Interview with Fat Joe
By David Friedman
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What are your thoughts on your brand new album, "Loyalty," which is your follow-up to last year’s platinum "Jealous Ones Still Envy" LP?

I mean, it’s a different variety of stuff. It’s not your normal Fat Joe album as far as music-wise and complexity and different topics and shit. I got a lot more personal on this album. At the same time, I had a lot more fun on this album. And of course I catered to my hardcore gangstas out there. I just tried to do my thing. I try to entertain on this album.

It’s important to entertain your audience because a lot of times rappers don’t do that and it gets boring quickly. So how do you go about trying to entertain your fans?

I don’t know, man. I just wake up every day and listen to some beats. And if I see one I like, I’m writing to it. The creative process is real crazy because it’s almost like beyond my control. Shit just has to go down.

You mentioned that you got more personal on the "Loyalty" album. What made you decide to do that?

It’s just a lot more personal. I talked about most things that everybody would leave in their closet. I’m talking about baby mama drama, I’m talking about dedicating to my wife and talking about police brutality. I’m talking about the fucked up conditions going on in our communities. I’m talking about a bunch of shit on here. And I’m trying to make you
party and shake your ass.

How do you manage to make an album that addresses serious issues and can make a crowd move at a club at the same time?

I don’t really know. But I’m gonna try to do it this time. There’s no protocol. There’s no set format for doing that. You’ve just gotta do it. And either the people accept it or they don’t like it. It’s either or. This business is very funny.

Was there more pressure on you while making this album due to the success of your last album with the crossover hit "What’s Luv?" with Ashanti?

I mean, I don’t think so. The last one did what it did and this one, you know, I could just be who I truly am. I just want to make music that, you know, some music uplifts people, some music scares people, some music makes them have a nice time. But pressure? No way, man. I feel like this album was a breath of fresh air.

Could you tell me about the song "Bust at You," where you’re rapping with Scarface and Baby from Cash Money?

It’s just crazy. I hit like a 2Pac flow and, of course, Scarface came in and really hit a 2Pac flow. So it was nuts. Baby ripped that shit off some gangsta shit, so it’s a perfect combination. It’s three serious guys and there ain’t no fun and games about it. Scarface, I’ve been down to work with him for years. And Baby, he’s a serious dude. He’s a leader, he runs his empire. I’ve got nothing but respect for him. So whatever he talks about out of his mouth, I know the fans are gonna respect because he’s a nigga that done did it.

What can you tell me about your early days growing up in the Bronx?

It was crazy, man. My family was a decent family, but conditions around us were crazy. You had no choice but to represent coming out of the South Bronx. Peer pressure’s crazy. At the same time, there’s no choice. If you’re not a tough kid, you’re gonna get swallowed up by the streets of the Bronx. So it’s almost like you’re forced to become this tough nigga.

Did you get in a lot of trouble back then?

I got in major trouble. I was the biggest troublemaker in the whole fuckin’ Bronx. And that’s with a loving family. It’s just, like I said, the peer pressure’s crazy. And in the hood, if you ain’t tough, you get swallowed up. Once you get tough, people respect you ’cause you’re tough and the girls seem to like you because you’re wildin’ out and you just seem to want more and more. You go for a power trip until somebody pulls the rug from under you, hits you about three times in your chest or you go to jail. I mean, that’s just the cycle.

When you were growing up, what was the music you liked to listen to?

I loved KRS-One, I loved LL Cool J. As I got older, I started liking Nas a lot. Those are the main ones.

When did you actually start rapping?

I started rapping back in junior high school, back when I was like 11, 12 years old.

So if you started rapping in the mid-’80s, how did you come to finally put an album out?

I went to ‘Showtime at the Apollo.’ I won like four weeks in a row. I met the legendary DJ Red Alert and he asked me for a radio promo for his show. I gave him one and two months later I did him another one. By then, Relativity Records came looking for me and I got signed in like the end of ’91, ’92.

Your first album, "Represent," came out in 1993 on Relativity. When exactly did you discover the late Big Pun?

Well, we’re from the same neighborhood and a lot of friends of mine were like, ‘Yo, there’s this real big fat kid. He raps, he’s incredible (and) you’ve gotta hear him.’ And most of the fools tellin’ me ain’t really music geniuses, so I ignored it. But one day I went into the store to buy a soda. When I came out, there was a group of kids there rapping. And sure enough, one of them was Big Pun and he started killin’ it. That night that I heard his rhyme, I couldn’t even sleep. So, you know, the next day I put him on my (second) album, ‘Jealous Ones Envy.’ It was history from there.

After you discovered Big Pun, you put him in the spotlight rather than keeping him in the background so you could shine the most. A lot of rappers wouldn’t have done that for someone else. Why did you step back for Big Pun?

Because I wasn’t happy with my current situation with my record label. I felt like they weren’t marketing me right. I felt like I would never amount to nothing there because of a lack of dollars for marketing and promotion. So I just took a seat back and it was just fortunate that I found Big Pun. We just focused and put all our energy into Pun. And, God bless us, he became a huge success.

When Big Pun got so much attention from fans and the media, did it mean as much to you as it would eventually mean to you when you broke out a few years later?

