The Breakfast Club - Fat Joe Talks Nike Collab, Almost Retiring From Hip Hop, Terror Squad Legacy + More

Episode Date: August 31, 2023

Fat Joe Talks Nike Collab, Almost Retiring From Hip Hop, Terror Squad Legacy + MoreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, Joe, you got these Air Force Ones that you dropped off. That's right. So tell us about what you're doing with Nike. You know what's crazy is, the craziest part of the story is, so you see, not comparing myself in no way, shape, or form, but you see how Malcolm X was killed, then they made schools after he died. Martin Luther King, you know, he was killed.

Now we got a Martin Luther King Boulevard Joe Louis you know they stressed him to death and then they made highways after him well the guy who actually designed

this sneaker for me got fired for designing this sneaker back in the day at Nike yeah and 20 years later we celebrating

the Air Force One wow you know what I'm saying that the guy designed and he got fired. It's just ironic how we celebrate things years later. You know what's crazy? I remember you on MTV Cribs showing the TS Air Force.

Long time ago. I thought that was official back then. That was 20 years. It was, but what happened was I had a guy who was the designer of Nike making them for me without permission. You know what I'm saying? So he gave me a couple of color waves and all that. And so actually Virgil,

right, rest in peace, Virgil asked me to do a Terror Squad Air Force One because he knew all about the culture and all that. And then he passed away maybe three days later. But he had already told all of Nike, like, yo, I'm doing the Fat Joe Terror Squad Air Force One.

And so that, like, opened the door to the discussion where they were like, yo, Virgil was going to rock with Joe, let's do it. And so, you know, I'm out here, I'm in them streets, you know, I'm the mailman, I'm not Karl Malone, but I'm doing that special delivery all over. And you got two colorways, right? And they both in stores.

No, three. We got, this is going to be the New York release. The black and white is globally. So you get it, Philippines, Middle East, Africa, everywhere. And then we got a friends and family, which is a baby pink and gray, which you guys are on the list for that as well. But I'm just trying to beat everybody to,

you know, I don't feel right if I got something coming out and I ain't on my ones and twos promoting. I gotta be... You know, back in the days, we used to pull up on Envy with the white label in the club. Absolutely. That's what I'm doing. It's the same hustle. It's just we're selling a different product.

What do you think about the sneaker culture now? Of course, you own a couple of sneaker stores, but it's a lot different. You know, back then, it was was to you bought sneakers to get fly now you got to kind of be careful because people are buying sneakers to make money they're taking it from the kids that just want to wear them and charging triple and quadruple for the sneakers you know nike won't like my answer but i'm all about the entrepreneur you know what i'm saying that them kids stand online and they buy a sneaker for a buck 50 and they sell it for 300 that's dumb they they're not robbing nobody's mother they're out there hustling you know i'm saying so uh they don't they they don't like my response you know

i reposted a couple of cats that already had the sneakers they were like joe those are infamous resellers take it down you know i'm with the hype you know what i'm saying it's like i'm with the hype it's like if i put out a record and the dj in memphis or hey baby is playing it and i'm reposting i'm like you know i don't know i'm just reposting the hype they got the sneakers to their ear it's fly you know with me i'm all about the entrepreneur you know somebody making a couple of dollars who ain't doing no harm to nobody. You know what I'm saying? But that's an independent response, not a reflection of Nike. They definitely ain't with that.

We were just talking before you walked in how you are clearly probably the best storyteller, not even just in hip-hop, just one of the best storytellers, period, because we were listening to you on Rap Radar when you were telling the story about being in your mom's house, and it's just the attention to detail. I was in my mother's house about to be thinking about retirement, shirt offpless you know my mom's house i'm still a baby like so no

real talk like my mom's house is the only place i take my shirt off everything i'm in boxes my feet is on my mom she rubbing my feet i'm home you know what i'm saying i'm just home i i don't know how to explain it any other way and so uh and eminem called and was like yo bro you can't retire you know you can't you know what i'm saying and that's like big for me you know what i'm saying i look up to eminem you know he's one of the rap gods to me so you know with him calling me trying to come in i really and i really gave this thought like he said I really started listening to all your music. And I really, he's like, nah, Joe, you still got it. Now you can't leave.

