Two years after its debut, Fat Joe eliminates "Da Gangsta" from his moniker and releases his second LP, the acronym of the title is "Joe". Domingo is the main producer, flanked by L.E.S., Joe Fatal, DJ Premier and Diamond D. The guests are KRS-One, Raekwon, Keith Nut, Doo Wop, Armageddon and Big Pun, the latter three making their debut in the rap game.
After all those tributes to the BDP in "Represent", here KRS isn't only present but also opens the CD in "Bronx Tale" (homage to the 1993 movie by Robert De Niro with Chazz Palminteri), over a good dark sample of Sammy Nestico. "Success" is one of the rare classics of Fat Joe in one of his strongest albums: Domingo chooses the sample of "Living in Dreams" by Herb Ohta, with beautiful delicate piano keys, adding hard drum machine and creating a splendid glossy beat, simple, purely NY underground.
Joe flows at his finest, with a good style, smoothness, rough, fantastic, good chorus, dope cut. The videoclip is just a hip-hop history lesson which should be compulsory in schools. LES confirmed himself among the most in shape producers of that period, taking just a couple of simple lines and the Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" sample to drops "Envy", that's just the forerunner to the pop highway to which Joe's aiming from his early career, however this track's still listenable.
LES realizes another top-track in "Fat Joe's in Town", with that jazzy boom bap that adapts perfectly to Joe flow. Before Premier remix of "The Shit Is Real" (already represented), we've a couple of skits, the first is from the 1979 cult movie "Warriors", the second one is the abused iconic skit stolen from "King of New York" (1990) where Frank White returning from prison and unleashed against the bosses who took his place, in particular vs. Artie Clay who challenges him openly against all: Frank ends up to killed brutally Clay without warning and discharging a full clip against him.
A very short part of this same skit is also present in the next track. Then, one of the finest, possibly the best solo track of Fat Joe career, "The Shit Is Real (DJ Premier Remix)": Preemo creates a timeless masterpiece, finds an almost perfect beat by sampling Ahmad Jamal's "The World is a Ghetto" piano keys in a three-second loop, with a heavy drum machine, great rap by Fat Joe. The latest skit is executed over Nino Rota's "The Godfather Waltz" from "the Godfather" (1972) soundtrack.
"Respect Mine" has a dark excellent boom bap provided by Joe Fatal, with an amazing sample from The Electric Prunes' "Holy Are You". Intro and chorus by Raekwon, Joey Crakk comes with a tight, hardcore and inspired style. Song title and hook are homages to "C.R.E.A.M.". The next cut, "Watch Out", is another highlight: gloomy soundscape by the unique beatmaker from DITC in this disk, Diamond D, which samples Herbie Hancock's "Do a Thing". Joe's intro, then after the Armageddon verse, Big Pun kills the track with a dope flow, before Keith Nut final sharp. Fat Joe performs just the chorus, leaving room for one of the first formations of the Terror Squad, deciding to spare himself the confrontation with Big Punisher.
There's a great somber light boom bap by Domingo for "Say Word", with a sample by Bootsy's Rubber Band's "Munchies for Your Love", where the Bronx rapper delivers two smooth stanzas. The second remix of DJ Premier is for "Success": he places a bloody obscure sample from Weather Report's "Mysterious Traveller" and a cheerful one from "Hydra" by Grover Washington, Jr., adding a skeletal, essential and very pronounced kick-n-snare, giving to the track a more underground sound in the contrast to the Fat Joe's laid-back delivery. The Bronx MC closes his sophomore album by thanking friends and inspirations in hip-hop over a shining sample of Tyrone Davis' "In the Mood", then with the umpteenth tribute to Boogie Down Productions in the finale song.
Inspired by some of the best hip-hop records released in New York in recent years, Fat Joe distances himself from gangsta rap, staying in the hardcore lane and getting closer to the more cinematic version of the East Coast, paying homage to several mafia movies ("A Bronx Tale", "King of New York", "Carlito's Way" for his skit "Fat Joe's Way", "The Godfather"). He begins to break away from DITC and calls in different producers for his new LP, including DJ Premier and LES, both of which are featured on Nas' acclaimed first album. The production is fresh, boasting well-chosen tough drums and a curated selection of samples, to support the lyrical content of Fat Joe, who holds his own strength in the hardcore delivery that dominates these three quarters of an hour, with few concessions to the radio, much criticized by fans.
Released by Relativity, the album gets a good response from the public — not the great commercial success that the rapper expected from this work, despite being one of the best-selling albums among Latin records in this period — and is tolerated by insiders, reinforcing Fat Joe's position as a legitimate hardcore rapper in the game, although he curiously manages to evade comparisons with the other performers in "Respect Mine", where Raekwon is left on the hook, in "Watch Out" with Big Pun, and in the first song, offering KRS-One two stanzas. This is one of his best works, perhaps his best, before heading towards pop-dance sounds in the 2000s.
Highlights: "A Bronx Tale"; "Success", "Fat Joe's in Town", "The Shit Is Real (DJ Premier Remix)", "Respect Mine", "Watch Out".
Rating: 7.5/10.
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