Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Fat Joe
Discover the career path of Fat Joe, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Fat Joe, born Joseph Antonio Cartagena, is an American rapper who rose to prominence as a member of the hip-hop collective Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in the early 1990s. He launched his solo career with the album "Represent" in 1993. He is also the founder of Terror Squad, a hip-hop group and record label that fostered the careers of artists like Big Pun and Remy Ma, and producers such as DJ Khaled and Cool & Dre.
11 hours ago : Fat Joe faces a $20 million lawsuit with disturbing allegations from former hypeman.
Fat Joe is being sued by his former hypeman, T.A. Dixon, for $20 million. The lawsuit includes allegations of sexual acts with minors and coercion. The rapper is yet to respond to the allegations.
1991: Performs at Apollo Theater's Amateur Night
In 1991, Fat Joe, then known as Fat Joe da Gangsta, performed at the Apollo Theater's Amateur Night.
1992: Joins Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.)
In 1992, Fat Joe began his recording career as a member of the hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.).
July 27, 1993: Release of 'Represent' Album
On July 27, 1993, Fat Joe's debut album, Represent, was released, featuring production from The Beatnuts, Diamond D, and Lord Finesse. The lead single was "Flow Joe".
1993: Releases Debut Album 'Represent'
In 1993, Fat Joe pursued a solo career with the release of his debut studio album, Represent.
October 24, 1995: Release of 'Jealous One's Envy' Album
On October 24, 1995, Fat Joe released his second studio album, Jealous One's Envy, which featured a guest appearance from KRS-One and production from Diamond D.
1995: Released 'Jealous One's Envy'
In 1995, Fat Joe released his second album, 'Jealous One's Envy'.
1997: Signs with Atlantic Records
In 1997, Fat Joe signed with Atlantic Records after being offered his own label, Terror Squad Entertainment.
September 1, 1998: Release of 'Don Cartagena' Album
On September 1, 1998, Fat Joe released his third studio album, Don Cartagena, under Terror Squad and Atlantic Records. The album featured guest appearances from Nas, Puff Daddy, Big Pun, and others, and debuted his group Terror Squad.
1998: Executive Produces Big Pun's 'Capital Punishment'
In 1998, Fat Joe executive produced and was featured on Big Pun's debut album, Capital Punishment.
1998: Releases 'Don Cartagena'
In 1998, Fat Joe released his third album, Don Cartagena.
1999: Collaboration with Jennifer Lopez and Terror Squad Album Release
In 1999, Fat Joe and Big Pun appeared on Jennifer Lopez's single, "Feelin' So Good", and Terror Squad released a compilation album, Terror Squad: The Album.
December 4, 2001: Releases 'Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)' Album
On December 4, 2001, Fat Joe released his fourth studio album, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), featuring guest appearances by Ashanti, Ja Rule, and others. It included the hit single "What's Luv?".
2001: Releases 'Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)'
In 2001, Fat Joe released 'Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)', which was later certified platinum and included the hit single "What's Luv?".
May 2002: 'Jealous Ones Still Envy' Certified Platinum
In May 2002, Fat Joe's album Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) was certified platinum by the RIAA.
November 12, 2002: Release of 'Loyalty' Album
On November 12, 2002, Fat Joe released his fifth studio album, Loyalty, which was not as successful as his previous album.
2002: Collaboration on "What's Luv?"
In 2002, Fat Joe collaborated with Ja Rule on the single "What's Luv?", which ignited a feud with 50 Cent.
2002: Featured Song in Video Game
In 2002, Fat Joe's song "Take A Look At My Life" was featured in the video game Def Jam: Fight For NY.
October 2003: Reunion with Terror Squad
Starting in October 2003, Fat Joe reunited with Terror Squad to record a second compilation album and began working on "Lean Back" with Scott Storch.
2003: Collaborations and Appearances
In 2003, Fat Joe appeared on Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz's single, "Play No Games", and was featured in Thalía's pop single "I Want You". He also performed "Crush Tonight" on Chappelle's Show with Tony Sunshine.
April 2004: Recording 'Lean Back' with Remy Ma
By April 2004, Remy Ma had joined Fat Joe on the second verse of "Lean Back" during the Terror Squad compilation recording sessions.
July 7, 2004: Release of 'True Story' Album
On July 7, 2004, the Terror Squad compilation, True Story, was released, debuting at number seven on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
September 2004: Appearance in 'Def Jam: Fight For NY'
In September 2004, Fat Joe appeared as himself in the video game Def Jam: Fight For NY, which also featured his 2002 song "Take A Look At My Life".
2004: Collaboration on "New York"
In 2004, Fat Joe continued his collaborations with Ja Rule on the single "New York", which also featured Jadakiss.
2004: Releases 'Lean Back'
In 2004, Fat Joe released the commercially successful single "Lean Back" with Terror Squad.
