Fat Joe

Why he matters

Joseph Cartagena was born in the Bronx to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother and grew up in the Forest Houses in Morrisania, the same development that raised Lord Finesse. His older brother put him onto hip-hop. He came up as Fat Joe da Gangsta inside D.I.T.C., played the Apollo’s Amateur Night in 1991, landed with Chris Lighty’s Violator management and signed to Relativity.

Represent arrived in July 1993 with crew production from Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Showbiz and the Beatnuts, and “Flow Joe” went to number one on Billboard’s rap singles chart. It’s a solid crate-digger’s debut more than a classic. What matters is what he did next. On Jealous One’s Envy (1995) he introduced a Soundview rapper named Big Pun, then left Relativity in 1996 feeling underpromoted. When Atlantic offered him his own label, he took it, and Terror Squad was born.

Don Cartagena (1998) debuted at number seven on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold about a month after release. He executive produced Pun’s Capital Punishment the same year. Jealous Ones Still Envy (2001) went platinum on the strength of “What’s Luv?,” and in 2004 “Lean Back,” with Remy Ma, topped the Hot 100 for three weeks. Along the way Terror Squad gave early work to then-unknown producers DJ Khaled and Cool & Dre.

What a working rapper can take from it

Hum the hook before the beat exists. “Lean Back” started with Fat Joe singing a melody to Scott Storch, who built the track around it. If you hear a hook in your head, record it on your phone and bring it to the session. Producers can build faster from a melody than from a description.

Sign people better than you. Fat Joe’s best career move was putting Big Pun on his own album. A label that only releases its owner is a vanity project. One that develops talent outlasts the owner’s cold streaks.

Own your paperwork as well as your imprint. Running a label means registrations, splits and release logistics, not just a logo. Before you put out a record on your own name, read the guides on registering your songs and releasing a single.