Fat Joe Biography
Latino rapper Fat Joe (aka Fat Joe da Gangsta, Joey Crack, and his real name, Joe Cartagena) was raised in the South Bronx area of New York. It was through an older brother that Cartagena learned the ways of the street, as well as discovering rap music via the sounds of such groundbreaking artists as Theodore, Funky 4 + 1, and the Furious Five. Eventually going by the name of Fat Joe, the rapper secured a recording contract with the Relativity label in the early '90s, resulting in the release of his full-length debut, Represent, in 1993 (which spawned the single "Flow Joe," peaking at the number one spot on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart). Two years later, Fat Joe issued his sophomore effort, Jealous One's Envy, which included a cameo appearance by KRS-One as well as production contributions by the likes of DJ Premier, L.E.S., and Domingo. Around the same time, Fat Joe appeared on LL Cool J's big hit "I Shot Ya" (along with Foxy Brown and Keith Murray) and collaborated with Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon on a track from the "Envy" single, called "Firewater." By the late '90s, Fat Joe had switched record labels (signing on with Atlantic) and tried his hand at other non-musical career ventures such as opening a clothing store called Fat Joe's Halftime, a barber shop, and a fashion line, FJ560. In addition, he signed a production and distribution deal with Atlantic Records and Mystic Entertainment (which he ran with a partner named Big Greg). 1998 saw the release of Fat Joe's debut for Atlantic, Don Cartagena, which featured cameo appearances by the likes of Puff Daddy, Nas, Raekwon, Big Pun, and Jadakiss (the LOX), following it up in 2001 with Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), which included contributions from Ludacris, Petey Pablo, M.O.P., R. Kelly, and Remy. Loyalty followed in 2002, and All or Nothing arrived three years after that. The raw Me, Myself and I from 2006 found the rapper on his own Terror Squad imprint, which was distributed by EMI. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Monolith Biography: Formed as an underground collective that represented a collaboration between Toronto hip-hop crews Lyrical Coalition and The Horde, Monolith was born in 1994 with a line-up that averages over 15...
Estradasphere Biography: Unmistakably derived from the genre-bending loins of experimental rockers Mr. Bungle and Secret Chiefs 3, Estradasphere respectfully lives up to the ambitious musical aims of their wildly talented...
Mi6 Biography: The quartet that makes up mi6 hails from Lawrence, KS, and infuses its light-hearted punk music with the Midwestern values that come from the open plains. Kenny Peterson, guitar and lead vocals (born...
Lions and ghosts Biography: Like Camper Van Beethoven and the Replacements, Lions & Ghosts were adored by college-radio DJs in the ‘80s but received cold shoulders from the mainstream airwaves. Formed in Los Angeles by...
Juicy lucy Biography: Saucy blues-rockers Juicy Lucy formed in 1969 from the ashes of cult-favorite garage band the Misunderstood, reuniting vocalist Ray Owen, steel guitarist Glenn "Ross" Campbell and keyboardist Chris...
Bananarama Biography: The most successful British girl group in pop history, Bananarama formed in London in late 1981. Drawing equal inspiration for their name from the children's television program The Banana Splits and...
Boy hits car Biography: In 1990, childhood friends Scott (bass), Louis (guitar), and CRegg (vocals/guitar) initially formed the aggressive rock sound they would create in the band Boy Hits Car three years later. Singing of...
Witchfinder general Biography: In their time, Witchfinder General was considered one of the less-important bands to emerge from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, but they have become a popular early influence among...