January 2005: 'Lean Back' Certified Gold
In January 2005, "Lean Back" was certified gold by the RIAA.
June 14, 2005: Release of 'All or Nothing' Album
On June 14, 2005, Fat Joe released his sixth studio album, All or Nothing, which included the single "My Fofo" dissing 50 Cent, as well as "So Much More" and "Get It Poppin".
2005: Response to "Piggy Bank" with "My Fofo"
In 2005, following 50 Cent's diss track "Piggy Bank", Fat Joe responded with "My Fofo" from his album All or Nothing.
October 2006: VH1 Freestyle 59 Appearance
In October 2006, Fat Joe appeared in a freestyle cipher segment for VH1's "Freestyle 59" competition and was featured on N.O.R.E.'s single, "Mas Maiz".
November 14, 2006: Release of "Me, Myself & I" album
On November 14, 2006, Fat Joe released his seventh studio album "Me, Myself & I", his first under Imperial Records. The album featured the hit single "Make It Rain" featuring Lil Wayne.
2006: Terror Squad Dissolves
Between 1998 and 2006, Terror Squad existed as a group, after which it apparently dissolved.
2006: Leaves Atlantic Records
In 2006, Fat Joe parted ways with Atlantic Records and bought back the rights to his Terror Squad imprint after commercial and critical disappointment of 'All or Nothing'.
2006: Releases 'Make It Rain'
In 2006, Fat Joe released the single "Make It Rain" featuring Lil Wayne.
2006: Return to Caroline/EMI family
In 2009, Fat Joe released his ninth studio album, J.O.S.E. 2, marking his third release since bringing his Terror Squad imprint to the Caroline/EMI family in 2006.
June 2007: Billboard Campaign Targeting
In June 2007, Catholic priest Michael Pfleger launched a billboard campaign, "Stop Listening to Trash", in Chicago, targeting Fat Joe and other rappers for allegedly promoting misogyny. Also in June 2007, Fat Joe was featured on DJ Khaled's single, "We Takin' Over".
2008: Attendance at Hip Hop Soda Shop Grand Opening
In 2008, Fat Joe attended the grand opening of the Hip Hop Soda Shop in Miami, a community outreach project for youth.
October 6, 2009: Release of "J.O.S.E. 2" album
On October 6, 2009, Fat Joe's ninth solo studio album, "J.O.S.E. 2", was released and debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 73.
January 2010: Announcement of "The Darkside Vol. 1" album
In January 2010, Fat Joe announced he was working on his tenth studio album, "The Darkside Vol. 1."
March 28, 2010: Signing with E1 Music
On March 28, 2010, Fat Joe signed a record deal with E1 Music, reuniting with executives Alan Grunblatt and Steve Lobel.
July 27, 2010: Release of "The Darkside Vol. 1" album
On July 27, 2010, Fat Joe released "The Darkside Vol. 1" album, which entered the Billboard 200 at number 27.
January 23, 2011: Appearance at Let's Move! event
On January 23, 2011, Fat Joe, along with Newark mayor Cory Booker and fitness expert Jeff Halevy, appeared at an event promoting the Newark branch of Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative against childhood obesity.
April 7, 2011: Feature on Jamie Drastik's mixtape
On April 7, 2011, Fat Joe was featured on the song "One Hundred and Ten" on Jamie Drastik's second mixtape, Champagne and Cocaine.
September 21, 2011: Announcement of "Darkside Vol. 2" Mixtape
On September 21, 2011, Fat Joe stated in an interview with XXL Magazine that "Darkside Vol. 2" would be his "first ever official mixtape".
October 19, 2011: Release of "Another Round" Single
On October 19, 2011, Fat Joe released a non-album single, "Another Round", featuring Chris Brown, on iTunes.
August 2012: Release of "Pride N Joy" Single
In August 2012, Fat Joe continued another non-album single titled "Pride N Joy".
September 2012: Feature on Alejandro Sanz's Album
In September 2012, Fat Joe was featured on Alejandro Sanz's album, La Música No Se Toca, on a track called "Down".
November 4, 2012: Release of "Yellow Tape" Single
On November 4, 2012, Fat Joe released his third non-album single, "Yellow Tape", featuring Lil Wayne, ASAP Rocky, and French Montana.
March 18, 2013: Release of "Ballin'" Single
On March 18, 2013, Fat Joe released another single, "Ballin'" featuring Wiz Khalifa and Teyana Taylor.
August 2014: Liza Rios files $2.3 million lawsuit
In August 2014, Liza Rios, Big Pun's widow, filed a $2.3 million lawsuit against Fat Joe and Steve Rifkind, alleging unpaid royalties for Big Pun's albums Capital Punishment (1998) and Yeeeah Baby (2000) since 2005.
2014: DJ Kay Slay releases "Free Again"
In 2014, DJ Kay Slay released a track titled "Free Again", featuring both Fat Joe and 50 Cent, without their prior knowledge.
