test
FAT JOE INTERVIEW W/ CHAMP MAG ON “ THE DARKSIDE”
CHAMP MAGAZINE
Nathan “Hollywood” Adom
Photography: Todd Medvedich
CHAMP: Of course the title alone, I mean The Darkside – has me kinda scared already –
Fat Joe: (Laughs) you should be. Hip Hop is real light these days out here man so it’s time we take it to the dark side and bring that gangster element back man. If you look at the power-that-be in the game right now, it’s like you gotta have oil and you gotta have vinegar. They can both be good for you, but the powers-that-be right now is like a little bit to light for me – a little too soft. I feel like when Puffy and Mase had the shiny suites on, and DMX came out talkin’ bout “Get At Me Dog”. That’s how I feel right now. We gotta darken this thing up.
CHAMP: With the album of course you dropped the heavy single “Slow Down” with the homeboy Jeezy, which is a monstrous joint right now. Who actually produced that joint?
Fat Joe: That was Scoop Deville out in L.A. He did the “I Wanna Rock” for Snoop.
CHAMP: Who do we got featured on the album?
Fat Joe: The next single we just shot the video for, is me and Trey Songz. It’s crazy and it’s called “If It Aint About the Money”, which means like – ain’t that true. That right there is crazy. That’s gon’ be a big big hit. I got a joint with Lil Wayne on the album, and it’s stupid crazy too. I’m pourin’ my heart and lettin’ you know where I’m at. I also got a joint with The Clipse and Cam’Ron and it’s called “Kilo”. That’s crazy for the underground heads. We got R.Kelly on the album. I got a joint with me and Too $hort.
CHAMP: All my Fat Joe fans remember the Jealous Ones Envy and Jealous Ones Still Envy projects. I heard for The Darkside, this is actually volume one, so is this something we’re gonna rock out, like a volume two, three, coming up after this?
Fat Joe: After you get that volume one, you gon’ be like “yo I need that Darkside Vol.2. In fact I just started working on that now, ‘cause as soon as that volume one hit, people gon’ go so crazy, that I gotta drop that volume two.
CHAMP: Me as a fan, The Darkside and the gritty Joe I’m definitely a fan of and I’m also a fan of the “party” Joe as well. I’m gonna run by a few gritty joints, like of course there was the joint “N.Y State of Mind” that you and Cam were on with Remy, “My Conscience” with KRS-One, I like the collab effort you did on the Biggie album with Freeway and Pun. Those are just more of the recent joints we got the “dark side” of Joe on. In comparison to that Joe in the past that would come out with those joints which album would you compare it to?
Fat Joe: This album would be equivalent to my second album Jealous Ones Envy, but I’m just much better now. It would be like Jealous Ones Envy on steroids. This is by far my best album. It’s uncompromising, ain’t nothing sweet about this album right here. A lot of people get shot down on this album.
CHAMP: Ah man!
Fat Joe: Everybody gets it
CHAMP: We’re of course in an era of the game where cats is droppin’ more videos than actual songs. Is this something we’re gonna get with the album, like a visual for the majority of the songs on this?
Fat Joe: Yeah I got a joint Cool n Dre did called “Valley of Death”. We gon shoot the video out in the desert and it’s gon’ be me crawling out of a hole like they tryina bury me alive, and I’ma have that metal cam like in that movie “No Country For Old Men” it’s crazy man.
CHAMP: It’s definitely not a game with Fat Joe man –
Fat Joe: Ohh Noo
CHAMP: Recently Tony Sunshine was on the net and had a few words for you. I honestly didn’t know there was a fall out –
Fat Joe: Honestly, it wasn’t even for me. He called me 1000 times to say “it wasn’t me”, he never said my name. I knew he wouldn’t disrespect me like that, because I love Ton’ and I wish him the best. I got him like six record deals, unfortunately it didn’t work out man but I think he’s a star. Whatever success he got coming to him, he deserves.
CHAMP: As far as the Terror Squad roster who do we got?
Fat Joe: I got T.A from the Bronx, I got O.D out of Miami, and I got a young lady – she’s an r & b singer. Her name’s Cherlise out of Miami who’s like the next Rihanna, Beyonce-type shit.
CHAMP: To me hip hop definitely has no color or race and I’ve been telling cats they can’t sleep on Hispanic artists because they definitely get it in as well. You being in the game for minute, and seeing some artist come and leave, who are some of the top artists on the come up that you feel is bringing good music on the Hispanic side?
Fat Joe: As far as the Latinos, Latinos always been a part of hip hop since day one. There’s always been Latinos in hip hop and it’s only a matter of time til some more Latino rappers come along to rock. You know me and Pun did it big, Pitbull does his own thing and he does his own lane, so he’s really great at what he does. You got up and coming Joel Ortiz who’s real nice. Sooner or later Latinos gonna kick in the door. In hip hop we are our own culture, we’re our own religionto be honest with you. We love hip hop. All of us together. It doesn’t matter if you Chinese, black, white, purple, everybody loves hip hop.
CHAMP: Definitely feel you on that. I definitely wanted to get your thoughts and views on the video that came out where there was a 50 Cent show and there were barely any filled seats and people are kinda saying his buzz is coming to an end.
Fat Joe: Maaaan, I’ll be sure to wave to him on the way out. I’ll be happy to salute him on the way out (laughs).
CHAMP: Can we expect you to rock a show out here in Toronto?
Fat Joe: I’m doing a Darkside tour in the whole Canada in August. We doing a 12 city tour in Canada. We doin’ Montreal, we doin’ Toronto, we doin’ Edmonton, we doing everything. The whole Canada. Get that album July 27th.
darkside is the shit!!!