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FAT JOE INTERVIEW!

FAT JOE at the studio

Interviewed by, Emma Z. Ramos

Fat Joe: Knock, knock

Emma: Whose there?

Fat Joe: Joe Crack the deezee.

Emma: Let me start by asking you who is Terror Squad?

Fat Joe: Who is Terror Squad? Terror Squad consists of Big Pun, Joey Crack, Armageddon, Prospect, Tony Sunshine and Remy Martin.

Emma: What year was the Terror Squad formed?

Fat Joe: Back like in Junior High School. I was a young kid writing graffiti. It was first a graffiti crew then from there I just kept it going. Gizmo and Cosmo were the original Presidents. I was younger then them, they grew out the graffiti shit so they were like “Yo we want to give you the crew and what ever the case may be.” I was like “Yo watch I’m a take this shit to another level.” I never knew it would be on this level, but I’ve always been in the crew since day one in the Bronx since Forest Projects in the early 80’s. It was only right that once I got in the rap game that we just be representin T.S.

Emma: What is next for Jose and the Terror Squad?

Fat Joe: (He lets out a laugh before answering.) We got Tony Sunshine’s album coming, which is crazy. He’s going to do for the Spanish Kats what PUN did for the Spanish Kats in rap music. He’s going to take it to the next level in the R&B world. His album is phenomenal; I expect it to win Grammy’s. Then we got Remy Martin coming right after him or right with him. Her album is bananas too. We think she’s the nicest chic in the game. We think that her album is on some real Hip Hop shit, real gangster shit. Me, myself I’m working on my next album now. As you can see over here in the studio, I’m trying to make them pay.

Emma: : Who do you consider is the best lyricist?

Fat Joe: Well you know I consider Big Pun the greatest lyricist ever in the universe. Some people might disagree with that, but it’s obvious the thing is you know, when you put it down so hard you got no choice, niggaz can’t really say much. If you tell niggaz just take his lyrics and put it in black and white take anybody else’s lyrics and put it in black and white on paper you’ll see who was the most prolific lyricist ever in the game. There’s not even a question and I say that boldly.

Emma: Well I’ll co-sign that.

Fat Joe: Exactly!

Emma: Why do you think people envy you so much?

Fat Joe: I don’t know, we one of a kind, know what I mean? As far as another Black Artist or what ever it’s like a million of them but when it comes to the Latinos for some reason you know we the only ones taking it to that next level. A lot of times we just representing Latinos and a lot of times they also envy cause they think damn why we not like that. How come we can’t get there you know what I’m saying? The fact that we real niggaz we gangster niggaz before this whole rap shit, so it aint like you going to see us like other rappers getting high, standing in a crowd. We’re here like we gangsters so other niggaz get intimidated by that, so they get tough too. As for us we just on a movement. We just represent our people. Real Hip Hop all together you know what I’m saying? So that’s pretty much why niggaz envy.

Emma: At what age did you know this is what you wanted to do?

Fat Joe: I ain't know that this is what I wanted to do for a living. I know I loved Hip Hop. I never knew that I would become a professional rapper. It’s just something that I love to do and once Lord Finesse who came from my Projects once he got on I was like damn he got a deal I can get a deal. Not that he was nicer then me, not that he was nicer then me but just the fact I had more game. I was like he gas them niggaz to give him a deal I can gas them niggaz to give me a deal. Envy started from there cause there was always niggaz nicer then me on the block and all that. They were just mad cause I took it upon myself to go find a deal. I looked for niggaz and how to get on. Like all that shit that I see now is all the shit I was doing ten years ago. You know with niggaz trying to get on going places. I was doing contest and amateur night at the Apollo I won 4 weeks in a row. I came in first place. At the time I was well respected nigga on the streets so it was almost like I was lowering myself but this is what I wanted to do and I knew niggaz was making millions of dollars off of this shit. They ain’t have to die or go to jail for it so all my peoples are thinking, Joe you crazy. I was like yo! This is going to be my ticket out; this is going to be the way I get out. Know what I mean? Of this is life right here.

Emma: Who if anyone influenced you to get in the rap game?

Fat Joe: My brother, I used to look up to my brother he was like one of the first Spanish niggaz I heard rhyming, and you know how you always want to be like your big brother. So I followed in his footsteps, I was like yo, but he didn’t really take it serious. I took it serious.

Emma: Are you satisfied with all your accomplishments? And why?

