Joseph Antonio Cartagena, to the public known by his stage name of Fat Joe or Fat Joe da Gangsta, is a famous American rap artist, voice actor, as well as an actor. Known for his East Coast gangsta rap style, Fat Joe debuted in the music industry in 1993, when he released his first studio album entitled “Represent”, on which he collaborated with Apache, Kool G Rap and Grand Puba. Even though Fat Joe has released ten studio albums and numerous singles since his debut, he is perhaps best known for his infamous feud with fellow rap artist 50 Cent. The conflict between the two rappers started in 2005, when 50 Cent released his second studio album called “The Massacre”, which featured a song “Piggy Bank”. The latter song was filled with negative rhymes directed towards Fat Joe, as well as Jadakiss, Ja Rule, Kelis, Sheek Louch and Lil’ Kim. Consequently, Fat Joe and 50 Cent exchanged several offensive remarks about each other on live television and did not end their feud until recently in 2014, after the death of their mutual friend Chris Lighty.
Fat Joe Net Worth $15 Million
Aside from his conflict with 50 Cent, Fat Joe established himself in the music industry with “Lean Back”, a hip hop single, on which he collaborated with “Terror Squad” and Remy Ma. A hit of the summer, “Lean Back” became one of the most popular songs to be played on radio stations in 2004 and even inspired the creation of several remixes performed by Lil Jon, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, and Chamillionaire. Not only did the single topped the music charts, but it also won two Source Hip-Hop Music Awards, namely for Single of the Year and Best Female Rap Collaboration.
A well-known rap artist, how rich is Fat Joe? According to sources, in 2010 Fat Joe earned an annual salary of $3 million, while his total net worth is estimated to be $15 million. In addition to Fat Joe’s net worth and earnings, he was able to acquire several assets, such as his Ferrari 360 Modena, the value of which is $182 000, and his Rolls Royce Phantom, which cost $470 000.
Fat Joe was born in 1970, in New York, US. Inspired to become a rap artist by Big Pun, Fat Joe started rapping when he was a teenager and eventually joined a hip-hop group known as “D.I.T.C”. When he signed a record deal with “Relativity Records”, Fat Joe went on to release his debut album “Represent”, which was followed by “Jealous One’s Envy”. Even though Fat Joe kept coming out with studio albums and collaborations, it wasn’t until his sixth studio album called “All or Nothing” was released in 2005 that he had real success, when it peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200, and sold more than 100 000 copies during its debut week. That same year, Fat Joe started his feud with 50 Cent, which only brought him more public exposure and attention from the media.
In addition to being a rap artist, Fat Joe made his film debut in Richard Cummings’ “Thicker than Water”, where he co-starred with Mack 10, Ice Cube, Big Pun and other rappers. Fat Joe also starred in “Prison Song” with Q-Tip and Mary J. Blige, “Empire”, and voiced a character in an animated film called “Happy Feet”.
