit was outta here. It was the number-one record spun in Atlantic Records history. I don’t know if it still owns that title, but we beat U2 and like the biggest niggas on earth.”

Terror Squad “Lean Back” (2004) / Terror Squad f/ Lil’ Jon, Eminem, & Mase “Lean Back (Remix)” (2005)

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Producer: Scott Storch / Lil Jon

Album: True Story / All Or Nothing

Label: Terror Squad/SRC/Universal / Atlantic

Fat Joe: “I made the beat. Whenever I work with Scott Storch, I make the beats with him. He can make any sound with any instrument and play anything you want. You just gotta tell him what you want.

“I was like, ‘Think Belly, when they’re going in to The Tunnel to stick somebody up. I want some shit like that.’ And I started [making the sound that’s now on the intro of the song]. And by the time I did it the second time, he was playing it [exactly how I was humming it].


 

That’s the only beat I ever had for two months that I was scared to rap to because it was so incredible. I didn’t know if I was going to rap towards a girl or what. So I said, ‘You know what? I’m just gonna go in there and rip that shit down.’ So I went in there, and lyrically just spit the hard shit. ‘We from the Bronx, New York, shit happens.’


 

“Then I was like, ‘I want that shit to sound a little Arabian.’ Because that Arabian sound was the shit, with the ‘Move ya body like a snake, ma’ and all that. So he did it. And being that he was doing all that stuff for Dre at the time, he had it sounding a little West Coast-ish. And I’m like, ‘Yo Scott, we can’t sound West Coast. I’m from New York. So we flipped that beat.

“That’s the only beat I ever had for two months that I was scared to rap to because it was so incredible. I didn’t know if I was going to rap towards a girl or what. So I said, ‘You know what? I’m just gonna go in there and rip that shit down.’ So I went in there, and lyrically just spit the hard shit. ‘We from the Bronx, New York, shit happens.’

“And then with the hook, the Jamaican shit was out at the time, ‘Rockaway, Rockaway! Signal the plane, signal the plane!’ So I was like, ‘I need to make a fucking dance.’ So I was like, ‘My niggas don’t dance, we just pull up our pants, and do the Rockaway.’

“And I was like, ‘You know, every time Missy does a song, it’s so simple, but it’s so dope. If you do the Rockaway, you just lean back.’ So I was like, ‘Lean back, lean back.’ And the rest is history.


 

Me and Eminem were cool before he even had a record deal. I wouldn’t dare ask him for a favor. But [DJ] Khaled was gassing me and this is when he was a little nigga in the crew. He kept telling me, ‘Get the white boy!’ I was like, ‘Nah, I ain’t gonna bother him.’ And he was like, ‘I’m telling you, that’s your man. He’ll do it!’ So I went and I asked him. And he hit me back like, ‘Yo Joe, you know you got one favor. Is this it?’


 

“After we did that, we started praying to God. We lost our minds. Everybody we played it for lost their minds. I was walking around studios playing it, and the whole session was jumping on the wall. It was that shit.

“Remy Ma bodied it. I had three verses, and Remy force me to let her get on that song. She was like, ‘Yo Joe, man. Come on, I gotta be on it.’ And she killed it.”

“[With the remix] Lil’ Jon was like the hardest producer at the time, so I got him to flip it. The dirty south shit was popping and Lil’ Jon was hottest in the game. I said, ‘My nigga, I want it to sound just like ‘Lean Back,’ but with that bounce. Because, how am I going to change the whole beat up when everyone was saying that was the beat of the year? But I said [to Lil’ Jon], ‘Throw that crunk shit to it, and let’s go from there.’

“Me and Eminem were cool before he even had a record deal. I wouldn’t dare ask him for a favor. But [DJ] Khaled was gassing me and this is when he was a little nigga in the crew. He kept telling me, ‘Get the whiteboy!’ I was like, ‘Nah, I ain’t gonna bother him.’ And he was like, ‘I’m telling you, that’s your man. He’ll do it!’


 

Eminem's another nigga [like Nas on ‘John Blaze’] who sent me mad verses. He did like 10 ‘Lean Back’ verses. He’s a perfectionist. It was incredible already. I didn’t understand why he would keep sending other ones.


 

“So I went and I asked him. And he hit me back like, ‘Yo Joe, you know you got one favor. Is this it?’ Eminem [actually rapped at first] on the original. And he was asking me, ‘Yo, why did you change the beat?!?’ And he’s another nigga [like Nas on ‘John Blaze’] who sent me mad verses. He did like 10 ‘Lean Back’ verses. He’s a perfectionist. It was incredible already. I didn’t understand why he would keep sending other ones.

“When I played ‘Lean Back (Remix)’ for the first time on the radio with Angie Martinez, the city stopped. The whole earth stopped. She was like, ‘I heard you got this remix, and I heard it’s crazy. But I don’t know who’s on it.’ And I was like, ‘Yo, I got the white boy.’ And the whole place got quiet.