Fat Joe: No, never. Cause I’m make these niggaz pay again. Know what I mean? It’s like I don’t want to stop until it’s over. It’s like when Pun died I felt like retiring and shit but then again my job wouldn’t have been done. After all the shit we did and put down. There still aint no Spanish niggaz rapping like we going to rap. It was like what did we so it all for. I had to prove something to myself, prove something to the haters. When Pun died niggaz was sleeping like, yo Joe can’t come back, he can’t do this, he can’t do that. I locked myself up in the studio and came out with the best shit I ever came out with. And now that I’m in there with the #1 song in the country, #1 on MTV, B.E.T, I feel like f*** them make them pay. Let’s just hit them again. I keep getting better and better. When I feel that I’m getting wack then it’s time to go. I ‘m not starving for money it’s just about the love of the music and accomplishing, recognition so niggaz could finally understand.

Emma: When do you think you’d reach that level of recognition?

Fat Joe: I don’t know.

Emma: You don’t think you are there already?

Fat Joe: Not yet, not yet till I really make them pay. I’m telling you I got a master plan. It ain’t enough yet. Cause look it PUN, he is the greatest lyricist ever, they never give it up to him. I’m going to pound these niggaz till the point where it be more than obvious that this Kat can do this because we been nice, we been doing this is just all of a sudden that they want to recognize and acknowledge that we nice.

Emma: How can you become a Terror Squadian?

Fat Joe: It’s very hard, we are a tight crew, we don’t let nobody in, no new niggaz the only reason you are interviewing me is because you know me for years. You know I don’t believe in no new niggaz, I’m stuck with the crew I got. I’m dealing with this young kid and he may be the next Terror Squad niggaz, this kid name Axel. But just because he is super, super nice rapper. The thing is I’m not just a rapper, I run a company and artists and I notice that a lot of artists are ungrateful, you put your heart into shit, you put all your trust and niggaz, you go all out for niggaz and they never seem to appreciate it. It’s very hard for a person that comes to you in the beginning and don’t have shit and you help them make a name for themselves then they looking at you like they don’t need you, they bigger than you and you like what? Is just a big problem with me and artists so I deal with the artist I got right now because we are a family and we have been a family and they never let me down and they believe in me so is my job to make sure that I rep for them.

Emma: How do you give back to your community?

Fat Joe: Man, I’m always in the jails, I go to the schools, and I’m always trying open business in the hood. I employ like 20-30 niggaz from the hood. I pay for almost every funeral, every niggaz bails, I have been giving to my community (he smiles) is time the community give back to me. And go buy the album.

Emma: What advice can you give to the youth and the up and coming rappers that can Help them in this music industry?

Fat Joe: It’s very hard, the youth stay in school, safe sex, stay away from drugs cause as we know, niggaz that sell drugs are either going to die or go to jail. That’s just the bottom line. I very rarely see niggaz who retired of selling drugs. And now a day is even worse than ever. I don’t stop anybody from going for his or her dreams or going for their goals. If you believe you are that special guy, if you know that you were blessed to do this, then continue to go for your dream but if you just want to do it and think this is just some famous shit or some shit that you don’t work, this is some real serious shit. You know I never get to see my kids, my mother and father, I’m busy working of course I’m providing for them and I’m paying their bills, but at the end of the day you ain’t got no privacy, you can’t go no where, you gotta know what you want, sometimes when niggaz come up to me and be like “Yo! Kid I want to be on” I be like dam these niggaz obviously don’t know what they want. Because is a good thing, and is a real f**** up thing. Like once your there in the public eye you can’t really do much. You not that same nigga that could walk down the street, all of a sudden everybody who you love and you know and trust for a million years and you grew up with don’t look at you as I love you for you, they looking at you on how is this nigga going to pay my bills. And is like some real bullshit. Is like a conception a this nigga done changed, rather than they done changed because before we was dead broke so we use to just love each other for being boys like that. Now is like for me to be your boy I have to pay your bills. Then is cool to that and help somebody out but as long as you don’t feel abused or used. Like niggaz took the friendship to another level, is a very hard job, is not no easy shit what so ever. That’s why I stay away from new people. That’s why the 360 come around. I can’t do nothing but help them, niggaz can’t help me. I done already went through the struggle and still going through the struggle. Is much harder for a Latino to really do it.

Emma: What does Fat Joe do in his leisure time?

