Fat Joe Missed the Boat

Fat Joe Elephant in the Room Review

I really think Fat Joe messed up with this latest album, Elephant in the Room. Not because it was a bad album, at best it was average, but because this was a key moment in his career to prove he could make a classic album in the post-classic era (and ironically would no longer be the elephant in the room). This really could have been his Blueprint. Why?

The whole beef with 50 Cent and Papoose that happened to coincide with his album release date was a perfect set up in terms of promotion as everyday the internetz were buzzing about Fat Joe. Everyone wanted to know (and still wants to know) what really went down between him and Papoose. His character as a defender of truth and as a “real dude” came out, XXLmag even had a blog about how hardbody Joe really is. I think all these things helped generated interest for the big guy as a person, and secondly for his music.

Hand in hand with this promotion, I also gauged that much more interneters were looking forward to hearing the Fat Joe album -which is actually amazing since the majority of interneters hate Fat Joe’s music. This is because, as stated, we got to know the real Fat Joe. I admit, even I was anticipating listening to Joe’s album, as myself and the public, really got to know how “real” Fat Joe is. I want to make it clear it’s not the fight with Papoose that made Joe interesting, but it’s really how he handled the whole thing that made his album worth a listen. Don’t believe me? Look at Papoose, his whole career has been flushed down the toilet as result of this beef, did you even know he had a mixtape out? Much less even care to download it? I know I didn’t and I check everything. In short, Fat Joe basically proved he was a “real nigga” and deserved the attention of real hip hop heads that decide what’s a classic and what’s not (like me).

Unfortunately, Joe didn’t plan this beef, it just seemed to come out of nowhere and as his album was made months prior to the beef, there is no way he could have been fueled to make a classic album as rappers who have the whole world watching them tend to do. I guarantee if Joe made an album right after all the drama popped off it would have been a classic and Fifty would shut up, black people who actually care about Fat Joe, and real hip hop heads would have something to listen too.

Now back to that Rick Ross album.

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