Fat Joe is a revered MC in his own right who rightfully deserves a spot among the best to ever do it. His catalog speaks for itself, and he’s consistently pushing his pen with each release. However, some might be taken aback by who he puts at the top of his list of favorite rappers of all time.
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During a recent interview on the I Am Athlete podcast, Joe offered praise for Kanye West as his “favorite rapper.” “Kanye is my favorite rapper in the world, and I love him to death,” Fat Joe said. “He’s my favorite rapper, he’s been my favorite rapper. And I won’t turn my back on him, no matter what he do.”
Joe’s unconditional appreciation for Ye is based on both his personal experiences being around the Chicago artist and the incredible catalog he has. Some people might be critical of Ye’s political opinions but Joe said that Ye’s contributions to the culture is bigger than that.
“He’s a genius, he’s incredible, and I fuck with him. A lotta people we cool with, they don’t vote like us, they don’t agree with everything, but we gotta fuck with him. He made ‘Jesus Walks,'” he said before addressing Ye’s general behavior. “When Kanye West gets around me, he’s as normal, as real as he can be. No extra shit.”
Check out the clip below and sound off with your thoughts.