It was almost like a don't leave. Like, don't leave us. Like, we still in the game. What albums came out after that? Nah, that was right around the time I had dropped the joint with Dre. Oh, gotcha. The album with Dre from Cool and Dre. And so he was like, yo, bro, you can't leave the game, you know?

You got some legends up there. You up there? Come on, of course. I'm in that corner. I'm in that corner. These are all Breakfast Club moments, moments of the Breakfast Club. So these are all things that happen on the Breakfast Club, the same outfits, the same facial expressions and everything.

That's a real official corner, though. Who in that corner? It's you, Big Daddy Kane, DMX, Charlie Murphy, Nori, Jennifer Lewis, Issa Rae, Will Smith, Martin. Let me tell you something. I happen to think that I have some legendary, not shock value, not Birdman respect on my name, not dumb. But I think I've come up in here.

We've done had some legendary conversations. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Some behind the scenes, some on the mic. Some on the mic, some behind the scenes, but just on the mic. I told you that story about what I told a guy. He need 99 more guys in jail. That was a legendary story, guys. People got to read your book.

If you think Fat Joe's a a great storyteller read his book the book of the book of the book of jose the book of jose yeah criminally underrated very much so like if you read it and you're like this couldn't have happened but then you're like this is joe no no so it probably did you know what happened i tell i first of all i don't lie that's just just men shouldn't lie unless you're a lawyer, because one time I was in a room and they was just lying to each other. I wanted to die. I tried to get out of there.

It was negotiation. Oh, you're right, I lied. Okay, yeah, like we paying these guys to lie to each other, right? And so, thank you, my brother. It's, you know, I don't lie. So I never want to have somebody catch me in the line and be like, yo, this guy's lying. So if I say something, I know that eventually somebody will back it up.

Somebody will come out of nowhere. You know what I'm saying? The recent one on Rap Radar, I said, but with no disrespect, because, you know, I love Drake, the Sixth God, the most consistent rapper ever in the history of hip hop. But I told D, I called me like three times trying to get on All The Way Up Remix, right? But being the whole story I had with Jay-Z, I wanted it to just be me and Jay-Z. Because, you know, I never thought a hip hop fan, I never thought Fat Joe and Jay-Z would do a song.

Be myself, right? So I was like, yo, no thanks, but, you know, I love you, brother. Maybe some other time, please call me now, Drake. So it's like, you know, but then I'll say it, some normal person will be like, yo, he sound crazy, this and this and that, but I'm sure sooner or later Drake's going to confirm the story.

Absolutely. And be like, yo, you know, I called him, you know? And that's it. All the stories are confirmed. But in the book, yo, you know, I called him. You know? And that's it. All the stories are confirmed. But in the book, man, that's why I had to write the book. Because the book was so much transparency. I didn't want to leave nothing out. The stories before rap are the best.

I wanted people to really understand. There's a lot of rap stories never told for Fat Joe. That's a whole different type. You know, but the stories before rap, like when the Ecuadorian kid was trying to kill me eight times in two days, he was letting it go. Unbelievable. No, he was unbelievable. He was like the guy from Mark for Death. The guy from Mark for Death. Richie, remember Richie kept popping up.

Steven Seagal. Like this guy was trying to finish me for no reason. You shot the car up and you was in the car and everybody thought y'all was dead. I heard the screams like if I was dead. The whole building. Yo, here. And then we like. Yo, what's up?

And, you know, we tried to get him. We couldn't get him. This guy, he was really something else, man. Don't tell too many because you want people to go out. You got to go get the boy. But, you know, we're doing a series with the Torero brothers, Uli, Jesse, and Kenya. Kenya Barris is actually writing the series himself.

So that's an honor. You know what I'm saying? So we're excited about it, but you know, we got this little strike or whatever the case may be. So I'm hoping, and I do trust me. I do sympathize with everybody striking because,

you know, some of these checks come through for $2. That can be like, Joe, the time you hosted Wendy Williams, $2 and 43 cents. I'm like, yo, I would be homeless trying to live on a like a royalty check from TV or movies.

No, it's incredible. It'd be like, yo, SAG. And I go, Rush, I open the check, $8.19. I said, yo, bro, I can't buy a sandwich with this thing right here. Did that affect your talk show? I know you had a talk show with Stars. Yeah, but not really. We still, we all in.