“That was Eminem. He never stepped out the box if it wasn’t Dre to do a feature. So when he came out on my shit, niggas lost their mind. They played that shit for like a half an hour. It was crazy.

“Yeah, I brought Mase back [and put him on the remix too]. Not only did I get Mase after he retired, I told him he had to spit gangster shit. And he just came out of church!”

Ja Rule f/ Fat Joe & Jadakiss “New York” (2004)

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Producer: Cool & Dre

Album: R.U.L.E.

Label: The Inc./Def Jam

Fat Joe: “Well, that’s my favorite record I ever did. First of all, it was my record. Ja was trying to come back, and I just told you how he saved my life with ‘What’s Luv’ [after Pun died]. So I gave it to him, and I was like, ‘Yo, my nigga, this is crazy.’ And at the time I think I was just cocky, like I just make hits like it’s a joke. Like, ‘Ahh, here, I’ll make another one tomorrow.’

“But it was the fact that it was [all about] New York. I mean, when we shot that video, there was like five or ten thousand people in the streets. The vibe was stupid! To this day, that’s the track I’m most proud of, in my whole rap career.

 

That was my record. Ja was trying to come back, and I just told you how he saved my life with ‘What’s Luv’ [after Pun died]. So I gave it to him, and I was like, ‘Yo, my nigga, this is crazy.’ And at the time I think I was just cocky, like I just make hits like it’s a joke. Like, ‘Ahh, here, I’ll make another one tomorrow.’

 

“We kind of gassed Jadakiss to get involved, but I never knew it would get him into a beef with 50 Cent. I never knew ‘New York’ would get me into a beef with 50 Cent. Yeah, [he was just gunning at anyone who was down with Ja Rule].

“It felt like it came out of nowhere. But to be honest with you, I was more scared of myself. I thought I would kill 50 Cent, to be honest with you. If I saw him somewhere, he was done. So I was scared, because I worked hard, and stopped selling drugs, and rap changed my life. And now this nigga did this, and I got to give it to him. It was going to be nothing nice.

“I don’t really give a fuck about 50 Cent or even think about it [now]. That’s like super duper duper old shit, to be honest with you. And over the years, it turned so much into wrestling, like WWF, that I was like, ‘Alright, I get it.’ But at the time, I had never been disrespected in my life, so I didn’t know how to take it.

“And you see where beefs go now. I heard Ludacris and Drake got beef [Laughs.] Now, the way hip-hop is, I probably would have brushed my shoulders off and said, ‘Keep it moving.’ But at the time, I got worked up, because I couldn’t believe anybody was trying to disrespect [me].”

Fat Joe f/ Big Punisher “Best Behavior” (2005)

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Producer: Showbiz

Album: Street Talk

Label: Lumberjack

Fat Joe: “Yeah, that’s Showbiz on the hook. We did that for Showbiz. He was putting out a compilation. We did like 10 songs for Showbiz, me and Pun. ‘Best Behavior’ was like that hard, real street, Bronx, New York shit.


 

Pun would write rhymes, fall asleep with the book in his hand, and wake up 30 minutes later, like, ‘Oh shit!’ And he’d have the line, like he dreamed the line. I’ve never seen anyone write rhymes more than Pun. All he cared about was writing.


 

“Pun would write rhymes, and fall asleep with the book in his hand, and wake up 30 minutes later, like, ‘Oh shit!’ And he’d have the line, like he dreamed the line. And then he would continue to write. I’ve never seen anyone write rhymes more than Pun. All he cared about was writing. If he was in the house, he was writing. Everywhere he was at, he was writing, writing, writing to music.

“That’s another thing that nobody knows. Pun was super nice with the freestyles, off the top. And he would say some shit that would hurt your feelings so fast. And we would all battle and shit. I could never freestyle off the top any good. But he was nice.

“Nah, [me and Pun never talked about doing a whole album together]. We just weren’t smart enough at the time. [Laughs.] But yeah, it should’ve been done. Like right now, Lil’ Wayne and Drake should do one. [Jay-Z and Kanye West] did it.”

Fat Joe f/ Lil’ Wayne “Make It Rain” (2006)

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Producer: Scott Storch

Album: Me, Myself & I

Label: Imperial/Terror Squad

Fat Joe: “This comes at at a time when the South was just winning, winning, winning. I was on on tour and I was in Memphis, and this DJ named Larry Larry was playing dirty south stuff all night. I didn’t hear any New York hip-hop. I’m watching this fat girl dance by the speaker for like for hours, in the middle of the club, just watching her.

“So I got back home, and I said to Scott Storch, ‘Yo Scott, let’s go work on a beat. I want to make a dirty south beat.’ And he’s like, ‘Get outta here. That ain’t Fat Joe.’ But I’m like, ‘My man, watch how we freak this.’


