Fat Joe Recalls Kanye West Thinking He Was A "Mafia Don" Who Didn't Write His Own Raps

BY Erika Marie 8.1K Views
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Fat Joe
They were working on "Pride N Joy."

To prepare for the December 6 release of Family Ties, the album that Fat Joe calls his "greatest," the rapper recently visited Los Angeles's Power 106 radio station. The Bronx emcee has had a successful, decades-long career, and during his chat with the L.A. Leakers, he shared a story about working Kanye West on "Pride N Joy." After taking the blame for his beef with Jay Z, Joe said that at one point people thought of him as the "New York Suge Knight."

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"The only difference was, I was really making my music. I wasn't stickin' n*ggas up," he said with a smile. "The misconception was 'Yo, this guy is like a street legend, crazy, he must be extorting. Let me tell you an ill story. I sat down to do a record with Kanye West. We did the joint 'Pride N Joy,' and when I pulled out my paper and started writing he was like, 'You write music?' This was five years ago! He was like, 'You rap?' I was like what do you mean, we’re making a song together.'"

Kanye apparently couldn't believe it. "'Oh, I just thought you were like a mafia don and they just come give you different raps and you chose which one you're gonna say.' I'm like, 'Get the f*ck out of here! I've been rapping my whole life. What the hell are you talking about.' I never had no help." Watch the entire interview below and check out Fat Joe talk about his encounter with Kanye West around the 26:53 mark.


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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