We shot the first one. It's all go. But yes, the strike affects, it's affecting everything. You got my girl over there, Bianca. Everybody, you know, listen, Stars is going to be amazing. It's going to be A-list. It's going to be the interviews you never thought you. Everybody, you know, listen, Stars is going to be amazing. It's going to be A-list. It's going to be the interviews you never thought you could get, you know, on top of the game.

And, you know, the thing with me is, you know, coming from like artists to artists, you know, they can let their guard down and know I ain't trying to jam them up. You know what I'm saying? So they can be like, we can talk about, you know, I always say, you know, when we was doing COVID, I started turning on the IG. You both was my guests. So I interviewed Bobby Brown.

And there's so much stuff you could talk about Bobby Brown. But all I kept it was music, you know, this and this and that. And so when the artist see, oh, he ain't trying to jam me up. He threw me a gem. He was like, yo, you know taught michael jackson how to moonwalk you know i want to slam the phone against the wall like i never heard he said he taught michael jackson how to move that you ever had an interview where somebody said something you just want to end it right there you're like it's over like you know we got it like i thought mike got there from the

bronx i thought it was breakdancers in the bronx I thought it was no no and then and so what happened is I called all remember members of new edition they all didn't comment on it they was like yo no comment man so I kind of heard that it was the guy from Shalimar who taught Michael how to moon that's what they said yeah yeah they said the guy from Shalimar taught him. But when Bobby Brown told me that, I was like, oh, my God. Like, you taught Michael how to moonwalk. It's still a story. Yeah, definitely a story. I know. He means it, though.

Bobby Brown was the man. Absolutely. So you got to understand, right? So Lil Uzi, right? Lil Uzi's my man. I love him. Lil Uzi, the little dance he do. Yep, yep. You know, it's another young kid from Philly that taught him to dance. Little Uzi, right? Little Uzi's my man. I love him. Little Uzi, the little dance he do.

Yep, yep. You know, that's another young kid from Philly that taught him to dance. There's a young kid from Philly that raps that taught him to dance. But Uzi's such a star, he made it more famous. Right. It's almost like Loomy D was going, uh-oh. And then Beyonce came and said, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh. And took that to the, you know what I'm saying? So what did Fat Joe learn Lean Back from then? uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh And so I was like, yo, I got to do like the Jamaicans, man. They making these songs that everybody's doing the dance to.

So that was really the influence of Lean Back, all in a gumbo. I got to ask, so, you know, of course, we're still celebrating 50 years of hip hop. Just because it was the day doesn't mean we stopped celebrating. But you got a chance to perform at Yankee Stadium. Talk about Joey Crack back in to perform at Yankee Stadium. Talk about Joey Crack back in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium. Man, it was just legendary. You know, I grew up

five minutes from Yankee Stadium, so I drove there from the projects. So I went to my old apartment, got dressed, jumped in the drop, drove to pass everybody to K.A.R., Miami, Trap, all the guys, Pistol. Drove in the stadium, and then the next time the camera sees me, I'm walking on stage, live and direct.

I had Crazy Legs and Gravity, who's my cousin. They both breakdance. So, you know, they came out there. The biggest Puerto Rican flag you ever seen in your life. Like, they was out there. Then they got Rican flag you ever seen in your life. Like, they was out there. Like, then it got super busy. So I'm walking on stage. You know, I start letting it go, a little of my lifestyle.

I let go of New York, 100 guns, 100 guns. I was possessed. I was possessed. I was in that back room. I wasn't even talking to nobody. I had, like, five security. I don't have security now. I just don't have security.

But I had five so nobody could bother me. And I had to sneak in the stadium because they had like 450 guys talking about they from the Bronx. They were Joe. I mean, I guess I went to junior high with all. I didn't even know. The phone was going off too much.

I couldn't answer the phone, but it was so special to me because I knew it was the 50th anniversary. You had Run-DMC. You had all the legends, Hollywood, whoever you could name. You had Ice Cube, Snoop, this, Nas, this. It was just so it's not competition, but it's friendly competition. And so I didn't want to, you know, Snoop Dogg ain't letting me go to LA and steal that thing. You know what I mean? So I'm in the Bronx. So I knew, yo, I got

to put it down for the Bronx. So Rocksteady, the Rocksteady crew, Remy came out with me. Tone Sunshine was with me. Then we brought out Ashanti, looking beautiful as ever. She ripped that down crazy. Then we went into Peter Gunz with the Bronx National. New York to the home with our love for all. And then in the middle of the, if it wasn't for the Bronx, then it goes. And then the big bully comes out, the teacher.