 

I played it for Irv Gotti and he was like, ‘You’re cool with Lil Wayne. Get him to do [the chorus]. He’ll do it in a second. That way niggas won’t be so mad at you. It’s already a down south track, so at least it makes more sense to have a down south nigga on it too.’ I sent it to Lil’ Wayne, he sent it right back the next day.


 

“So like I told you, when I make beats with Scott, I’m there giving him ideas. So I said, ‘Yo Scott, like this.’ And he keeps making the beat, and I keep imagining the fat girl dancing by the speaker [in the club in Memphis]. So when he got it to where I could see her dancing, I was like, ‘Alright, that’s the drums right there.’ Then I told him, ‘Yo, we need them horns!’ And he put them on there.

“I originally did the chorus. I played it for Irv Gotti and he was like, ‘You’re cool with Lil Wayne. Get him to do [the chorus]. He’ll do it in a second. That way niggas won’t be so mad at you. It’s already a down south track, so at least it makes more sense to have a down south nigga on it too.’ So I sent it to Lil’ Wayne, he sent it right back the next day, and the rest is history.

“We had just left the strip club like two days before, making it rain. And I was like, ‘Nobody ever made a song called ‘Make It Rain.’’ I thought that was weird. People have been making it rain for years. Why did no one ever make a song about it?

“‘Make It Rain’ is bigger than ‘Lean Back’ when I go touring. It plays after ‘Lean Back.’ But that has a lot to do with Lil’ Wayne being the biggest rapper on earth. So I put that on after ‘Lean Back,’ and people lose their minds! We’ve done it live a couple of times together. We did it at Summer Jam one year together.”

Fat Joe f/ The Game “Breathe and Stop” (2006)

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Producer: Nu Jersey Devil

Album: Me, Myself & I

Label: Imperial/Terror Squad

Fat Joe:That was actually Game’s song, but it didn’t make his album. And he was like, ‘Yo Joe, I got this hot song we should do together.’ And that shit came out hard.


 

I had to send Khaled up in there to the Marley compound and he had to smoke like 72,000 blunts with them [so we could get the sample cleared].


 

“I had to send Khaled up in there to the Marley compound and he had to smoke like 72,000 blunts with them [so we could get the sample cleared to use it on my album]. He came out of there on crutches.

“They don’t really clear samples like that. And they were like, ‘Khaled, me know why you’re here, star. You’re here for the fat man tune.’ [Laughs.] He couldn’t even convince them that he wasn’t there to gas them. They knew I sent him in there. They knew what it was.”

DJ Khaled f/ Fat Joe T.I., Lil’ Wayne, Rick Ross, Baby, & Akon “We Takin’ Over” (2007)

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Producer: Danja

Album: We The Best

Label: Terror Squad/Koch

Fat Joe: “That was big to me because it was T.I., Weezy, Baby, early Rick Ross, and all of us together. It felt like an all-star team. Akon on the hook. [The song itself] was a movie. It was super big. And the video was sick.


 

I saw that Khaled not only had the potential to be the number-one DJ, but to be a powerhouse in the game [as a producer].


 

“I met [Khaled] in Atlanta, at Jack The Rapper or something. And this was when ‘Flow Joe’ was out. And he stepped to me and said, ‘I’m a fan.’ And we became friends and family ever since. I saw that he not only had the potential to be the number-one DJ, but to be a powerhouse in the game [as a producer].

“[Khaled] comes from real hip-hop. Like Mobb Deep, Havoc drums. That’s all he used to play when he first became a DJ. He’s got the roots in that hard shit. He’s got it all.”

Fat Joe “300 Brolic” (2008)

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Fat Joe f/ Young Jeezy “Slow Down (Ha Ha)” (2010)

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Producer: Scoop DeVille

Album: The Darkside Vol. 1

Label: Terror Squad/E1

Fat Joe: “Every now and then, there are some records that get away. And that’s a record I thought was a big record. I thought that was going to be a smash, hit record. Snoop Dogg had the record, ‘Snoop Dogg, Snoop Dogg!’ So I flew in Scoop DeVille from L.A., and I told him, ‘We gotta make one of those.’ And I told him the drums I needed. And he came with the, ‘Ha, Ha’ sample.


 

I thought that was going to be the biggest hit I had since ‘Lean Back.’ I don’t know, maybe it wasn’t girl friendly. Maybe it was the timing.


 

“Then Jeezy stepped to me, and he was like, ‘What’s this track that Khaled keeps telling me about that’s crazy?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I got a joint that’s stupid. You wanna jump on it?’ And we made it happen.

“We shot the video with the Phantom drop through Harlem. I had Puff Daddy surfing on the hood of the Phantom. [Laughs.] That’s how you act stupid.

“I can’t lie to you, I thought that was going to be the biggest hit I had since ‘Lean Back.’ I don’t know, maybe it wasn’t girl friendly. Maybe it was the timing. You know, the music game is [unpredictable]. So at the end of the day, nothing is guaranteed. There’s plenty of records [that come out] that should’ve been big, but never get that big.”

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