Fat Joe is an American rapper and CEO who has an estimated net worth of $5 million. He is the CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment and a member of the groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad.
Joseph Antonion Cartagena was born on August 19, 1970 in New York City, New York. He lived in public housing and began stealing as a young kid to support his family. His brother introduced him to rap music and he attributes Big Pun with his influence as a child.
Under the name ‘Fat Joe da Gangsta’ and as part of the group D.I.T.C (Diggin’ In the Crates), Fat Joe was signed by Relativity Records in the early 1990s. In 1993, he released his debut album, Represent, that saw its lead single ‘Flow Joe’ peak at number one on the Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. After Joe’s second album, he gained fame and began to be featured on artists’ records including Foxy Brown, Keith Murray, Prodigy, and Mobb Deep.
Fat Joe released his third album, Don Cartagena, and first record for Atlantic Records, which was eventually certified gold by the RIAA. Joe would go on to release seven other albums with mixed successes. Perhaps his biggest hit was ‘Lean Back’ released in 2004 with Remy Ma.
Around the release of All or Nothing, his 6th album, in 2005, Fat Joe became involved in a beef with fellow New York City rapper 50 Cent, who released the song Piggy Bank. It was the only major beef Fat Joe has had in his career. In December 2012, Fat Joe plead guilty to tax evasion for not paying income tax on over $3 million earned between 2007-2010. He plead guilty and was fined $200,000 and was ordered to serve up to 4 months in jail. On August 26, 2013, Fat Joe served four months in jail and was released on November 28, 2013. He’s also been a key witness in two murder trials. Joe has had a plethora of legal issues that have had a negative impact on his net worth.
Fat Joe has gotten involved in his community. He has gone back to schools in the Bronx to donate computers. He was a speaker at the ‘School is Cool’ assembly in Jersey City, New Jersey in 2009. He also appeared with Newark mayor Cory Booker in the city to promote Newark’s chapter of Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign. Fat Joe’s weight has always been a topic of the media. In 2011, he revealed he lost 88 lbs down to 260 from close to 350 lbs. He conducted several media sessions revealing he lost the weight by just eating right and doing 2-hours of cardio a day with some weight training as well. He had become increasingly concerned about his weight after his mentor Big Pun reached close to 700 lbs leading to his death.
Fat Joe, as the CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and a modestly successful music career has gone on to accumulate a net worth of $5 million. There’s no sign that Fat Joe has opportunity for increased revenue as he’s just not very popular at the moment.