March 2016: Release of "All the Way Up" Single
In March 2016, Fat Joe reunited with Remy Ma to release their collaborative single, "All the Way Up", featuring Infared and French Montana.
June 22, 2016: Settlement in lawsuit
On June 22, 2016, Fat Joe and Liza Rios, the widow of Big Pun, settled out-of-court for undisclosed reasons regarding the $2.3 million lawsuit filed in August 2014 concerning unpaid royalties.
October 2016: Release of D.I.T.C.'s "Sessions" Album
In October 2016, Fat Joe reunited with his former group, D.I.T.C., for their album, "Sessions".
December 2016: Donation of Computers to Old School
In December 2016, Fat Joe returned to his old school in the Bronx to donate computers for students, with support from Microsoft.
2016: Opening of Up NYC Sneaker Store
In 2016, Fat Joe opened a sneaker store called Up NYC in Harlem.
January 2017: Signing with Roc Nation
In January 2017, Fat Joe signed with Jay-Z's company, Roc Nation, in an artist management deal.
February 17, 2017: Release of "Plata O Plomo" Album
On February 17, 2017, Fat Joe and Remy Ma released their collaborative album, "Plata O Plomo".
August 2, 2017: Release of "So Excited" Single
On August 2, 2017, Fat Joe released "So Excited" with Dre, which sampled Dennis Edwards and Siedah Garrett's "Don't Look Any Further".
2017: Music Catalog Divested
In 2017, Fat Joe's music catalog for Atlantic Records was divested to RT Industries, though Warner Music retained digital distribution rights.
April 2018: Music Catalog Divested to RT Industries
As of April 2018, Fat Joe's music catalog for Atlantic Records was no longer under ownership of Warner Music Group, being divested in 2017 to RT Industries.
July 24, 2018: Release of "Attention" with Chris Brown
On July 24, 2018, Fat Joe and Dre released "Attention" with Chris Brown.
2018: Creation of Coca Vision Podcast
In 2018, Fat Joe created and hosted the Coca Vision podcast on Tidal, discussing music, friendships, and pop culture.
December 6, 2019: Release of "Family Ties" Album
On December 6, 2019, Fat Joe and Dre released their collaborative album, "Family Ties", which featured the promotional single "Lord Above" with Eminem and Mary J. Blige.
July 2020: Launch of the Fat Joe Show
In July 2020, Fat Joe launched the Fat Joe Show on Revolt.
January 21, 2021: Release of "Sunshine (The Light)" Single
On January 21, 2021, Fat Joe released the non-album single, "Sunshine (The Light)", which contained a mashup between Luther Vandross' "Never Too Much" and an acapella version of Rihanna's "Kiss It Better".
September 15, 2021: Verzuz Battle with Ja Rule
On September 15, 2021, Fat Joe reunited with Ja Rule to engage in an online single battle via Verzuz, which ended with Jadakiss appearing and the three performing "New York".
January 8, 2022: Lawsuit dismissed
On January 8, 2022, the lawsuit filed in 2019 by rapper Fly Havana against Fat Joe, Remy Ma, and French Montana regarding songwriting royalties for their 2016 single, "All the Way Up," was dismissed.
2022: Decision to keep stage name
In 2022, Fat Joe stated he would keep his stage name despite losing weight, citing marketing reasons.
2022: End of Coca Vision Podcast
In 2022, the Coca Vision podcast ended following Block's acquisition of Tidal.
2022: Appearances on "The Essence" and "JOE CRACK"
Throughout 2022, Fat Joe appeared on two songs: "The Essence" and "JOE CRACK".
October 2023: Lawsuit reopened
In October 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reopened the lawsuit regarding "All the Way Up".
2023: Partnership with It's a 10 Haircare
In 2023, Fat Joe partnered with It's a 10 Haircare to launch an at-home beard and hair coloring collection for men.
March 2024: Roundtable discussion with Kamala Harris
In March 2024, Fat Joe participated in a roundtable discussion with former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House, focusing on cannabis policy reform.
November 4, 2024: Spoke at Harris presidential rally
On November 4, 2024, Fat Joe spoke at a presidential rally for Kamala Harris in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on the day prior to election day.
2024: Releases and Appearances in 2024
In 2024, Fat Joe released "Outta Control" with Remy Ma and appeared on LL Cool J's "Saturday Night Special". Starz also announced his talk show, Fat Joe Talks, which premiered in October. He released his album, The World Changed on Me dedicated to his late brother.
2024: Repays Warner Music Group
In 2024, Fat Joe repaid eighteen-year advances back to Atlantic and its parent company, Warner Music Group.
May 5, 2025: Podcast with Jadakiss: "Joe and Jada"
On May 5, 2025, Fat Joe and Jadakiss launched a podcast titled Joe and Jada in sponsorship with Roc Nation and Boost Mobile.
Mentioned in this timeline
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