Fat Joe: I like to party, I like to get drunk be in a party bugging out, be in Miami just chilling. Other than that I just keep to myself because it seems that the streets got bad news and rumors for you. So is like all I could do at this point is go see the people that I love and my peoples, hit them off with some dollars and just breeze through. Either be in the studio, right now the studio has become my crib, this is where I hang, meet people, Is 90 degree outside I’m in the studio. There ain’t really nothing outside for me.

Emma: What has been the craziest gift you have received from a fan?

Fat Joe: Well I got this collage this dude did for me it’s like a bunch of pictures he put it all in one frame. It’s pictures of me in magazines, pictures he took. He got me in pictures since like in 92 in a basketball games, rhyming with pun, hanging with girls, in the video, like every picture you could imagine. You know what I’m saying the nigga gave me that shit and it’s hanging on my wall. I got this other guy that did a painting of me he’s from Jersey he a painting of me so it’s like my face is sky blue and white that shit is hot. You know shit like that.

Emma: The things your fans give you, you actually do keep?

Fat Joe: Yeah I got some shit in my pocket right here this little girl gave me like about a year ago. (He reaches into his back pocket for his wallet and pulls out a piece of paper with writing of a child it appears to be…………) ooh shit her name is Emma too. (We laugh and the Shy Town Girls) A little girl gave this shit made for you by Emma. Aight!

Emma: Do you feel the documentary done on Big Puns life is well deserved?

Fat Joe: I couldn’t tell you cause I ain’t see it yet but its definitely well deserved niggaz need to make movies. You can’t ask me questions about Big Pun cause all I’m going to do is big him up to the ultimate you know what I’m saying? So it’s like people you know it’s almost like not real you can’t ask Fat Joe because he’s bias, you know what I mean? I’m definitely going to say he’s the best; he deserves everything in the universe. You know what I’m saying? He deserves everything, he deserved it he had a short life here, short run in the game of Hip Hop, and he blew shit up crazy! Know what I mean? He set his mark and niggaz love him and niggaz love him to death where ever I go we never forget the rapper every where we go we do stadiums and shit like that. We reppin Big Pun, never a dull moment it’s like he’s always with us, we always reppin, and it’s some funny shit because we could be drunk out our minds or we could be in L.A. or we could be where in Cancun or we could be any where you know what I’m saying but that show won’t go down with out Pun, you know what I’m saying? This shit is like yo Big Pun Rest In Peace, what the fuck. Cause he knows we reppin to the fullest he look down he know yo these my niggaz they going to rep me forever.

Emma: You have done a lot of songs with a lot of stars is their anyone you still would like to do a song with that you haven’t yet?

Fat Joe: Mary J. I want to do a joint with Mary J. I want to do a joint with Avant that’s my knew nigga umm Dr. Dre that’s it after that it’s a rap. I don’t want to do shit with nobody else.

Emma: Not even with the king of pop?

Fat Joe: Nah hell no not. You know what I mean it’s like fuck that nigga with that white face. You know what I mean? Those are the only people that I haven’t worked with that I really like. They always love their shit. You know what I’m saying?

Emma: Do you consider yourself to be a family man?

Fat Joe: Oh hell yeah, you crazy I do it for my kids. You know what I mean? If I die right now they the ones that are going to be left with my money. Everyday I fight and I get money and I do shit it’s for my kids and my moms and my family. You know what I’m saying? That’s, that’s all it is for, it aint even for me no more. Don’t nothing impress me no more. I got the biggest chain the world, got cars, got money out the ass. I don’t even need none of that shit. You know what I’m saying? It’s all about them right now. Right now I’m living for my son. You seen my video, he’s dancing in the video and shit it’s like you know I’m living for them right now. It ain’t even about me right now you know what I’m saying? It’s about setting my family up making sure they right. Yeah definitely a family man.

Emma: I appreciate this time. We want you to leave us, my readers E2K Magazine Readers with any last word, shout out what ever you want to say to the people Who will be reading this article?

Fat Joe: Shout out to Black Under World Entertainment. That’s my uncle Jabby, who just came home. He got his one label he’s doing, he’s about to plug me the music now. Shout out to the whole T. Squad, the Bx, and Boriquas. Know what I mean? All the niggas reppin this and just look out for the album it’s called Loyalty, Strength and Honor it’ll be out in November 12, 2002. Know what I’m saying? Shit is going to be crazy.

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