My idol, Karis, once I was doing the South Bronx. Then he does the bridge the bridge is over the bridge is over what's crazy i had just kissed roxanne chante on the way to the stage i was just talking to craig g mc sham was the probably the one guy who got in my room i was talking to him for like an hour so it was just a celebration of hip hop. Right. You know, and it was nothing like it. You know, I pull up, young dudes and girls,

they had their own little speaker. It was almost like when you watch one of the movies like Malcolm X, the movie Malcolm X, Spike Lee did, the Al Sharpton's on a box

preaching to all the women. That's how it was with hip hop outside the stadium. They was all freestyling and then 10 steps, there was bands playing shook ones, 10 steps, That's how it was with hip-hop outside the stadium. They was all freestyling. And then 10 Steps, there was bands playing shook ones. 10 Steps, there was cops break dancing.

Like, it was out of this world. And it wasn't just New York. It was like, so I went back and I watched all the interviews they did. You know, like news reporters. And they was like, I'm from Oklahoma. I drove up. Yo, I'm from California. The California guys with the Jerry Curls, they was like I'm from Oklahoma I drove up yo I'm from the California guys with the Jerry Curls

they was in Yankee Stadium not performing they came whoever the guys is with them they was all around they was in the Bronx like the whole world of hip hop came over there to Yankee Stadium so it was an honor to see some of the legends get

acknowledged of course you can't make everybody happy over there at the Yankee Stadium. So it was an honor to see some of the legends get acknowledged. Of course, you can't make everybody happy. There's just too many rappers. You know what I'm saying? But we put it down for rap, you know, legendary. When you think about Terror Squad, right, and what Terror Squad was in the street, and then you see it on a sneaker, what did that do to you?

Do you even believe it? Still can't even comprehend. You know, I just work hard. You know, I got up early. My wife was like, like yo what's up i said man we just so blessed it was just like you know we you know what we could you know i went a shot i went to my projects and i love you false president you know i always represent you but i went to my projects it's been a. I went to my old project apartment.

You know, I was touching the walls like this. One wall, one wall. When you little, you think it's big. You got four kids, uncles. You know, every uncle that get thrown out of his house come to your house. You know, we walking on people. It's in the book.

Absolutely. Like, my father's Cuban. My father went to the Mariel to Cuba to go get my brothers and sisters. They gave him two sisters, Lourdes and Mercy. They gave him 30 Cubans. All those Cubans came and the boat sank because it was a bullshit boat. We didn't have no money. All the Cubans came to my house.

When I was going to school, I was stepping on Cubans, like going to school in the morning. And that's how small the crib was. When you go home now and you see these big-ass ceilings and marble and stuff, you can't believe this. So I'm looking at the Terrace Squad sneaker. Everything I did prior to rap, and I'm not proud of, was to get sneakers. It's truth, yeah.

It was to get sneakers. Not's truth, yeah. It was to get sneakers. Not to have your own sneaker. I'm telling you the truth. I haven't even allowed, I don't know if it's a form of depression or something. You know how when you got something that you just keep away? Absolutely. I haven't allowed myself to really look at the sneaker

by myself in the room by myself and be like, yo. You probably cry. Yeah, I probably cry. I'm just like, yo, I got a sneaker. You know what I'm saying? With Terror Squad. With Terror Squad. And with no disrespect, it ain't like, you know,

it ain't like, it's Nike. It's, you know, it's an Air Force One. It's an uptown. It ain't a collab with a,-and-coming brand or something like that. It's like, yo, it's the one. You know what I'm saying? I love to see how far Joe has come as a person, just how you've come. Because all those stories in the book we've either seen or we've ran from

or we've avoided or dodged. So the fact- After I read the book, I had to ask, I wanted to ask him and Rich a million questions. Like how far removed do y'all feel from- Rich told him, yo, we're not gangster no more. We're businessman, we're not gangster. But he said, there will be no disrespect.

Right. No, never, ever. I remember looking out my window and seeing Fat Joe walking up my block, Murdock Avenue, and me calling Clue like, what did you do? And he was like, what do you mean? I'm like, Fat Joe is walking up the block. He's probably coming to hurt you and kill you. He was like, no, he's just dropping off a record.