Definitely. That was the happiest moment of my life seeing Pun blow up. Right now, we just do it to do it. But the best time of my life was with Big Pun. Not a worry in the world with me and him. I was cool with being number two, him being number one. It leaves me space to do whatever I want. Now, it’s all eyes on me and the pressure’s on me.

So you signed Big Pun in 1995. When did you start up your crew, Terror Squad?

Terror Squad has been (around) since before I rapped. Terror Squad was a graffiti crew in the Bronx. And Gismo and Cosmo – they’re both dead, may they rest in peace – they were the presidents of the crew and they turned around and they handed it down to me. So I remember pledging to them that I was gonna take Terror Squad to the next level, bigger than ever. I never knew that I would turn it into a record label.

How did Terror Squad become a record label?

It turned into a crew – Big Pun, Armageddon, so on and so on. And then we just had our little clique. Once the success of Big Pun, records labels were talking to me like, ‘Wow. Have you got any other rappers?’ I was like, ‘Yeah. I’ve got like four or five of them.’ So we went and got a record label deal and it was only obvious it was in the name of Terror Squad because that’s who we are.

What does it mean to you to be a part of Terror Squad?

I am Terror Squad. I live it, breathe it, eat it everyday and I love Terror Squad. I wouldn’t want to be nothing else in the universe.

What’s the difference between Terror Squad and other groups like Cash Money, Murder Inc., the New No Limit and so on?

I mean, they all do their thing and we do our thing. You’ve gotta understand that ain’t too many Latinos in this business that’s ever been successful like we have. We go toe-to-toe with anybody in this business, head-to-head, record-for-record, sales-for-sales. And we’re Latino doing this. So that’s one aspect. And, number two, we’re the illest in the game, bottom line.

Have you worked with Cypress Hill at all, being that they’re one of the other top Latino rap crews?

I love Cypress Hill. Those are my family right there.

Who else do you have respect for as far as Latino rappers go?

Well, I love the South Park Mexican’s work. Ain’t too many more we can speak for like that. I love my nigga Tony Sunshine. He’s an R&B singer coming out that’s Latino. There ain’t too many of us.

You’re actually shopping for a record deal for some of the other artists on Terror Squad. How is that going?

It’s going well. I mean, we’re not gonna have a problem. We’re just looking for the right situation. I don’t just like to put my artists in the middle of nowhere. I want maybe another joint venture, maybe production... I don’t really know, man. Something that’s right, someone who understands hip-hop music and knows how to market and promote it
right – that’s really what I’m looking for.

Could you tell me a little bit about each of your fellow members of Terror Squad and what their roles are in the camp?

Tony Sunshine is the R&B singer. His album is phenomenal. He’s like a little brother. At the same time, Armageddon, most loyalist Terror Squad member in the world. Plus, he’s my executive producer. He’s got an in on Terror Squad Records and his say so means a lot. And he’s a very talented rapper. He gives a lot of vision and direction. We’ve got Remy Martin, who is the baddest bitch in the game. She’s crazy, on fire. You might know her from the M.O.P. remix and the album. She’s on all my albums. Her album is some real hip-hop shit. There ain’t been a girl like that to spit that shit in a while. We’ve got Prospect aka the Sleepy Thug, who’s usually laid back. Some days, he’s a rapper; some days, he’s not. He really does whatever he wants to do.

You mentioned how loyal Armageddon has been to Terror Squad. Why did you name your album "Loyalty" and what does that trait mean to you?

Loyalty means a lot of things for a lot of people. As far as me, I’ve been going through a lot of turbulent times. When Pun died, a lot of people doubted us. Everybody had their opportunity to run for the border. Some did. And whoever’s still with me, I consider them very sincere, loyal friends. I pretty much dedicated the name of my album to them.

Who left Terror Squad besides Cuban Link?

Nobody I really care for talking about. I don’t really care.

Do you miss the people who left?

No. I don’t.

Did it upset you when they left?

I mean, definitely it upset me. Loyalty is everything to me. The fact that people ran for the border when it was hard, of course it hurt me. But we moved on.

Are you recruiting new members for Terror Squad?

Not really, unless somebody comes along who’s super incredible. It would take for someone to be super incredible for me to have the reaction that Big Pun gave me when I met him.

Could you tell me about your clothing line, FJ560?

It’s hot in the street. We’ve got velours, we’ve got leathers, all types of stuff. It’s urban fashion and we’ve got the Pink 560 for the ladies. So we’re catering to everybody, and in all sizes too. ’Cause you figure Fat Joe’s got a clothing line, he’s just gonna do it for fat people.

When did you start calling yourself Fat Joe anyway?

Since I was a little kid, I would call myself Fat Joe. I’ve always been big, a tad bit big for my size. But I’ve always been Fat Joe.

Your first single from the "Loyalty" album is "Crush Tonight" featuring Ginuwine. What can you tell me about it?

We try to pick up from where we left off from ‘What’s Luv?’ And we dug in and make the people dance and have a good time, make the girls go crazy. I love going in the clubs and hearing my records in there and the girls going crazy to it.

What are some of the goals you’ve set that you haven’t yet achieved?

I mean, I just want people to understand that I’m a very creative dude. At the same time, every album I like to take it to another level, turn it up another notch and just get better with time. I don’t want to just talk about the same shit. I want to talk about different things.

BG
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