Cam'run Miles
03-13-08, 07:05 PM
http://blog.rhapsody.com/2008/03/exclusive-fat-j.html
When it comes to longevity, Fat Joe’s 15-year rap-game tenure is often overlooked. But no one can ignore how the Bronx native has effortlessly bridged generations. A member of both the old school and the new, Joey Crack still shouts out his legendary Diggin’ in the Crates crew members like O.C. and Lord Finesse, while collaborating with new artists like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, T.I. and Young Jeezy. His new album, Elephant in the Room, is a blend of both eras, featuring J. Holiday and Lil Wayne, along with KRS-One and DJ Premier. Unfortunately for Joe, his musical accomplishments have been overshadowed as of late because of a recent physical altercation with Brooklyn emcee Papoose. The media frenzy surrounding these events made it really hard to catch up with him, but Rhapsody finally got Fat Joe on the phone. Here, he talks about booking the Notorious B.I.G. for his first-ever show at downtown Manhattan’s legendary Fever, Prodigy’s disparaging remarks about him, and his feelings on hip-hop becoming so tabloid-driven.
Rhapsody: This year is the tenth anniversary of Big Pun’s Capital Punishment. Do you have any plans to do anything special, like re-issue the album?
Fat Joe: Nah. I don’t like doing anything for anybody who passed away. I feel like that’s exploitation to be honest with you. That’s always been my take on it.
Big Pun’s wife recently said in an interview that she was going to re-release Capital Punishment this year. I’m assuming you won’t be involved with that?
Nah. I won’t. She wants to release it. For what?
She can’t technically do that because you own the rights to his albums, right?
He was signed to Terror Squad. Does somebody else have the right to release a Biggie album other than Bad Boy? You make it sound like that’s not standard. He was my artist.
You seem to have bigger commercial aspirations on the new album -- with the J. Holiday collaboration and getting Danja to produce a record [“Cocababy”].
We’re just trying to make bigger records. That’s all. Last album [Me, Myself & I] was my first independent album, and I didn’t think we could be as successful as we were at radio. Being that “Make It Rain” went to number three in the country, I was like, “Aright. We can take it there.” So I made “I Won’t Tell” because I knew we could promote it.
Biggie’s “ I Got a Story to Tell” is about messing with a New York Knick’s girl and you talk about creeping with an NBA player’s girl on “I Won’t Tell.” Are rappers really trying to get at NBA dudes’ girls like that?
Nah, I didn’t even notice that. I remember Biggie’s “I Got a Story to Tell.” I didn’t even notice “I Won’t Tell” is kind of similar.
I saw that you booked Biggie for his first show ever at the Fever.
Yeah. I was rapping, but I wasn’t really getting money like that. So I would promote shows at the Fever. I paid him $500 and a bottle of Moet. We popped a couple bottles. This was when “Party and Bull****” first came out and he just got down with Bad Boy. I was in the underground and always had a relationship with Biggie. I met Biggie through rap battles and [the New York underground showcase] Lyricist Lounge. Then we became cool and always kept in touch. He used to be ripping n*gg*s down. Every week, I had someone different [at Fever]. I had Buckshot Shorty, Jeru the Damaja and O.C. That was when that underground hip-hop was poppin’.
Did you and Big ever battle at Lyricist Lounge?
Nah, I was never good enough to take on Biggie anyways. I was standing on stage with Biggie when they did the famous freestyle in Madison Square Garden. Me, Biggie and Tupac walked on stage together at Big Daddy Kane’s show. He didn’t wanna pass me the mic. [Laughs.] He gave it to Pac and Biggie. But I didn’t know Big Daddy Kane at the time, so it’s all love.
On Elephant, you have a song “K.A.R.,” where you talk about killing all rats. What made you want to speak out on that?
If you do crimes with your best friend, you know what you’re doing. And if you get caught, you shouldn’t be telling on them. If you live next door to a pedophile or kidnapper, go bust their ass and get them out of the neighborhood. I don’t think it’s cool to tell the police. You take matters into your own hands and f*ck ‘em up. Pieces of sh*t.
