Fat Joe

Joseph Antonio Cartagena, better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a solo career with the release of his debut studio album, Represent (1993) the following year.

Fat Joe built the Bronx into a rap empire by recognizing talent before anyone else—signing Big Pun to Terror Squad when the world wasn't listening, then discovering Remy Ma and cultivating her into one of hip-hop's sharpest lyricists. His founding of Terror Squad transformed a crew into an institution, anchoring the late '90s with *Represent* and *Don Cartagena* while establishing himself as a connecting point between D.I.T.C.'s underground credibility and mainstream crossover potential. "Lean Back" and "All the Way Up" became generational anthems, but Fat Joe's real legacy lives in the ecosystem he created—a family that outlasted trends and proved the Bronx could manufacture its own superstars without waiting for industry permission.