FAT JOE

WTF DID YOU MISS: CLUB HIP HOP 50

If you are either a New Yorker, a Bronx native, and/or a hip hop head then you were definitely outside during the month of August. August 11th, as we all know, is the day of the fiftieth anniversary of hip hop culture. This year’s month of the fiftieth will go down in history as one of hip hop’s greatest times in New York and hip hop history. Besides the fact that The Bronx is the birthplace of hip hop, the entire state of New York and its boroughs coming together to celebrate hip hop culture is an unforgettable time. So many fiftieth celebration events happening back to back, it feels like one big party and/or club exclusively for all those who are part of the culture. Everyone who’s an artist, to bloggers, writers, interviewers, hosts, there was a space for those specifically involved in the culture to get outside, participate, and come together for the culture. All of the four elements: dee jayin’, emceeing, breakdancing, and graffiti, that make up hip hop culture were also fully present at these celebration events. Lots of great performances from our favorite hip hop artists and DJ’s are more in demand, people are showing up and dressing up in their freshest and best outfits and they’re coming out to dance and have a great time. All throughout the month of August, there’s been non stop celebration events happening in The Bronx. Summerstage’s Grandmaster Flash and Friends, The Mill Pond Park celebration, The Yankee Stadium, and most of all the Sedgwick Avenue celebration. On August 4th, 2023, Grandmaster Flash was the star of the show in Crotona Park for Summerstage; Also called the “Birth of a Culture: The 4 Elements Block Party.” He and a couple of other DJ’s including Pete Rock and DJ Chuck Chillout, put on an amazing four hour show that definitely showcased and celebrated the four elements. The show ended with an incredible line up of MC’s who rocked the mic; MC Sha Rock, KRS-One, Melle Mel, and incredible breakdancers who also showed out. On the day of August 11th, the actual day of hip hop’s fiftieth, The Mill Pond Park celebration happened and was the pre show for those who also attended the Yankee Stadium show. Mill Pond Park is on Exterior Street on 150th Street, in The Bronx, close by where the future first hip hop museum will be located. DJ Kevie Kev Rockwell on the music, MC Sha Rock hosting and performances by MC Shan, Milk Dee of Audio Two, Sweet Tee, Peter Gunz, Public Enemy, and more, just to name a few. Hit after hit, classic after classic, the people are clapping their hands, rapping along to the words, and making sure to capture every moment of classic hip hop bliss with their camera phones to savor the moments later on. The celebration continues that day at Yankee Stadium. Lots of people outside of the stadium selling t-shirts, artists rapping out loud to promote their own music, hanging out, and having a great time. Inside of the stadium, it is complete pandemonium. It is the world’s greatest hip hop show happening on the planet. Way more artists from all eras and decades of hip hop are on the stage. The stadium is completely crowded with people all over the place walking around, buying their food and beverages, sticking with their closed loved ones and even running into other loved ones, seats are filled, people are hanging out in the lanes between sections trying to get their way closer to the stage as possible and there’s a huge uproar from the stadium’s reaction to whoever’s on the stage coming from all sides of the stadium. Then there’s August 12th, 2023. The world return’s to the actual and birthplace of hip hop; 1520 Sedgwick Avenue. KRS-One is being followed around in admiration as he is in his element being “The Teacha.” There are food trucks, vendors, graffiti artists, DJ’s, surprise guests and artists, breakdancers, bloggers, interviewers, photographers, grassroots hip hop organizations in attendance and best of all, a stage further up past the 1520 building set for a huge showcase. Upcoming artists and legendary artists both attend the stage. Again, hit after hit, song for song, word for word, the world has attended yet another huge hip hop show and event on the planet. It was the ultimate hip hop show of the year and what better way to celebrate than at 1520. Fat Joe, CL Smooth, Mad Lion, Talib Kweli, Poor Righteous Teachers, Mr. Cheeks, Cold Crush Brothers, The Sugarhill Gang, Public Enemy and more. Anybody that claimed to be a lover of hip hop, a hip hop head, and part of the culture, you were supposed to be there or any of the fiftieth anniversary celebrations. August 2023 was easily the greatest year in hip hop in recent years. So much celebrating, so much fun. If you truly are a lover of the culture, you were granted your wristband or stamp to enter the club called HIP HOP 50.

Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper and actor from the Bronx, New York. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin’ in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a solo career and set up his own label, Terror Squad, to which he signed Big Pun, Remy Ma, Tony Sunshine, Cuban Link, Armageddon, Prospect, Triple Seis and DJ Khaled as well as discover producers Cool & Dre.

Fat Joe’s debut solo album, Represent, was released in 1993 and spawned the single “Flow Joe”, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs. His most commercially successful album to date was Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) (2001); it was certified platinum by the RIAA and internationally certified silver by the BPI, as well as reaching the top 100 on multiple music charts.

He is best known for the songs “Lean Back” with Terror Squad, “What’s Luv?” featuring Ashanti & Ja Rule, “Make It Rain” featuring Lil Wayne and “All the Way Up” with Remy Ma featuring French Montana and Dre.

Fat Joe 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 began hosting a podcast on Tidal, Coca Vision, where he discusses music, friendships, and pop culture with some of the industry’s most entertaining voices.[8] He has an upcoming album called Family Ties which is scheduled to be released in late 2019.

Written by Dianne Washington

Ashanti: Hip Hop’s Hook Girl

She was once the pretty unknown girl with the angelic voice that you heard singing the hooks on songs by Ja Rule and Fat Joe. She was the underdog who people wondered all the time who she was. She was the pretty girl from around the way who hung out with the thugs and hardest dudes ever. She held her own ground, wrote her own material, became the “hook girl” in the early 2000’s, and even appeared in the music videos with the curvaceous body, smooth brown skin, shiny silky black hair, and a small little sway and beauty in her eyes as she sang the hook in the camera. On April 2nd, 2002, that “hook girl” released her debut album. With a self titled album and three singles, Ashanti took over the game in the early 2000’s. “Foolish”, “Happy” and “Baby” were all on heavy rotation on TV and radio. Ashanti Douglas was the new “it” girl who could blow you away with her charm, beauty, and soothing voice. After 15 years, Ashanti still looks just as amazing and her latest single “Say Less” featuring Ty $ is a banger that fits with the times. Forever she’ll be one of the golden girls of R&B. Hip hop’s “hook girl.”

FAT JOE at SUMMER STAGE

Although I live across the street from Crotona Park, it was nice to see both Fat Joe and Remy Ma perform in my hood for the Summerstage Concert series. I originally thought they were supposed to show up the next day but my sister overheard them performing and it was “What’s Luv?” the joint he did with Ashanti back in 2001. Then my mom comes in through the door with the same enthusiasm as my sister, hyped about Fat Joe and Remy Ma performing as well, so I decided to throw on my sneakers, grab my keys and both my iPhones and speed walk to go catch the show in my basketball shorts and a grey t-shirt before the show was over. When I got there, it was super crowded. People were all over the park with their phones out recording and singing and rapping along to the songs they were performing and it was “Lean Back” when I got there. I decided to find a good spot to stand at and get a good angle to record them on my busted iPhone that I keep for hip hop occasions like this. I got a good 1 minute long video of Remy doing her verse to “All the Way Up”, which is one of the hottest hip hop joints out this year. While Remy did her thing, strutting across the stage, spitting her verse with so much aggression in her voice, the DJ played with the song a little bit while the audience got hyped and rapped along with Remy to her verse while jumping up and down and simultaneously recording on their phones at the same time. It was dope to see The Bronx represent as hard as they did because The Bronx is such an underrated and forgotten borough in New York. It was also dope to see a lot of hip hop fans and older heads out there enjoying the show instead of doing their usual “new school rap” hate rantings all day. Watching Fat Joe and Remy Ma up on that stage made me very proud to be from The Bronx and of course, it was another monumental dope hip hop moment for me, even though I caught it at the very last minute, looking crazy in a t-shirt and basketball shorts.

WRITTEN BY-Jay-DOGGZ