Don Cartagena
Fat Joe used to be the punch line to hip-hop jokes, his flows as unwieldy as his girth. So frustrated was Joey Crack (a.k.a. Fat Joe) at his inability to crush the rap game with his first two dud LPs, he spent several years in the woodshed, honing his craftandhis Rolodex. Sprawled out over an hour of genuinely thugged-out beats (produced by everyone from Marley Marl to Younglord),Don Cartagenafeatures a truckload of Joe's friends to prove the point. Nas, Big Pun, Raekwon, and Jadakiss bring the terror on "John Blaze," while Biggie's old belle makes you "scream Charli Baltimore in Spanish" on "Walk On By." It's a small gem and a refreshing surprise. Joey, you've come a long way, baby--with a little help from your friends.--Jon Caramanica