Songoftheday 2/17/23 - Terror Squad man you know who we are, cruise through ya block and them drop-top Bentley's is ours...

 

 

"We Thuggin'" - Fat Joe with R. Kelly

from the album Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) (2001)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #15 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 13

 

Today's song comes from rapper Fat Joe, who grew up Joseph Cartegena in New York City, where he originally dubbed himself "Fat Joe da Gangsta" as a member of the group D.I.T.C. (Diggin' The Crates Crew) in the early 1990s. Signed to the indie label Relativity, Fat Joe (still with "da Gangsta") released his debut album Represent in 1993. The lead single from the record, "Flow Joe", went to #1 on Billboard magazine's Rap Songs chart, as well as #62 on the R&B Songs list and even popped on to the Hot 100 at #89. The single was ominous and shouty, and more in line with the East Coast gangster rap of the time, and had a hilarious name-check of Piscataway, New Jersey in it. The album also placed at #46 on their R&B Albums chart. Two other tracks from the set "bubbled under" the R&B singles list.

By his sophomore effort, Fat Joe dropped the "da Gangsta" from his billing, and brought in DJ Premier as one of the producers of Jealous One's Envy in 1995. The second single "Envy", backed by the non-album track "Firewater" with rappers Raekwon, Big Punisher, and Armageddon (it would later appear on a Big Pun album, gave Joe a second hit on the Hot 100 at #76, while just missing the R&B top-40 at #44. The album was his first to make the Billboard 200 sales tally at #71, while making the top ten on the R&B Albums list at #7. 

Cartagena left Relativity for the major label Atlantic Records, and put out his third disc Don Cartagena in the fall of 1998. While the record went to #7 on the Billboard 200, and #2 on the R&B Albums list, selling over a half-million copies, both singles from the set stalled on the charts, with the title track only nicking the R&B top-40 at #40 even though it sported a feature from Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. But at least his album was selling, setting up momentum for his next album.

That record, Jealous One's Still Envy (J.O.S.E.), was released at the close of 2001. The first single from the album was "We Thuggin'", which featured singer/writer/producer R. Kelly, who was riding high in the R&B world at that time. The song, written by the pair with producer Ron "G" Bowser, didn't rely on any samples, lived up to its name, a party track about going to the club and cruisin' the streets macking on the women even though they have a wifey at home. The best thing about the record is the production, which sets up a nice chunky groove with just a hint of a Latin vibe, because while Fat Joe can ride the flow with ease, it's just flexing on his promiscuity, while R. Kelly's vocal is just two note vascillation at best. Still, it sounded different, and that big synth bass helped make the track Fat Joe's first big crossover hit...

"We Thuggin'" reached the top 20 on Billboard's Hot 100 in January of 2002, while peaking at #5 on their R&B Songs chart and #7 on the Rap Songs list. Internationally, the single made the top-40 in Australia at #37, and just missed it in the United Kingdom at #48. The Jealous Ones Still Envy album, released in December of 2001, crested at #21 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, and #6 on the R&B Albums list, but stayed on the charts longer than its predecessor, and went on to sell over a million copies, going "platinum". Both Fat Joe and this album will be back to the series.

(5/10)

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There was a remix done for the single that had guests Remy Ma, Busta Rhymes, and Noreaga, and Remy steals the show with her rebut to Joe's swagger...

Here's Fat Joe with his crew (without Kelly) performing the song at Live At The Apollo...

Tomorrow I'll have my weekly singles rundown, Sunday will do the same for the albums, and Monday I'll be back with a band promising fidelity.