How did that song "My Conscience" with KRS-One come about?
That’s my idol right there. I thought we should get together and do a song and do something that was different for me. It was a concept song about me talking to myself, but KRS-One is actually my conscience talking about all the sh*t they criticize rappers for. That sh*t came out incredible.
What was it like being involved with "Self-Construction," KRS-One’s follow up to his classic non-violence project, “Self-Destruction”?
I feel like we need more unity in hip-hop anyways. Unfortunately, everyday you hear someone else trying to disrespect me or somebody else in the industry.
Have you heard of Big Lou? He’s got a song out now called “Elephant's Nightmare (Fat Joe Diss).”
Oh, god. That’s Kay Slay’s artist. Tell him we already have one Big Pun. Big Lou is on my d*ck. That’s what that is. That’s so incredible. He was rhyming like Pun on there? What does Big Lou have to do with anything? He just wants to get hot. And the wild sh*t is, he sounds like and is biting Pun.
Did you see the video where Kay Slay said your relationship ended because you gave him an ultimatum to choose between you and 50 Cent?
He was cool with 50 and he picked 50. I never gave him an ultimatum. He was neutral with both of us. I knew he was neutral from day one. This is a guy I treated like family and brother, and [he] chose money over loyalty. That’s all that was. I don’t remember the exact conversation, but he straight told me, “Joe, I don’t get money with you. I get money with them.” I never talked to him since. And I didn’t tell anybody for four years that that had happened. Meanwhile, he has took every single rapper that has dissed me to his show and played all the diss songs against me in the world. These guys are thirsty. These n*gg*s will never get on.
Did you read Prodigy’s blog entry talking about how he doesn’t know who likes rappers like you, Cassidy, Max B., Jim Jones, etc.?
Prodigy? Before he was down with G-Unit, he might’ve did like 10 songs with me. I didn’t even know he said all that. I know that he fell off and that [G-Unit] are very irrelevant in the hip-hop game today. He’s not relevant no more. We had a big-time relationship and done did songs together. That really surprises me that he’s talking like that. If he said that then I guess that’s his opinion. I could tell you a million things about him, but I ain’t gonna say nothing. I’m really disappointed with them Prodigy comments because I haven’t been disrespecting him. He’s in the gutter right now. I ain’t speak with him ever since he got down with G-Unit.
You had said Cassidy, Gucci Mane and Yo Gotti were in the room when the altercation with Papoose happened, right?
Yeah. They were there.
During the [New York radio station] Hot 97 interview, Cassidy said he walked out of the room and didn’t see what happened.
Yeah, he ran out of the room. Cassidy is starting to get me upset a little. Cassidy knows what happened. He’s just doing the old, “Oh, he don’t want no problems with nobody” type of sh*t. He ain’t really explaining the story. He ain’t saying the truth. He’s just making it clear that he didn’t set anybody up. Just ‘cause he saying all that doesn’t mean he doesn’t really know what happened. The truth is that I don’t care about this anymore. I explained this about a million times. It’s really not important to me. That was last week’s gossip. You told me today’s gossip is Big Lou dissing me. He wishes he could be down with Terror Squad. He wish I could sign him and he could be the second coming of Big Pun.
All the back and fourth between you and Papoose has been all over the Internet. Has this turned into a circus for you?
It’s definitely a circus. It doesn’t matter because soon enough it’s gonna be over. Papoose is irrelevant. Tell him to make some hit records and do his thing. When all the gossip is over, he still has to come with hit records. That’s something I make. Not freestyles or 16 bars.
Does it bother you that hip-hop has became so tabloidy?
Yeah, it wasn’t like that at all [when I first started]. But what can you do? Maybe it’s just that it’s a lot more *****es involved being that there’s Internet now. Used to be you had to go diss somebody in their face or at a show. Now, it’s let me hide behind a computer and diss everybody.
