Pat Joe and the Terror Squad gave us iconic hits like “Lean Back,” “What’s Love,” and “All the Way Up.” While the hip-hop community has embraced him and put him on a pedestal, many people are tired of his controversial statements and antics. Today, we’ll explore why some people just can’t stand him.
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While appearing on a 2021 episode of Drink Champs, Fat Joe praised another culture vulture—oops, we mean his friend DJ Khaled. Y’all are so messy. But in his attempt to give Khaled his flowers, Fat Joe put his foot in his mouth. He mentioned how people try to undermine Khaled’s greatness by saying he just gathers a bunch of rappers and puts them on the same song. But Fat Joe disagreed so strongly that he said, “Khaled really is the Quincy Jones of hip-hop right now.”
*Say what now? There’s no way any black person can compare themselves to Quincy Jones. I know you didn’t just suggest that DJ Khaled is the Quincy Jones of hip-hop. When Fat Joe made this claim, his name started trending on Twitter for all the wrong reasons. One user pointed out that there’s no comparison since Quincy is a trained multi-instrument musician and conductor with a career spanning over 70 years. Another commented, “I have mad love and respect for Fat Joe and DJ Khaled, but this isn’t it. Khaled isn’t even a top-five DJ right now.”
After being dragged online, Fat Joe took to social media to defend himself, calling his critics backseat drivers. He clarified that he compared Khaled to Quincy based on Khaled’s years of work and acknowledged there’s only one Quincy Jones. Well, act like it, man. However, his words gained traction when Shannon Sharpe introduced Khaled on an episode of Club Shay with, “The Anthem King, the Quincy Jones of Hip Hop and R&B, DJ Khaled.”
Khaled, that’s quite an intro. They both need to rethink that comparison.
Fat Joe has made a significant impact in the music industry, helping launch the careers of artists like Remy Ma, Cuban Link, and the late Big Pun. Despite his Grammy, NAACP, BET, and MTV Award nominations and accolades, he feels it’s not enough. In a 2017 interview with The Root, he discussed how Latinos weren’t getting their due credit in hip-hop. He said, “If you look at history, when hip-hop was first invented, there was a Latino right there. How they got erased, I don’t know.”
Fat Joe recently highlighted that documentaries have shown more proof of Latinos’ important role in hip-hop culture. In August 2022, he shared a video on social media paying tribute to Latino pioneers in the genre. However, this sparked backlash, with many accusing him of downplaying Black contributions to hip-hop. One user commented, “Can foundational Black Americans have anything to ourselves? It’s always culture vultures trying to take credit for what we created.”
In response to the criticism, Fat Joe defended his stance on Instagram Live: “People are saying Latinos weren’t part of hip-hop. That’s delusional. We’re from the Bronx, New York. When hip-hop started, it was half Latino, half Black. I don’t get why people don’t know their facts.”
Despite his defense, some online users remained skeptical. One wrote, “Why is he always yelling? If hip-hop’s elements were created by foundational Black Americans, how does one or two Latinos attending a party in the ’70s make it half and half? The math doesn’t add up.”
Throughout his career, Fat Joe has used the n-word in his lyrics without much backlash. However, as time went on, people questioned why he felt comfortable using the term. In a 2011 Vlad TV interview, Fat Joe acknowledged its racist origins but claimed, “We don’t view it that way anymore, unless it’s about the context.”
“We? Who the hell is we?”
He argued that if hip-hop is for everyone, then every rapper should be allowed to use the word, regardless of race.
“Okay, you can listen to it, you can hear it, but you better not say it. Those are the rules. I don’t make them.” He added that he would continue using the word and didn’t care who had a problem with it. “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
In February 2022, when Fat Joe criticized Joe Rogan for using the same slur, online users called him a hypocrite. “It’s gotten to the point where you don’t even say the word. People say ‘the n-word’ instead. Joe Rogan is a piece of shit.” The girls are fighting!
In October 2022, during an appearance on The Breakfast Club, he explained that he and his family grew up in a predominantly black housing unit, and the guys in the projects would refer to him as “that little n-word Joey.” While Fat Joe said he always knew he was Latino, he embraced the black community because “we embrace everybody.”
“Okay, you can hug us back, that’s fine, but the n-word is off-limits.”
He said his use of the n-word was a nonissue and blamed woke society and Twitter for having issues with him using such a harmless word.
“Harmless, huh? Okay.”
Online users blamed other rappers for giving Fat Joe and certain non-black musicians a pass to say the word. Others wondered, since Fat Joe loved to use the slur so much, why didn’t he add a Latino slur to his vocabulary and use it regularly instead?
“That’s a good question. Okay, that’s a good question.”
In what many saw as an attempt to justify his use of the n-word, Fat Joe told Vlad TV in 2011 that although he’s a proud Latino, he’s also black because Latino and black people are the same thing.
“No, the hell we ain’t. You can have black Latinos, okay, we know that Afro-Latinos exist, but you ain’t that either, okay? There, I said it. You ain’t that either. You would be the equivalent of a white Latino, okay?”
While chatting with NPR in October 2022, he proudly told the world, “You know, I grew up black.” Fat Joe said it wasn’t until he got to high school and met another Latino guy that it started to sink in for him. “I grew up blonde-haired, green eyes, knowing I’m Latino but thinking I’m black.”
“Boy, tell that lie to somebody else, okay?”
He addressed the issue again during an interview with Charlamagne Tha God, stating that he’s a black man and just because somebody’s darker than him, it doesn’t mean they’re blacker than him.
Fat Joe’s ongoing identity crisis continues to stir up controversy. In the midst of his 2021 Verzuz showdown with Ja Rule, tensions escalated when Fat Joe derogatorily referred to Ja Rule’s collaborators, Vita and Lil’ Mo, as “dusty bitches,” insinuating they were found in a “crack house.” Ja Rule swiftly defended the women, prompting Fat Joe to issue a later apology on Twitter, albeit with the misspelling of their names.
In another troubling instance, despite Fat Joe’s close bond with Big Pun, legal disputes arose with Pun’s widow over royalties. Fat Joe’s attempts to retract settlements in 2016 and his assertion in 2021 that he owed nothing left many disappointed.
Adding fuel to the fire, Fat Joe’s cultural affiliations came under scrutiny when he proudly disclosed ownership of Donald Trump sneakers in February 2024, sparking further outrage among fans.
Before 2016, Fat Joe was openly supportive of Democrats, stressing on MSNBC that Trump’s presidency was unacceptable for the country. So, why the sudden interest in Trump-branded sneakers? Fat Joe clarified to his followers that while he would never endorse or vote for Trump, he couldn’t resist adding the footwear to his collection due to his passion for sneakers.
He admitted, “I didn’t even pay for these sneakers. They knew I had to have them because I’m a big deal in the game. The biggest name. That’s what I do, I collect.” Emphasizing the exclusivity of the sneakers, he added, “They only made like 400 of these sneakers, I think. Yeah, so the rarer, the better.”
His friend chimed in, “Exactly, and those kicks are going for $4500 in resale value, man. I’m just saying, he’s not doing it for the money. We understand each other, but being a sneakerhead is like having an addiction.”
Acknowledging the dilemma, Fat Joe said, “Yeah, it’s a bit tricky because even Auntie Rega is a sneakerhead, and I have to confess, I kind of want these for my collection too. Would you guys be upset? I get the issue, but if you’re a collector, don’t you collect from everywhere?”
Despite his explanation, some fans felt let down by what they saw as a departure from his previous stance. From being Joey Crack to Joey Whack, Fat Joe faced criticism for his choices. But, is he deserving of all the backlash, or is he simply misunderstood?