The classifications of being a rap star offer their fair share of shit to go along with every lump of sugar. As one of the few remaining members of his freshmen class, Fat Joe’s increasing success on the Billboard meant he increasingly fell deeper into obscurity with the block. His last couple of albums (2008′s Elephant In The Room, 2009′s Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) 2) saw a pattern of regression, with the latter of the two taking the plaque-chasing to new lows. Unexpectedly, the Don must have realized his legacy was whisking away and deviated The Darkside Vol. 1 from his bottled psyche. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s three sides to every story: yours, mine and the truth. The Terror Squad offices have had revolving doors since Pun’s passing, yet the commander-in-chief has never switched positions. Who’s real and who’s phony? Who really knows but we do know that Joey Crack sent a volley in Pun’s wife’s direction on his new LP. Read the rest of this entry »

Even though he’s been grinding out full-lengths since most of the current competition was in grammar school, Fat Joe doesn’t have a 5 Cig album under his belt. He was however, a formidable presence in East Coast Hip-Hop before Southern MCs valued materialistic raps over hard country livin’ and Big Pun crash landed his massive frame onto the Billboard charts. Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone remember “That White?” The Crack x Premo closer that ended Elephant In The Room on a much better note than it actually deserved? Well, for The Darkside Vol. 1, Fat Joe knows what works best and he’s requested the services of Works of Mart once again to seal the deal for his album. This particular Hip-Hop vial has a bit of semblance behind it as it was recorded the same day Guru passed away. The ultimate Alpha and Omega. Read the rest of this entry »

No matter who patents it, a kilo is still a thousand grams. And Fat Joe just called in a thousand favors for a thousand bars from his fellow dope boys. The Darkside Vol. 1 is sounding more grim than Crack’s past few releases, but is it genuine or more parlor tricks in attempting to keep up with the rap climate? Read the rest of this entry »

I thought Joey was turning over a new leaf? Darkside, eh? This is more like Twilight with Team Trey flaming up the scene, giving it the only gateway towards radio play. Actually, it’s not that bad; catchy, clever basketball references, etc. I just wanted to send a shot @ the continous reliance of R&B for these Hip-Hop singles. When is rapping going to be enough for an intentional “hit?” Read the rest of this entry »

However do you want, however do you need Joe–that’s what he’s going to give you. After finally listening to the peasants of the peanut gallery in The Land of Terror Squadia, Cook Crack came to realization that being the East Coast Rick Ross wasn’t all it was bigged up to be and decided to lean back to familar waters. Read the rest of this entry »

The last time I spoke about Fat Joe here, the result wasn’t positive. However, one thing you or I won’t call Joe is a quitter. The man who gave the world Big Pun is preparing for the explosion of his new effort, The Darkside. As long as Crack doesn’t start doing this again, I’ll listen. On “Slow Down”, the BX don enlists Jeezy, who has been quite busy lately, to supply the hook and a guest verse. It’ll be interesting to see how this does on the charts, but overall it is a solid first offering.

In turn, the real star of the record is the producer, Scoop DeVille. The 22-year-old is poised to become one of the breakout producers in 2010 with “I Wanna Rock” already firmly planted in his portfolio. Add this Soul II Soul sampled cut and Scoop’s future is looking quite bright.

It’s probably too early to speculate, but Jada would sound right at home on this beat if a remix were to ever surface. Just a suggestion.

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Download — Fat Joe Feat. Young Jeezy – “Slow Down (Ha Ha)”

Credit: The305