Twenty years ago, while hip-hop maintained its cultural dominance and reggaeton began to carve out a niche in the global music scene, Fat Joe—with his deep ties to his Puerto Rican and Cuban heritage and his distinctly New York Known for style – building a bridge. As the two evolved, so did he: His participation with NORE and LDA on Don Omar’s 2005 “Reggaetón Latino (Chosen Few Remix)” marked a pivotal moment when reggaeton and rap became more closely aligned.
Since then, he’s been fusing Latin influences with hip-hop, starting with 2019’s salsa-infused “Yes,” a collaboration with Cardi B and Anuel AA that sampled Héctor Lavoe and Willie Colón’s “ Aguanile”) to recent single “Paradise” with Anitt and DJ Khaled. Fat Joe and advertising billboard During Latin Music Week, he spoke with NORE on the intersection of hip-hop and reggaeton.
How does your Latin heritage influence your music?
Man, I just love making music for everybody. But every time we’ve been able to tap into the Latino market – because I’m Puerto Rican and Cuban and my wife is Colombian – we do it for everyone. You know, no one knows how to celebrate like a Latino. It’s time for us to collaborate with Anitta from Brazil and DJ Khaled [with “Paradise,” which premiered at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards] and producing a Latino national anthem.
How do you see the relationship between these two styles evolving since “Reggaetón Latino”?
I’m proud of reggae and everywhere [those artists have] Gone because when we started, they were little guys. Now they’re killing the whole game – Don Omar, Tego Calderon, Daddy Yankee, Wising, Yandel, all these guys were pioneers of the game and brought it to America and then brought it To the whole world.
In your opinion, how have hip-hop and reggae supported or impacted each other’s broader cultural acceptance over the years?
Hip-hop is the blueprint. It is the basis of everything. Reggaeton followed suit and took it to another level in the Latino space and the global space. Even people who are not Latino enjoy reggaeton, but hip-hop is always the blueprint. It all starts when you talk about trends, music, fashion… they go hand in hand.
This story was published in the September 28, 2024 issue of billboard.
