Fat Joe

Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin’ in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, he then embarked on a solo career the following year with his debut studio album, Represent (1993). Cartegena formed the hip hop group Terror Squad and its namesake record label in the late 1990s, through which he signed fellow New York artists including Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, and Cuban Link, as well as then-unknown producers DJ Khaled and Cool & Dre.

Represent spawned his debut single “Flow Joe,” which entered the Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one on the Hot Rap Songs chart. It was followed up with the albums Jealous One’s Envy (1995), Don Cartagena (1998), and Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) (2001); the latter received platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and contained the hit single, “What’s Luv?” (featuring Ja Rule and Ashanti). The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, while his 2004 single “Lean Back” (with Terror Squad) reached number one on the chart, becoming his most successful record to date. In the following years, Cartagena released the notable singles “Make It Rain” (featuring Lil Wayne) in 2006, and “All the Way Up” (with Remy Ma featuring French Montana and Infared) a decade later.

Cartagena has appeared in several films, including Scary Movie 3 and Happy Feet, as well as Spike Lee’s Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It. In 2018, he created and hosted the Coca Vision poscast on Tidal, where he discusses music, friendships, and pop culture with various celebrity guests.

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