Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is one of the iconic figures of 1990s and early aughts hip-hop and rap. But he's also a thoughtful voice of his industry and culture. Several years ago, he hosted a fascinating talk show on the music streamer Tidal in which he discussed music and pop culture with his well-known friends and celebrity guests.
Fat Joe is now joining the television talk show world with the 30-minute Starz series Fat Joe Talks, which premieres on Friday, October 4th, 2024. I recently had the opportunity to speak with him about the show, his episode one guest Method Man, and his perspective on music and the industry now that he's older. We also discussed his oldest son Joey, who has autism.
The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity, but you can watch the entire video interview above:
I was watching the first episode of your new show, and you were talking with Method about all of the things the two of you had gone through - everything from dealing with depression to the memories you both had. And it struck me that this isn't a show that you could have done five, ten, even twenty years ago. Because this is a show about someone who has lived, who has been through some stuff and has a perspective on his life.
It's so great that you saw through that. This reminds me of the movie The Wrestler. You know, we've been through the good and the bad. And finally, we're able to...I think age definitely comes into this. I've been around long enough to see the good and the bad and stick it out and have longevity.
So to have this type of perspective or input on it and have this wisdom of having been around long enough really helps the viewer and gives them a different look at their favorite artists or somebody they really enjoy like a political figure. Every episode comes with a different lens and with a different approach. So you know it's going to be amazing.
It's something we haven't seen on TV and it gives fans who have been following these people for years the chance to be a fly on the wall and tap into a conversation they'll never hear from their favorite artists and that's what so special about the show.
One of the things I liked as I watched you talking with Method is that the two of you just started swapping stories about the way things were back in the day when everyone would just kind of sit back and watch things go on without showing any reaction. And I could tell the two of you had sort of mixed emotions about that. Talking about how "Oh man, I wish we could back that then because we missed out on a lot of stuff.
Yeah, we really did. You know, they just told me not to mention this person's interview, right? Because it hasn't been announced. But I interviewed...let's just say one of my idols and towards the end of the interview we're in Beverly Hills at the Beverly Hilton and you see the mountains and we're talking. We're talking about family and all that.
And he says "You know what I'm thinking?" And I said "No." And he said, "Here's the kid with the Army jacket that had these mean eyes, he would look through your soul." He said "Joe, you know, it used to be you never even used to talk to people. You would just mean mug everybody and just look at them. And now, look at you. You have a talk show, you're a family man. You've got so much going on and now this evolution. At the time, we were really hard and rough around the edges. And now you're able to be who you want to be and so that's the beauty of it."
Do you think that music would have happened without that attitude? From the outside, it seems like it was woven together and you couldn't have been the man you are now back then.
No. And also...I'm a gangster rapper. You think about Ice Cube. He's got the Big Three League, he makes movies, he does all kinds of stuff. But if you cut the mike in front of him, you're going to hear some stuff in 2024.
And I'm the same way with my music. And especially coming from the street of the Bronx, where it was really, really rough. I really love the music I made back then. But I don't think I could make the same music now. Even though I still gangster rap, per se. But the perspective I have now...
So many records I hear now from back in the day I hear myself actually fighting for my life through the music. It was like "Yo! Get me outta here! This is what's happening. But how do I get to the Promised Land!?"
You were talking about this conversation with the celebrity we're not going to mention. And it sounded like you had a pretty clear idea of what you wanted this show to be and the conversations you wanted to have and the things you wanted to present.
Even more. Maybe by the second season, when Starz really trusts me, then I'll go off and do some stuff. Because I want to interview homeless people. I want to interview billionaires. I want to give everybody and to get to see different people talk.
With this season, it's very different. I've gotta give them an icon. And there's an icon in every episode. But I can't wait until I can just grab a camera crew and go. It started like that, and they said "Listen, Joe. This is Starz. This is corporate. You know, I'm guerrillaing around. I'd walk into a concert with my own cameras like "Let's go, I'm filming a TV show!" And they're like, "Joe, it don't work like that, you're with Starz now."
So I'm like, "Okay, okay." But this show is a show of inspiration. It's a show about how people started with nothing and became an icon and became superstars and became rich. And I just want kids to be a fly on the wall - well, really everybody be flies on the wall and hear these stories of inspiration. Of how they grew up and how hard it was and what was the moment where they turned things around. Did they really need these friends at the time who took advantage of them? And you'll see most of them if they're my age, their circle of trust is so small because they've been burnt so many times.
But I need people to the human side of their favorite artists.
You've been talking about the changes that you went through, and wanting to reveal the personal side of the artist. So I wanted to ask you about your son Joey, who has autism. I also have a son with autism and it has changed my life in so many ways. You look at life in an entirely different way when you have a son with autism. And I suspect having Joey might have had the same impact on you.
He's an angel. He has blessed us with so much love. Joey is non-verbal. He also doesn't walk. But he is just in a state of happiness. Rarely do you see Joey upset. Rarely do you see that smile come off of his face. He just smiles all day. He's beyond love.
When he is around my other kids, they look at him like he's the Don of the family. Joey sits at the corner of the table. He looks at them. He knows his little sister and his little brother. And it's the biggest blessing.
And I am so glad to have had my mother and father to help raise him. To help me out. Because without them, there would be no Fat Joe the rapper. Because I would just have to be with Joey 24 hours a day. But he's just so special.
Fat Joe Talks premieres Friday, October 4th, 2024 on Starz.
