American rapper Joseph Antonio Cartagena, known under the stage name Fat Joe, began his career in the hip-hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), and then created a number of platinum-certified solo singles and albums recorded on his own Terror label Squad. Fat Joe net worth is $4 million (2022).

Childhood and youth

About the early biography of Joseph Antonio Cartagena, who was born on August 19, 1970 in New York, it is only known that his parents were of Cuban and Puerto Rican origin, and the guy spent his childhood on the streets, stealing to help his family.

Then the brother, who also did not differ in exemplary behavior, introduced the future rapper to hip-hop music and, having contributed to the creation of the pseudonym Fat Joe da Gangsta, placed him in the group D. I. T. C.

Having gained experience in the company of black artists Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Buckwild and the duo Showbiz and AG, in the early 1990s, Joseph, who weighed 136-140 kg with a height of 185 cm, decided to start a solo career and entered into an agreement with Relativity Records.

Music

In 1993, with the participation of musicians from The Beatnuts, Diamond D, Lord Finesse and others, Fat Joe distributed his debut album Represent, which, thanks to the single Flow Joe, conquered the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. And the second record, released 2 years later under the name Jealous One's Envy, hit the top ten in the R&B and hip-hop ratings and was marked 8th on the US Hot Rap Tracks chart.

This result allowed Fat Joe, along with Foxy Brown, Keith Murray and Prodigy from the Mobb Deep team, to light up in the remix of LL Cool J - I Shot mLd0 and meet his Latin American colleague, who became known as Big Pun. In 1998, this singer helped Joseph record the third studio album Don Cartagena, which, due to the active radio rotation of most of the songs, was certified gold by the RIAA.

This work led to the creation of the musical association Terror Squad, which, in addition to Big Pun, was joined by rappers Prospect, Armageddon, Remy Ma and Triple Seis, as well as an appearance on Jennifer Lopez's single Feelin' So Good, which was included in the debut album On the 6.

The next solo album, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), created with the assistance of such stars as N.O.R.E., Buju Banton, Busta Rhymes and R. Kelly, was released in the early 2000s and, thanks to the hit We Thuggin, became the artist's biggest commercial success.

After 3 years, Fat Joe's discography included the All or Nothing disc, which became famous for the track My Fofo written in opposition to 50 Cent, as well as the compositions Lean Back, Hold You Down, So Much More and Get It Poppin with vocals by Remy Ma, Jennifer Lopez and the rapper Nelly.

In 2006, the musician signed a contract with Virgin Records and released the disc Me, Myself & I. The next album, The Elephant in the Room, distributed by Terror Squad Entertainment, became the first creation of the already famous Joseph, which debuted on the 1st line of the Billboard hit parade. 200.

The situation was no worse with the 2nd part of the Jealous Ones Still Envy disc, which scored a high 4th position in the chart, and The Darkside Vol. 1, with more than 150,000 copies sold worldwide. It featured (Ha Ha) Slow Down and If It Ain't About Money with Trey Songz and Young Jeezy, as well as Kilo's song and video featuring Clipse & Cam'ron.

In 2011 Darkside Vol. 2 was Fat Joe's first official mixtape, featuring Drop a Body and Massacre on Madison, produced by Mark Henry. And then singles with Alejandro Sanz, Wiz Khalifa and Teyana Taylor appeared on iTunes, which, according to the musician's announcements, were to be included in the 11th album.

Personal life

After the rapper, raised by poor and indifferent parents, entered his personal life with his beloved wife Lauren, who gave him two children some time after the wedding, Fat Joe's interests lay in the field of gastronomy and dining out in the company of family and friends.

However, when a close friend and colleague of Big Pun died of an obesity-induced heart attack in the 2000s, the musician began to think about his own health and, by adhering to proper nutrition, lost weight, showing off these photos on Instagram.

Fat Joe now

Thanks to the fact that Fat Joe got rid of excess weight, now he is in great shape and is preparing to give another concert. The show, where fans hoped the rapper would engage with the crowd energetically, was scheduled to take place in New Jersey featuring Remy Ma, Three 6 Mafia and Xzibit.