Fat Joe

Joseph Antonio Cartagena, born on August 19, 1970, known professionally as Fat Joe, is an American rapper based in New York City. His musical career began with the hip-hop group D.I.T.C. also called Diggin’ in the Crates Crew. Then he found success as a solo artist. He then went on to form his label, Terror Squad and signed up many rappers who would later become legends in the hip-hop community. Some of these rappers include Big Pun, Remy Ma, and Tony Sunshine. He even gave a then-unknown DJ Khaled his break.

Bio

Fat Joe was born in the Bronx borough of New York City to parents of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. His childhood was extremely troubled, as he himself has admitted. Having been exposed to crime and violence from an early age, Joe began stealing as a result of poverty to support his family. At that time, the entire family lived in the Forest Houses public housing project in the neighborhood of Morrisania. His elder brother introduced him to hip-hop music in his teens. Fat Joe

Musical Career

Joe began rapping under the stage name Fat Joe da Gangsta as a part of D.I.T.C. At first, he worked for Relativity Records in the early 1990s, sharing the stage with many artists. Some of these would later sign up with his own records. In 1993 he released his debut album Represent. Its lead single, Flow Joe, peaked at number one on the Billboards Hot Rap Singles. This was an immense success for him and he continued with his second album Jealous One’s Envy in 1995. This also featured several hit songs and also helped him discover another fellow Latino rapper, Big Pun. Wiki

From 1998-2005, Joe went through a flurry of successes and events. He signed up with Atlantic Records and made his third album for them, named Don Cartagena. A significant factor here is that he also did this in conjunction with his own label, Terror Squad Productions. He made an appearance in the 2003 hit pop single “I Want You” by Mexican singer Thalia. Later that year, he also performed the single ”Crush Tonight” with Tony Sunshine on Dave Chapelle’s Comedy Central program, Chapelle’s Show.

Controversies

He briefly had a verbal spat with 50 Cent in 2008 which sparked controversy for some time. Furthermore, the Catholic preacher Michael Pfleger started a billboard campaign against several artists who according to him were promoting misogyny through their songs. The name of this campaign was “Stop Listening to Trash” and it also targeted Fat Joe at one point in time. Meanwhile, 50 Cent openly called him a coward while Fat Joe hit back with a diss saying this was all nonsense. Regardless of these spats, Fat Joe remains an important and significant member of the hip-hop community in America. His contributions to specifically Latin rap are immense, not to mention the fact that he also gave many unheard-of artists a platform. Fat Joe

Family

Fat Joe was born to a family of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. Currently, he is married with three children and lives in Miami, Tenafly, and New Jersey alternatively. He donated a lot of computers to his old school in the Bronx and spends a lot of time engaging in community service around the country.

Love Life

Fat Joe dated a lot of people before marrying Lorena Cartagena, with whom he has three children.

Net Worth

The combined net worth of all of Fat Joe’s assets and income sources is estimated to be well around $5 million as of today.

FAQs about Fat Joe

Who is Fat Joe?

Fat Joe is an American rapper of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent

What is the age of Fat Joe?
Fat Joe is 52 years old

Who is Fat Joe’s Wife?

Lorena Cartagena is Fat Joe’s wife

When was Fat Joe born?

Fat Joe was born on August 19, 1970

Ending Note

One of the most successful and notable hip-hop artists in America, Fat Joe carved out an immense name for himself with his hit singles throughout the 1990s. First as a member of D.I.T.C., then as a part of his own Terror Squad Productions. He also gave a platform to many artists who would go on to become legends in their own rights, like DJ Khaled and Tony Sunshine. Overall, his contributions to rap cannot be ignored. Fat Joe

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