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JennYBlast From The Past Vol. 2 - Part I: Fat Joe - Don Cartagena Album Review
September 1st 2008 18:01
For the second issue of Blast From The Past, we'll dvelve into punk rock, metal, and rap. The first part of this column revisits Fat Joe's Don Cartagena.
Release date: September 1, 1998
Genre: Rap
Label: Terror Squad / Mystic Records / Big Beat
Fat Joe is known for bringing Big Pun into the rap business. Today, I will review his third album Don Cartagena, released ten years ago. Joe was in his prime back then when he was known as a latino gangster. Don Cartagena reached number 7 on the U.S. Billboards chart.
The album starts off with an intro called Courtroom. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it anywhere on the web, so I don't have anything to say about it.
Crack Attack is the second track and was produced by L.E.S. Just listening to the beat, you know that this is a classic song. Fat Joe definitely knew how to kill the mic back then compared to now. This track sounds like a real street song, not the fake gangster crap you hear on the radio nowadays.
Triplets, featuring Big Pun and Prospect, starts with a discussion on the phone. The beat is a piano melody with a hard-knocking kick. First, Fat Joe attacks the mic again – pure craziness. Then, Big Pun brings it to the cemetary with his verse. Joe and Pun do a verse together, switching the mic every two lines, and finally, Prospect finishes things off with own verse. This track was fire.
Find Out features Armageddon on the chorus. The MC also marries Joe to hip hop at the beginning of the song. Once again, Fat Joe delivered dope lyrics, and the beat was great.
The first single of the album, Don Cartagena, features Diddy. This was more of a thought-provoking song than anything else. Diddy's voice was a slightly high-pitched in the chorus. In the video, you see the difference between young Joey and adult Joey. This track was less pleasant than the previous ones.
My World is another collaboration with Big Pun. This song was more like “me and my crew run the world” in the lyrics. The beat was nothing special, but the track is still nice to listen to.
Just reading the names of the guests on John Blaze, you know that it's going to be a great song. Indeed, with Big Pun, Nas, Jadakiss, Raekwon, and Joe all sharing the mic, you know what to expect. Everyone did their own thing on their verses with Pun completely killing the mic. The beat was hard but sweet at the same time. In short, this song was on point.
Like Joey says on the next track, Walk on By (featuring Charlie Baltimore) is for the h**s and b*****s. It's a club banger dissing women who do dirty things for money. Charlie Baltimore had the last verse on this one.
After listening to Dat Gangsta Shit, I was like WOW. Fat Joe and DJ Premier definitely know how to collaborate. The beat was on point, the lyrics were on point – everything was on point.
The second single of the album, Bet Ya Man Can't (Triz), features Big Pun, Cuban Link, and Triple Seis. This was more of a exciting kind of song. It starts with Cuban on the mic going hard at it. Joe and Pun deliver on the second verse, leaving you thinking “damn.” This one was for the ladies, not the h**s.
Misery Needs Company (featuring Noreaga) has a real gangster smooth type of beat. The lyrics were good for the type – no, sorry – great for the beat. Noreaga had the last verse.
The beat on My Prerogative was both “happy” and straight mean gangster. It was produced by Armageddon who (and this is the first time I see this on an album) did the whole song alone, Joe didn't make a single sound in it.
The Hidden Hand has slow beat which still manages to sound gangster (including a sick piano. The lyrics are smart and gangster.
Good Times features Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. This was a smooth laid out beat with a good kick and snare. Joe switches the rapping subject on this one, this time he talks about peace a.k.a “the good times.”
The final track of the album is called Terror Squadians and features Terror Squad. This is a perfect song, the beat is timeless, the lyrics are perfect, you can't hate it.
Man, this record took me back to the good old-school rap time. This felt good, just listening to real hip hop. There's nothing bad on this album, you don't get tired of listening to it, and there are no songs to hate. Fat Joe was on point, so damn good. I thought, “Man, I can't even compete with this guy.” It made me want to stop rapping because he was so good. There's no way I can reach his level. Lyrically-wise, the content was very different from nowadays where everything is about money and jewelry. But I wonder, where's the old Fat Joe? I know Big Pun's death destroyed him a little but still, he still could've kept putting his love in the music. This album sounded like it was made by a rapper who loves hip hop, and who is not in it for the money. Seriously, I don't see nothing wrong with this album, so I give it a 5/5 (10/10). 4.75/5 would be the strict minimum.
