By Odeisel
Throughout a long history in this music with many phases of his career, Fat Joe has begrudgingly earned my respect. He has gone from lyrically limited hard core D.I.T.C. member to Terror Squad general and partner of Pun, to hit- dropping, Miami-living MC. He’s not only managed to carve out a lane but also managed to support the careers of many in this music, including not only Pun, but Scott Storch, Remy Ma, Cool & Dre and a few others. His career is certainly worthy of a page in our history books.
After a couple slow years following “Lean Back” mania, Joe stands at a crossroads with his newest album, J.O.S.E. 2. As with most rappers on the wrong side of 30, Crack is in search of a lane to continue the second phase of his career. Unfortunately, he mainly fails at this by actually pigeon-holing himself into one style of song for most of the album.
The album opens with the Ron Browze produced “Winding on Me,” featuring guest star emeritus Lil Wayne. The beat is very simple and very basic with Browse delivering a pedestrian autotune hook that doesn’t do much to separate itself. Wayne actually delivers on it and Joe is fine, but when pit against the library of similar songs out there, both MC’s are featured on similar songs that are better.
The change of pace and as a result highlight is the very dope “Joey Don’t Do It.” The frenetically sinister track allows Joe to get off the yacht, put down the Patron and kick that hard s**t that got him to this spot in the first place. Good pace and solid rhyming by Joe. More of this would have been appreciated.
Another highlight is the Raekwon-featured “Ice Cream” which stands out via its different production alone, but Joe and Raekwon kick the ballistics about the honeys. It’s not groundbreaking but it’s at least a Joe you recognize. This song bumps. “Okay Okay” is also another solid song that showcases the Joey Crack you came to respect.
“Congratulations” begins with a tone setting of “Zip’s in Harlem 2 AM.” It’s another club song but at least the pace and tempo are changed. It breaks musically away from the rest of album in construction and that helps make J.O.S.E 2 more listenable. Rico Love and Ta drop solid verses for a party song, even though one of them kicks that whole “I don’t write” steeze that’s becoming annoying as hell in rap right now. Fat Joe sounds like himself on this one, unashamed of his New York pedigree.
TheDJ J Buttah-produced “Blackout” is the closest thing to a body bag track on here with guest star Rob Cash going in on Swizz’ grimiest. Dangerous sound, dangerous song, slightly corny hook but serviceable.
“Porn Star” is disgustingly wack and Lil’ Kim, normally murderous on these songs, delivers perhaps the worst performance of her career, calling Joe her “Puerto Rican Biggie.” Basura. “Cupcake,” a pseudo Jeezy song, complete with reference to that “white girl” that drug rappers love so much is also not good.
The balance of the album could have been done by any Miami rapper with Akon, or interchangeable autotune hook rapper on the track. The flows are disposable as is the subject matter. And the towering presence of Rick Ross whose album typifies that Miami mogul life at this point, in the music, makes this album and the overabundance of similar songs expendable.
He manages to close the album very well with “Music,” where the aforementioned accomplishments and people he put on are clearly laid out without “hey look what I did for the game” bitterness.
The guest stars on this album do what they are supposed to do, as Wayne, Akon, T-Pain, Pleasure P, et al, deliver exactly what we have come to expect from them. In doses, these are not bad songs. Spaced out a few months at a time they would all probably rock the club or be suitable for background music on Entourage or any hip CW model drama show. But together it’s just flat out too much of the same thing. In trying to carve out his lane, he may have done the converse and created a prison for himself in that the music is making him Miami club rapper x. He’s a better rapper than that.
While this album doesn’t spell the death of his career, it’s just surprisingly mediocre for a rapper whose entire career was spent overcoming his limitations. Better sequencing could have also helped by separating all the similar sounding records from being put too close together. When in his natural element, Joey Crack is still a solid MC, and there are a few tracks where his talent is fairly evident. It is when he plays the role of Miami don that his music takes a turn for the worst.
Out of 5
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