Kay Slay is fukked up if that ish is true.
When it comes to longevity, Fat Joe’s 15-year rap-game tenure is often overlooked. But no one can ignore how the Bronx native has effortlessly bridged generations. A member of both the old school and the new, Joey Crack still shouts out his legendary Diggin’ in the Crates crew members like O.C. and Lord Finesse, while collaborating with new artists like Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, T.I. and Young Jeezy. His new album, Elephant in the Room, is a blend of both eras, featuring J. Holiday and Lil Wayne, along with KRS-One and DJ Premier. Unfortunately for Joe, his musical accomplishments have been overshadowed as of late because of a recent physical altercation with Brooklyn emcee Papoose. The media frenzy surrounding these events made it really hard to catch up with him, but Rhapsody finally got Fat Joe on the phone. Here, he talks about booking the Notorious B.I.G. for his first-ever show at downtown Manhattan’s legendary Fever, Prodigy’s disparaging remarks about him, and his feelings on hip-hop becoming so tabloid-driven.
Rhapsody: This year is the tenth anniversary of Big Pun’s Capital Punishment. Do you have any plans to do anything special, like re-issue the album?
Fat Joe: Nah. I don’t like doing anything for anybody who passed away. I feel like that’s exploitation to be honest with you. That’s always been my take on it.
Big Pun’s wife recently said in an interview that she was going to re-release Capital Punishment this year. I’m assuming you won’t be involved with that?
Nah. I won’t. She wants to release it. For what?
She can’t technically do that because you own the rights to his albums, right?
He was signed to Terror Squad. Does somebody else have the right to release a Biggie album other than Bad Boy? You make it sound like that’s not standard. He was my artist.
You seem to have bigger commercial aspirations on the new album -- with the J. Holiday collaboration and getting Danja to produce a record [“Cocababy”].
We’re just trying to make bigger records. That’s all. Last album [Me, Myself & I] was my first independent album, and I didn’t think we could be as successful as we were at radio. Being that “Make It Rain” went to number three in the country, I was like, “Aright. We can take it there.” So I made “I Won’t Tell” because I knew we could promote it.
Biggie’s “ I Got a Story to Tell” is about messing with a New York Knick’s girl and you talk about creeping with an NBA player’s girl on “I Won’t Tell.” Are rappers really trying to get at NBA dudes’ girls like that?
Nah, I didn’t even notice that. I remember Biggie’s “I Got a Story to Tell.” I didn’t even notice “I Won’t Tell” is kind of similar.
I saw that you booked Biggie for his first show ever at the Fever.
Yeah. I was rapping, but I wasn’t really getting money like that. So I would promote shows at the Fever. I paid him $500 and a bottle of Moet. We popped a couple bottles. This was when “Party and Bull****” first came out and he just got down with Bad Boy. I was in the underground and always had a relationship with Biggie. I met Biggie through rap battles and [the New York underground showcase] Lyricist Lounge. Then we became cool and always kept in touch. He used to be ripping n*gg*s down. Every week, I had someone different [at Fever]. I had Buckshot Shorty, Jeru the Damaja and O.C. That was when that underground hip-hop was poppin’.
Did you and Big ever battle at Lyricist Lounge?
Nah, I was never good enough to take on Biggie anyways. I was standing on stage with Biggie when they did the famous freestyle in Madison Square Garden. Me, Biggie and Tupac walked on stage together at Big Daddy Kane’s show. He didn’t wanna pass me the mic. [Laughs.] He gave it to Pac and Biggie. But I didn’t know Big Daddy Kane at the time, so it’s all love.
On Elephant, you have a song “K.A.R.,” where you talk about killing all rats. What made you want to speak out on that?
If you do crimes with your best friend, you know what you’re doing. And if you get caught, you shouldn’t be telling on them. If you live next door to a pedophile or kidnapper, go bust their ass and get them out of the neighborhood. I don’t think it’s cool to tell the police. You take matters into your own hands and f*ck ‘em up. Pieces of sh*t.