I'm like, well, I'm staying in the house. I just remember those stories. So to see you and 50 performing in New York together is. I got one better for you. They made documentaries about my brother Pistol Pete. Mm-hmm. Pistol Pete K-A-R. And it's documentaries.

He's like the predicate from Rikers Island. You know, he started, don't disrespect, all that cutting and all that in Rikers Island. And now he's going back mentoring the youth in Rikers Island, telling them to chill, you know, vibing with them, you know, keeping it real with them and telling them, yo, you got to get up out of here.

He's even iller than Fat Joe. Like, it's unbelievable when I'm sitting with him. Yesterday we was chilling, and all he was telling me is about how he's talking to the youth, how he's trying to change their lives. Yo, Joe is crazy. I'm looking at Pistol Pete like this. I'm like, yo, this is out of control. Was he one of the ones breakdancing with machetes?

No, he was definitely one of those. He said it was the West Side Story. Yo, it's like this. You know, these guys, you know. These guys, he ain't lying, man. You know, but we come a long way. Absolutely. And we really, really want to help the community.

That's pretty much what it's all about. You know, because at the end of the day, shout out to my stylist and one of my best friends ever, Terrell. Terrellish. And he told me one day, one day we in Turks and Caicos. And we in the middle of the, you know, that water's different. We both drinking. And I said, man, I grew up with some bad guys.

He turned around. He said, they weren't that bad. I said, what you mean? He said, they didn't kill you in the lobby, on the alley, and let you live. Changed my whole life. Then I started thinking about my hood. And I said, damn, they were bad.

But they really could have did me bad. You know how many brothers died out there? You know what I'm saying? Girls too. It was like, you know, they never told on me. You know, nobody ever told on me out there. They just kept it 100 with me. So that's why we constantly think about them.

Every time we can help them, every time we can do something for the community, we always there. You know, just the other day, me and you was walking around. Absolutely. You know, Jay-Z. We me and you was walking around. Absolutely. You know, Jay-Z. We want Jay-Z to get the casino. Times Square. It's time to the brother of color.

Know what I'm saying? We've been gambling. If you go to any casino in America, it's nothing but black and Spanish people in there gambling every day. Finally, we got an opportunity to make these fly. He told me, yo, we're going to kill Dubai. Like, this casino is going to be so fly. And so, you know, so I walked around the neighborhood

to see how they could benefit from the casino and the community that does the plays and all the actors and all that. They could have a home there. So it's a beautiful thing. We just constantly just, you know, trying to elevate to another level. That's what we're doing.

That's what you do. That's what you do. That's what I do. That's what we all do. We feel like we're blessed to live another day. You know, I'm at the point now when it's sunny outside. I wake up and it's sunny. I say, oh, my God, I got another one.

Thank God. That's right. You know what I'm saying? Thank God. God is the greatest. And so, every day I wake up now, it's like,

so you remember when you was young, you know, it's in the book. You know, I used to fight 30, 40 dudes every day. And they was cutting me and I didn't care.

I thought I was invincible. You know, I got shot. I checked out the hospital, you know, an hour later, like, take the tubes off thinking I'm bionic.

Now I'm like, if it wouldn't, God forbid somebody sneezes on the plane. I'm ducking. The mask is out. The hoodie is out. I'm like, yo, I'm going to sneeze. No, I'm not. You know, it's a different time.

So we appreciate God and we just constantly try to give back to the community. Well, we appreciate you, Joe. We know we stole you for a couple of minutes, and then you just came to drop off some sneakers. But we needed to holler at you. We cracked for a little bit. I need the girl to send me the footage of me giving you the sneakers. We got it. We got it.

That's the camera. We got it. We're going to get it to you. I need that. Have you a two-stop. We're going to get you eight-time. Real time? One, two, three.

I got it before noon. Before noon. Immediately. Before noon. Thank you, beloved. Love you guys. Joey Crack. Go get the Booker Jose. Go get the sneakers, man. That's right. Before noon. Thank you, beloved. Love you guys. Joey Crack. Go get the Booker Jose.

Go get the sneakers, man. That's right. The Terran Squad sneakers. All right. It's the Breakfast Club. Fat Joe for Mayor. Breakfast Club. Good morning.

No, no. No politics.