Fat Joe Signs To Jay Z’s Roc Nation. Their Beef Is All The Way Over (Audio)

In 2016, Fat Joe and Jay Z made a statement in both of their careers when they recorded the “All The Way Up (Remix)” together (alongside Remy Ma). Reportedly dating back to the late 1990s, the eventual Terror Squad leader and the Roc-A-Fella Records co-founder were caught in a beef that started on the Rucker Park basketball courts, and allegedly made its way into a few lines on wax (including #1 hit “Lean Back”). During Jay’s high-profile 2001 beef with Nas, Joe was at Nasir Jones’ side in many videos and collaborations, stemming from their “John Blaze” work.

Do Remember: Fat Joe, Nas, Big Pun, Raekwon & Jadakiss’ John Blaze (Video)

“When Nas caught beef with Jay Z, they threw the battery in my back,” Fat Joe told This Is 50. “Like, ‘We got beef with this man’ and I’m all muscle. So I’m like alright. And I’m moving a certain way and the moral to the story is that there was bad blood between Roc-A-Fella and Terror Squad for a long time and the next thing I know I seen Nas with Jay Z and there was peace. But it left me in the outskirts. He didn’t pick up the phone like, ‘Yo, I’m about to squash this.’ I would’ve told him, ‘Go get money.'” The veteran MC notably dissed the Roc in 2003 while receiving a Source Award in Miami, Florida. Joe said that after 2005, he and Jay remained at odds. “Now me and these niggas got beef because I was reppin’ you hard.”

Asked by Combat Jack about the origins of the ’90s beef with Jay Z, Joe says, “Man, I don’t even comment on that. That was 20-some years ago, man, and completely my fault. It was always my fault. That’s real talk. But I don’t elaborate on that, ’cause that ain’t about nothing. But I’ll completely take the blame, ’cause Fat Joe, he was on some bullshit back in the day.”

In 2017, Bronx and Brooklyn are gettin’ it, together, as Joe Crack inks a management deal with Roc. “I never thought [collaborating] would happen,” Joe told The Combat Jack Show at the 13:00 mark. “I always wanted it to happen [though], speaking from an honest perspective. As a man, if you want to go street, you want to go gangster shit…war, you’re always [vulnerable]. I don’t rate a nigga that bullies and picks on the weak; I can’t rate you. ‘He’s a real nigga; he beat up four guys who went to church and never swung back,’ I can’t do that. Your battles are measured by who you go to war with. That’s how I respect a person. So now, as an MC, as a lyricist, I want to prove to the world that I’m worthy enough to get on a track with Jay Z and spit equal to Jay Z. You know what I’m saying? That’s why Unsung [covered me]. That’s why, Fat Joe, in his mind, feels he’s underrated. ‘Cause I’m as good as everybody. And I never really seem to get that credit.” That collaboration would earn Joe and Remy multiple Grammy nominations, and was a hot topic, especially in New York City.

Joe joins the management roster (and label, to some) including a roster of J. Cole, Timbaland, Jay Electronica, The LOX, and Fabolous. One of Joe’s most successful offshoots of T.S., DJ Khaled, has also inked with the label and management company.

In less than a month, Fat Joe & Remy Ma will release their collaborative album, Plata O Plomo (February 17). That album, released through Terror Squad/Empire, features the “All The Way Up” original version, with guest vocals by French Montana and Infared.

Fat Joe – The Darkside 3 (Mixtape)

Previously, Joe’s solo career has been singles-based since 2010. That year, the veteran D.I.T.C. member released The Darkside, Vol. 1 with Terror Squad/eOne. That LP was a Top 30 debut for the MC, who had previously finished a three-album tenure with Virgin/Imperial Records. He since released two additional Darkside volumes as free mixtapes.