Fat Joe

Fat Joe, born Joseph Antonio Cartagena on August 19, 1970, in the South Bronx, New York City, is a Puerto Rican-American rapper widely regarded as a pillar of East Coast hip-hop. Growing up amid the struggles of inner-city life, he turned to music as an outlet, launching his recording career in the early 1990s with his debut album Represent, which established his distinctive flow and lyrical presence in the genre.

Over the following decades, Fat Joe built a reputation not just as a solo artist but as a collaborator who helped elevate other talents, most notably the late Big Pun, with whom he created enduring tracks like "Twinz (Deep Cover '98)." His partnership with Ashanti on the 2002 single "What's Luv?" became one of his signature crossover hits, blending rap with R&B sensibilities and reaching a broad mainstream audience.

In the 2010s, Fat Joe found renewed commercial success with "All the Way Up," a hit that reintroduced him to a new generation of listeners and demonstrated his continued relevance decades into his career. Across his catalog, he has consistently balanced street-rooted lyricism with an ear for radio-friendly hooks, making him one of the more durable and adaptable figures to emerge from the golden era of New York rap.