Skidmore News

Issue date: 11/13/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Fat Joe is, pun intended, a big presence in East Coast hip-hop. His career, now in its 18th year, has been fruitful, spawning successful hits and reaching platinum status along the way. A veteran, his music has evolved from gritty street boom bap, to club bangers and back to the streets, where he has always maintained tried and true credibility.

Joe's popularity exploded in 2001 with the release of the platinum "Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.)," which boasted the immensely popular "What's Luv?" featuring Ashanti and Ja Rule. The success continued with the 2004 hit single "Lean Back" with his group Terror Squad, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks.

As he rode the commercial waves, Joe would come into conflict with 50 Cent, who took shots at him in his 2005 song "Piggy Bank" for having worked with Ja Rule, whom 50 was feuding with. 2006 saw the release of Joe's seventh album "Me, Myself & I," which spawned the Grammy nominated hit single "Make It Rain" featuring Lil Wayne. In 2009, Joe announced a sequel to "J.O.S.E.," releasing "J.O.S.E. 2" on October 6.

However, the popularity wasn't always present. Joe began in 1991 as Fat Joe da Gangsta, rapping with the Diggin' in the Crates crew and releasing three albums in the decade before 2001. One of those albums, "Jealous Ones Envy," 1995, is the eminent predecessor of the platinum "J.O.S.E." as well as "J.O.S.E. 2" in 2009, and is all but forgotten by many. Yet it is the origins of the music which speak to the artist, and so "Jealous One's Envy" deserves a retroactive listen.

KRS-One introduces the record, spitting energetically alongside Joe on the nocturnal and creeping "Bronx Tale." The lead single "Success" follows with minor key descending notes sparkling in sublime fashion, the laid back feel allows Joe to spin a tale of reality: "The streets are full of vengeance/and it's expensive/if you don't organize your words right in your sentence." After tasting success, "Envy" sees Joe basking, his reflective words flowing over the beat peppered with smooth singing and horns.

"Part Deux" drips notes which drop as if they were falling into water while subdued strings add menacing undertones. Joe exudes confidence in his indulgent rhymes: "Take a look at Joey Gambino/spilled your chips in the casinos/while feasting on shrimp scallapino."

Rap legend Raekwon joins Joe on the dark heavy beat of "Respect Mine." The single evokes images of nighttime cruises down the wrong street as Raekwon delivers the chorus straight out of his verse in the classic Wu-Tang single "C.R.E.A.M."

Dusty drums pop over xylophone notes on the threatening Terror Squad cut "Watch Out," with the late Big Pun angrily delivering lyrical masterwork: "I'll doom the world like I was God/and throw my gun away/then snatch the moon out the sky/and blow the sun away."



While DJ Premier's remix of "Success" is subpar and unnecessary given the original, the final two tracks are phenomenal. The foggy and relaxed "Dedication" sees Joe paying respects to the hip-hop greats, and the lush "Bronx Keeps Creating It" has him representing his borough: "And all these other MC's be hating it/Because the Bronx keeps creating it."

"Jealous Ones Envy" is a gem, the perfect blend of mid 1990s Mafioso style with gutter street narratives, and incredible beats from some of the most respected producers in the game.

I feel no reason not to bestow it with classic status, and it should stand as a model for rappers to learn from. As Frank White says in the skit sampled from the crime film "King of New York," "You guys got fat while everybody starved on the street. It's my turn." Indeed, Fat Joe, this is your forgotten masterpiece. It should create jealousy and envy in rappers who wish they could do it like this.

Wyatt Erchak is a sophomore and history major from upstate New York who knows the stakes are high.

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