Fat Joe is always working.
“We were at Raekwon’s wedding [in July] and Ghostface Killah said, ‘My God, you’re everywhere. One second you’re on CNN, the next day you’re on a sports show,'” the rapper born Joseph Cartagena said with a laugh.
There are several reasons for this restless pace. It’s partly due to the fear of uncertainty, which has been embedded in the back of his mind since going to prison in 2013 for four months for tax evasion. Upon his release, the “What’s Luv?” hitmaker admitted he would sit and pray to get booked for shows so he could pay his bills.
Perhaps more importantly, the workload is aided by Vital Versatility founder and CEO Didier Morais, his publicist since 2019, who has kept the name Fat Joe relevant in a variety of circles. “Ghostface said, ‘Man, you working,’ and immediately in my mind I heard, ‘Didier, damn this guy is the man,” Fat Joe said in his signature booming voice.
Because of this relentlessness, the spotlight on Fat Joe is brighter than ever before — and he has no plans of slowing down. “Now that we got a rejuvenation and got some type of resurgence, I’m not going to stop working,” he said.
Next week, the workload will have him on stage not once but twice to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. On the morning of Aug. 11, Fat Joe — along with Remy Ma and Busta Rhymes — will hit the stage at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park as part of the Good Morning America Summer Concert Series. And at night, he will be one of many hip-hop legends performing at Yankee Stadium for the star-studded Hip-Hop 50 concert.
“‘Good Morning America,’ you know what an honor that is to celebrate the 50th birthday of hip-hop?” the rapper said. “The thing I gave my life to, the thing I eat, sleep and drink, and out of all artists in the world, ‘Good Morning America’ asked me and Remy and Busta Rhymes to represent the whole hip-hop community? Follow up with encore at Yankee Stadium where I grew up five minutes away. You can’t make this up.”
Diversification
Music made the Bronx, New York, native’s name known worldwide, but today he is an equally relevant media personality.
In November 2022, Fat Joe released his memoir, titled “The Book of Jose,” which is being converted into a TV series on Showtime. Also, the rapper is slated to star alongside Susan Sarandon in “The Movers,” an animated comedy series that is in development at Fox. And this year, he will launch a talk show on Starz that will be executive produced by rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, NBA star LeBron James via his SpringHill Company and Joe himself. While these are all underway, Fat Joe is continuing to work on a one-man theatrical show, a la Mike Tyson’s “Undisputed Truth” from 2012.
Although working to pay his bills is always top of mind for Fat Joe, this pace will also help him achieve another goal: to be famous forever.
“Remember ‘Hollywood Squares’ back in the day? You would see the same people in the boxes from TV shows, like Charo and dude from ‘The Love Boat’ and all that. They were famous forever when we were kids. I’m playing my legacy out to where I can be famous forever,” the rapper said. “I’m probably going to get me a fake face when I’m 70 and still be Fat Joe walking the red carpet, you know what I’m saying? And just be like, ‘Damn, that boy was famous for a long time.'”
While he works on securing fame elsewhere, one place that he already has it is in the world of sneakers. Fat Joe — who appeared on the cover of FN’s July issue alongside Remy Ma — admitted his collection spans “a couple thousand pairs” that “are more quality over quantity,” and he frequently shows them off on social media. Also, he has been wearing a specific pair a lot more often than others as of late, the Nike Air Force 1 “TS,” his upcoming collaboration with the athletic giant honoring his Terror Squad record company and crew.
What’s more, he has made his mark with Up NYC, a retail banner he launched in 2016.
“The sneaker business is very lucrative, it’s dear to my heart, I’m a huge sneaker collector. All my sneaker stores are in the hood — and all the stores look like Madison Avenue,” he said. “A lot of my peers, when they got successful they ran away from the hood. That’s different from what we believe. We have a presence in the hood and show love and show these kids they can become successful.”
Today, there are three Up NYC stores in the Big Apple, although he is eager to expand. When he does, Fat Joe said the next store will likely be in Queens, N.Y., followed by one in his second home: Miami.
Health Is Wealth
Aside from hip-hop’s golden anniversary, Fat Joe recently celebrated a milestone of his own as well. Last month, his debut album, titled “Represent,” turned 30.
The album from Fat Joe — then known as Fat Joe Da Gangsta — was released on July 27, 1993. “Represent” included guest appearances from rap legends Grand Puba and Kool G Rap, among others, and production from the likes of Lord Finesse, Diamond D and The Beatnuts. It also produced his first hit, “Flow Joe.”
“There was no Latino voice that was dominant at the time in hip-hop, so I always knew that young Latinos were going to be really proud about somebody like Fat Joe that looks like them, coming from the streets having an album like that,” said the rapper.
The release of the album was partly possible due to the selflessness of The Beatnuts and Diamond D.
“My mother caught cancer and she was afraid to spend the night by herself after she had her surgery. At that time, hospitals wouldn’t let your family spend the night, so I had to hire a private nurse. My advance for ‘Represent’ was $50,000. I spent $40,000 on nurse,” Fat Joe explained. “The Beatnuts mixed the whole album for free out of love. And not to mention, Diamond pretty much [produced] that whole album for free because I was going through it with my mom.”
Thirty years later, although he has dropped the “Gangsta” from his name, healthcare is still a major part of his life. In 2022, Fat Joe teamed up with hospital pricing-focused organization Power to the Patients to become a spokesperson for the nonprofit. This year, he has been front-and-center with the organization in Washington D.C. to fight for transparency in hospital billing with many facing crippling medical debt.
“Fighting for the people and their rights and their right to save their families and save money is gangster,” the rapper said. “It is gangster to go to Washington D.C. and tell the politicians, ‘We know what’s going on and it’s time to think about the American people.’ One-hundred-million Americans are in some type of health bankruptcy. They have no one helping them, speaking up for them. We passed the first law ever in New York City about health transparency. It’s the only thing you do that you don’t know the price. Have you ever went to a hospital and said, ‘What’s the price?’ This creates competition, so now they can’t price gouge. You can compare prices with the hospital down the block. Why would I spend $6,000 on an MRI when I get it for $2,000 a train ride away?”
As he fights for the health of others, he’s also hyperfocused on his own. Last month, Fat Joe revealed to Men’s Health that he has lost more than 200 pounds after weighing 470 at one point in his life.
“When Big Pun died, I lost 100 pounds. Then a good friend of mine, Fat Ant, died. He was the nicest, smartest, funniest guy in the world. I went to his funeral and it was like Ebenezer Scrooge [grave scene] because he had a daughter my daughter’s age and I was like, ‘Oh no, this is me. I’m going to die like this.’ So I lost another 100 pounds,” he shared. “Through the years, thank God for my doctor in Miami, he transformed my whole life. I was a diabetic, since I was 14 taking insulin and after I lost all this weight I didn’t have to take the insulin anymore. That is something the hospitals in the Bronx never told me, that you can lose weight and not have diabetes.”
He continued, “I feel great. You want to know why? Because I put health first. The richest feeling is knowing you’re healthy. I’m intermittent fasting, I eat twice a day, and I really don’t touch the carbs. I can’t wait for 1 p.m. so I go to the local shop down the block from my house and eat my grilled chicken salad. Every time I hit the gym, anytime I concentrate on health, it makes me feel like I got one leg up on everybody else. As long as you got health, you got wealth.”