How did that song "My Conscience" with KRS-One come about?
That’s my idol right there. I thought we should get together and do a song and do something that was different for me. It was a concept song about me talking to myself, but KRS-One is actually my conscience talking about all the sh*t they criticize rappers for. That sh*t came out incredible.
What was it like being involved with "Self-Construction," KRS-One’s follow up to his classic non-violence project, “Self-Destruction”?
I feel like we need more unity in hip-hop anyways. Unfortunately, everyday you hear someone else trying to disrespect me or somebody else in the industry.
Have you heard of Big Lou? He’s got a song out now called “Elephant's Nightmare (Fat Joe Diss).”
Oh, god. That’s Kay Slay’s artist. Tell him we already have one Big Pun. Big Lou is on my d*ck. That’s what that is. That’s so incredible. He was rhyming like Pun on there? What does Big Lou have to do with anything? He just wants to get hot. And the wild sh*t is, he sounds like and is biting Pun.
Did you see the video where Kay Slay said your relationship ended because you gave him an ultimatum to choose between you and 50 Cent?
He was cool with 50 and he picked 50. I never gave him an ultimatum. He was neutral with both of us. I knew he was neutral from day one. This is a guy I treated like family and brother, and [he] chose money over loyalty. That’s all that was. I don’t remember the exact conversation, but he straight told me, “Joe, I don’t get money with you. I get money with them.” I never talked to him since. And I didn’t tell anybody for four years that that had happened. Meanwhile, he has took every single rapper that has dissed me to his show and played all the diss songs against me in the world. These guys are thirsty. These n*gg*s will never get on.
Did you read Prodigy’s blog entry talking about how he doesn’t know who likes rappers like you, Cassidy, Max B., Jim Jones, etc.?
Prodigy? Before he was down with G-Unit, he might’ve did like 10 songs with me. I didn’t even know he said all that. I know that he fell off and that [G-Unit] are very irrelevant in the hip-hop game today. He’s not relevant no more. We had a big-time relationship and done did songs together. That really surprises me that he’s talking like that. If he said that then I guess that’s his opinion. I could tell you a million things about him, but I ain’t gonna say nothing. I’m really disappointed with them Prodigy comments because I haven’t been disrespecting him. He’s in the gutter right now. I ain’t speak with him ever since he got down with G-Unit.
You had said Cassidy, Gucci Mane and Yo Gotti were in the room when the altercation with Papoose happened, right?
Yeah. They were there.
During the [New York radio station] Hot 97 interview, Cassidy said he walked out of the room and didn’t see what happened.
Yeah, he ran out of the room. Cassidy is starting to get me upset a little. Cassidy knows what happened. He’s just doing the old, “Oh, he don’t want no problems with nobody” type of sh*t. He ain’t really explaining the story. He ain’t saying the truth. He’s just making it clear that he didn’t set anybody up. Just ‘cause he saying all that doesn’t mean he doesn’t really know what happened. The truth is that I don’t care about this anymore. I explained this about a million times. It’s really not important to me. That was last week’s gossip. You told me today’s gossip is Big Lou dissing me. He wishes he could be down with Terror Squad. He wish I could sign him and he could be the second coming of Big Pun.
All the back and fourth between you and Papoose has been all over the Internet. Has this turned into a circus for you?
It’s definitely a circus. It doesn’t matter because soon enough it’s gonna be over. Papoose is irrelevant. Tell him to make some hit records and do his thing. When all the gossip is over, he still has to come with hit records. That’s something I make. Not freestyles or 16 bars.
Does it bother you that hip-hop has became so tabloidy?
Yeah, it wasn’t like that at all [when I first started]. But what can you do? Maybe it’s just that it’s a lot more *****es involved being that there’s Internet now. Used to be you had to go diss somebody in their face or at a show. Now, it’s let me hide behind a computer and diss everybody.
Kay Slay is fukked up if that ish is true.