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They're hardcore rappers, best friends, South Bronx natives, Puerto Rican, um, large -- in both senses of the word -- and they call themselves "twinz." Fat Joe and his platinum protTgT Big Punisher have a lot in common, but Joe's game plan for their albums is no carbon copy. |
"It's a beautiful thing that Pun hit the commercial and pop arena,
that's every rapper's dream," says Fat Joe of his close friend Big
Punisher, whose infectious remixed single "Still Not a Player,"
(featuring R&B crooner JOE) dominated R&B
and crossover radio all summer. "People yell 'keep it real' and
this and that, but everyone wants to be a superstar." And thanks in
large part to Fat Joe, who manages Pun and executive produced much
of his album, Capital Punishment, Pun has sold over a
million copies since its April debut.
Nevertheless, when it came to releasing his own new third album,
Don Cartagena, Fat Joe himself stuck to the "keep it real"
route. Instead of enticing fans with a hook-filled single a year
before the album dropped -- which is what catapulted Pun's album
sales through the roof -- Joe chose "Don Cartagena," a hardcore
track that went to radio three weeks before the album was in
stores.
"Pun is a first-time artist," explains Joe. "In the hip-hop world,
everybody jumps on the new guy, but he never had a fan base that he
had to answer to. I did two albums [that were] primarily hardcore
hip-hop and with my first song I had to just keep it real with my
300,000 fans who've been supporting me from day one." With one
small concession to the mainstream. "I put Puffy
on the chorus to give it the one little [bit of] commercial appeal
it does have."
Out for a month, Don Cartagena has gone gold, and Joe's
shooting for platinum-plus sales. While his first single was a big
kiss to his devoted fans, Joe says his second single, "Bet Ya Man
Can't," has the crossover vibe. "It's still street, still ghetto,
but at the same time it's got that party appeal to it," he
says.
As for their styles, Joe says "I'm more like the Don, I demand
respect, I'm more of a leader. People see reality through my rap.
If I say something on a record, people believe it." Aside from
Pun's unstoppable breath control, Joe says Pun is a deeper rapper
than him. "I'm much more simple and straight to the point. I would
say 'fuck the police' and he would say 'off with the heads of the
king's men in their blues shields and armor.' With him you hear it
and a month later you're like 'yo, that nigga's crazy.'"
On a decidedly less insane note, just before embarking on his
twenty seven-city tour which begins Oct. 8, Fat Joe organized a
benefit for survivors of Hurricane Georges. "The hurricane
destroyed a lot of Puerto Rico, Cuba, Santa Domingo and Haiti, and
I felt that there was a need for us to raise money and show
awareness that our peoples back home mean a lot to us," says Joe.
The $1,000-per-head and $10,000-per-table dinner at Jimmy's
Bronx CafT featured performances by Fat Joe, Big Punisher,
Cam'ron, Lord Tariq and Peter
Gunz. Proceeds will be distributed evenly between Puerto
Rico, Santa Domingo, and Haiti.
TIARRA MUKHERJEE(October 8, 1998)