Release date: September 1, 1998
Genre: Rap
Label: Terror Squad / Mystic Records / Big Beat
Fat Joe is known for bringing Big Pun into the rap business. Today, I will review his third album Don Cartagena, released ten years ago. Joe was in his prime back then when he was known as a latino gangster. Don Cartagena reached number 7 on the U.S. Billboards chart.
The album starts off with an intro called Courtroom. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it anywhere on the web, so I don't have anything to say about it.
Crack Attack is the second track and was produced by L.E.S. Just listening to the beat, you know that this is a classic song. Fat Joe definitely knew how to kill the mic back then compared to now. This track sounds like a real street song, not the fake gangster crap you hear on the radio nowadays.
Triplets, featuring Big Pun and Prospect, starts with a discussion on the phone. The beat is a piano melody with a hard-knocking kick. First, Fat Joe attacks the mic again – pure craziness. Then, Big Pun brings it to the cemetary with his verse. Joe and Pun do a verse together, switching the mic every two lines, and finally, Prospect finishes things off with own verse. This track was fire.
Find Out features Armageddon on the chorus. The MC also marries Joe to hip hop at the beginning of the song. Once again, Fat Joe delivered dope lyrics, and the beat was great.
The first single of the album, Don Cartagena, features Diddy. This was more of a thought-provoking song than anything else. Diddy's voice was a slightly high-pitched in the chorus. In the video, you see the difference between young Joey and adult Joey. This track was less pleasant than the previous ones.
My World is another collaboration with Big Pun. This song was more like “me and my crew run the world” in the lyrics. The beat was nothing special, but the track is still nice to listen to.
Just reading the names of the guests on John Blaze, you know that it's going to be a great song. Indeed, with Big Pun, Nas, Jadakiss, Raekwon, and Joe all sharing the mic, you know what to expect. Everyone did their own thing on their verses with Pun completely killing the mic. The beat was hard but sweet at the same time. In short, this song was on point.
Like Joey says on the next track, Walk on By (featuring Charlie Baltimore) is for the h**s and b*****s. It's a club banger dissing women who do dirty things for money. Charlie Baltimore had the last verse on this one.
After listening to Dat Gangsta Shit, I was like WOW. Fat Joe and DJ Premier definitely know how to collaborate. The beat was on point, the lyrics were on point – everything was on point.
The second single of the album, Bet Ya Man Can't (Triz), features Big Pun, Cuban Link, and Triple Seis. This was more of a exciting kind of song. It starts with Cuban on the mic going hard at it. Joe and Pun deliver on the second verse, leaving you thinking “damn.” This one was for the ladies, not the h**s.
Misery Needs Company (featuring Noreaga) has a real gangster smooth type of beat. The lyrics were good for the type – no, sorry – great for the beat. Noreaga had the last verse.
The beat on My Prerogative was both “happy” and straight mean gangster. It was produced by Armageddon who (and this is the first time I see this on an album) did the whole song alone, Joe didn't make a single sound in it.
The Hidden Hand has slow beat which still manages to sound gangster (including a sick piano. The lyrics are smart and gangster.
Good Times features Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. This was a smooth laid out beat with a good kick and snare. Joe switches the rapping subject on this one, this time he talks about peace a.k.a “the good times.”
The final track of the album is called Terror Squadians and features Terror Squad. This is a perfect song, the beat is timeless, the lyrics are perfect, you can't hate it.
Man, this record took me back to the good old-school rap time. This felt good, just listening to real hip hop. There's nothing bad on this album, you don't get tired of listening to it, and there are no songs to hate. Fat Joe was on point, so damn good. I thought, “Man, I can't even compete with this guy.” It made me want to stop rapping because he was so good. There's no way I can reach his level. Lyrically-wise, the content was very different from nowadays where everything is about money and jewelry. But I wonder, where's the old Fat Joe? I know Big Pun's death destroyed him a little but still, he still could've kept putting his love in the music. This album sounded like it was made by a rapper who loves hip hop, and who is not in it for the money. Seriously, I don't see nothing wrong with this album, so I give it a 5/5 (10/10). 4.75/5 would be the strict minimum.
R.I.P Big Pun
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