Boricua morena fat joe biography

This week, Billboard is publishing a series of lists and articles celebrating the music of 20 years ago. Our  Week continues here with an oral history of one of the year&#;s most impactful hits: &#;Oye Mi Canto,&#; from an all-star cast led by New York rapper N.O.R.E., which crossed cultures and genres and brought reggaetón to new stateside heights.

At the beginning of , the reggaetón and hip-hop scenes stood at the precipice of a musical revolution. Reggaetón, a genre now famously recognized for its roots in Puerto Rico, was about to explode into a transnational phenomenon.

N.O.R.E., the seasoned hip-hop luminary known for his raw lyricism, unapologetic demeanor and turn-of-the-century hits like &#;Superthug&#; and &#;Nothin,&#; found himself captivated by the infectious dembow-driven rhythm that was commanding the streets of the Island.

Impelled by a yearning to bridge cultures and pay homage to his newfound infatuation, the New York rapper set out on an audacious quest to etch reggaetón into the heart of American hip-hop. Fueling his self-proclaimed obsession with Tego Calderón&#;s music, N.O.R.E. envisioned a collaboration that would pay homage to his newfound muse, as well as his own Puerto Rican roots.

Within the creative cauldron of The Hoodlab (N.O.R.E.&#;s studio in midtown Manhattan) &#; and alongside his Lefrak, Queens comrades, producer SPK and rapper Big Mato, as well as Astoria, Queens duo Nina Sky, made up of twin singers Natalie and Nicole Albino, and rapper Gemstar &#; he embarked upon a mission to create a track that would shatter conventions and cross musical borders. The result was &#;Oye Mi Canto,&#; released on Def Jam.

The impact was nothing short of revolutionary. &#;Oye Mi Canto&#; burst onto the American and Latin airwaves, dismantling linguistic and cultural barriers. “It&

Fat Joe has an important message when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking with PEOPLE as a judge for the first-ever virtual hip-hop competition, titled Pepsi Wild Cherry Your WildestDreams, in partnership with Triller — Fat Joe opens up about his childhood and music legacy, diversifying the industry and his personal opinion on the COVID vaccine.

New rapper T-Lyon was crowned the series' winner. As such, he will receive a mentoring session from today's stars and has secured his own feature in a Pepsi Wild Cherry digital commercial. "Triller has a huge fan base and it's on the come up," Fat Joe tells PEOPLE of his collaboration. "Pepsi Wild Cherry and I came up with the concept of a virtual challenge to give kids a chance at success. It's always rewarding when you're able to help someone and have fun while you're doing it."

And after growing up in the Bronx, Fat Joe chased his own wildest dreams. "I came in first place [at the Apollo Theater] four weeks in a row. I always knew I was gonna try to make it. But it's the fans and the grace of God that'll catapult you to the top."

On his way to the top, the star, né Joseph Antonio Cartagena, 50, found the love of his life — wife Lorena, whom he wed in "We made an oath," says the hitmaker. "We said, 'No matter what comes our way, we're gonna always be together.' We live by that rule. We want to show our people that you can be a family man. You can be with your wife and still be successful and show people a great example."

And Fat Joe is not only a family man with his wife and children — he also adores his parents, whom he recently helped to get vaccinated in efforts to prevent the spread of COVID

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris Publicly Receives COVID Vaccine

"Just yesterday, they got the vaccine

single by Big Pun featuring Joe

"Still Not a Player" is the second single from Big Pun's debut album Capital Punishment. The song was produced by Knobody and features R&B singer Joe.

Composition

The song is a remix of Big Pun's previous single "I'm Not a Player" produced by Minnesota and contains an interpolation of Joe's "Don't Wanna Be a Player". It also samples "A Little Bit of Love" by Brenda Russell. In addition to samples, the song contains interpolations of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Brazilian Rhyme (Beijo)"; towards the end of the song, the refrain "PunisherPunisherPunisher, Big Punisher" is sung to the tune and rhythm of the lead vocals from the track.

Chart performance

The song peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot and at No. 6 on the BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, making it the most successful single released by Big Pun. It was ranked the th best song of by Blender magazine, and was ranked #76 on VH1's list of the Greatest Hip Hop Songs.

Music video

Fat Joe, Cormega, Onyx, the Beatnuts, Guru, Tony Touch and Loud Records R&B artist Davina all made featured appearances in the music video as cameos.

Cover versions and samples

In the Up in Smoke Tour in , Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre played this song as a tribute to Big Pun. The song was also remixed by Incubus which featured Big Pun's vocals on the rap rock album Loud Rocks, released 7 months after his death.

A demo version of the song featuring former Terror Squad member Cuban Link leaked 14 years after the song's initial release.

The song was sampled in Ariana Grande's single "The Way", which also samples Brenda Russell's "A Little Bit of Love".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References