Fat Joe, born Joseph Antonio Cartagena, is a notable rapper from New York City. Best known for his popular 2000s tracks, the 52-year-old has been a staple in the music industry for decades now. Given his level of popularity, Joe has often used his platform to uplift other artists and educate his followers. However, his most recent attempt to inspire the community didn’t garner the response he hoped for.
On Friday (August 26), the rapper posted a video that paid homage to the Latino pioneers in hip-hop. The 45-second clip featured an extensive list of artists, DJs, and music groups who contributed to the genre and were of a certain descent. After uploading it, he wrote, “Thank you Thank you Thank you for your contribution to HIP HOP,” in the caption.
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While thousands of people appreciated the post, others weren’t amused by it. The following day, Joe hopped on Instagram live to promote DJ Khaled’s 13th album, God Did. However, the subject changed once he noticed some haters in the comment section. Around the 52-minute mark, he called them out and stated, “Lately, they’ve been talking about, ‘Latinos wasn’t in rap.’ These guys are f*cking delusional.”
He recalled how growing up in the Bronx, New York allowed him to witness different things about music. “When hip-hop started, it’s Latinos and blacks– half and half,” Joe added. The father of three then spoke on the remarks he’d gotten from naysayers. “‘F*ck that… Latinos wasn’t there, you were invited… You’re a specimen,” he restated.
Twitter users decided to chime in on his statements by posting proof of hip-hop’s creation and ridiculing Joe for his claims. Check out the tweets below and let us know your feelings on this subject.