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After his mentor and friend Big Pun passed away in 2000, many thought it was over for Fat Joe’s career. However, he proved his naysayers wrong the following year with the critically acclaimed release of his fourth album, ‘Jealous Ones Still Envy.’
Joey Crack went on to establish the Terror Squad and release a slew of chart-topping singles including the club anthems ‘Lean Back’ and ‘Make It Rain’ and the Ja Rule and Ashanti-assisted ‘What’s Luv.’
But after more than two decades in the game and over 10 albums under his belt, Joe is expanding his empire by giving back and sharing knowledge on how he became so successful.
Catching up with Fat Joe before his performance at Resorts World Casino in New York City on Dec. 13, the Bronx native opened up about his new gig with Market America.
“We are just trying to change the economy and teach people how to be entrepreneurs,” Fat Joe tells The Boombox. “Because otherwise you work 45 years of your life making other people rich, so we try to show people the importance of owning their own businesses.”
Joe became the president of the urban and Latino division of the internet-based marketing company in March, after he was released from prison in 2013. “Our company has been around for more than 20 years and has made hundreds of billionaires and I am just bringing that to the urban and Latino communities.”
While the entertainer is cultivating millionaire mindsets, he is still rooted in hip-hop, the business which made him his fortune. When asked about the hip-hop moment that stands out to him in 2014, surprisingly, Joey was more moved by events happening outside of music. He opens up about the solidarity of the hip-hop community in regards to the Eric Garner and Mike Brown tragedies.
“There’s a lot of things that happened this year in hip-hop, but I would say the [Millions] march,” Joe said referring to the nationwide Millions March protest earlier this month. “I think that was really hip-hop driven.”
The rhymer, who dropped the Jennifer Lopez-assisted ‘Stressin” in October, plans to focus on Market America and continue making new music into the new year.
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