Fat Joe talks standing in line with Big Pun to Buy Eminem Album.
Fat Joe recently did a live stream with Ohio rapper Bow Wow where they talked about a lot of things and the guest was also asked about his Top 5 Rappers, dead or alive. Bow Wow named the likes of Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, Tupac, before praising Eminem for his rhyme scheme. “I’ve seen lots of cats asked about their Top Fives and they are not putting Eminem in there. But as far as lyricism and wordplay… I just don’t understand how Eminem rhymes the words that don’t rhyme, but he makes them rhyme. It’s the craziest sh*t in the world,” says Bow Wow. Then Fat Joe praised Eminem and revealed that he and Big Pun waited in a line to buy the debut album of the Detroit Rapper.
In 1999, Eminem released his first major-label debut album, “Slim Shady LP.” Few people are aware that rappers Fat Joe and Big Pun stood in line for hours to get their copies of Eminem’s record, which sold 2,83000 copies in its first week. Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records released it on February 23, 1999. Following Eminem’s recruitment by Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, the album was recorded in Ferndale, Michigan, and contains production from Dr. Dre, the Bass Brothers, and Eminem himself.
It was the Detroit native’s second studio album and his major-label debut. Dr. Dre, the Bass Brothers, and Eminem all contributed to the album’s production. Fat Joe, the rapper who recently proposed mediation between Eminem and Nick Cannon, was in line to purchase his copy. Em and Nick have had a long-running feud and have released multiple diss tracks in the last few years.
Big Pun’s debut studio album, Capital Punishment, was released in 1998. It was the sole album he released during his lifetime, and it was published on April 28, 1998. The album spent two weeks at number one on the Top R&B Albums chart and five weeks at number five on the Billboard 200 list. At the 1999 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Rap Album.
“He’s incredible,” says Fat Joe. “Eminem is… He’s something else. You know and I know if he was not something else he would not be where he’s at. Because they would not let him get that type of pass. That man was so exception. I remember when Eminem’s first album [The Slim Shady LP] came out we were in LA for the Grammys. Me and Big Pun waited on line, and Pun was nominated for two Grammys and he was already double platinum and me and him literally, physically waited in line at the Tower Records to buy Eminem’s album . One of the biggest misconceptions ever is to all the other new white rappers who come up in the game they feel like they gotta diss Eminem to get on another level. Which is not true. And they wanna go to war even though they dead nice too. The next Puerto Rican rapper don’t gotta diss Fat Joe! Show me love, I’ll embrace you and show you love.”
Snoop Dogg, 2PAC, Ice Cube, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z were all mentioned, but Bow Wow made it apparent that Eminem was almost included. Bow Wow: Snoop Dogg, Tupac, Ice Cube, LL Cool J and Jay-Z. I was going to throw Eminem in there. I’ve seen lots of cats asked about their Top 5s and they are not putting Eminem in there but as far as lyricism and wordplay he deservers it. I just don’t understand how Eminem rhymes the words that does not rhyme but he makes them rhyme.
The album for which Fat Joe waited in line was iconic in itself- The Slim Shady LP. The Slim Shady LP opened at top one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number two on the Billboard 200, slightly behind TLC’s FanMail. Critics praised Eminem for his distinctive lyrical style, dark comedy lyrics, and quirky demeanor. It was commercially and critically successful. “My Name Is,” the first song, marked Eminem’s debut on the Billboard Hot 100. At the 2000 Grammy Awards, “My Name Is” won Best Rap Solo Performance, and the album took home Best Rap Album. The Slim Shady LP received a quadruple platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America in 2000. (RIAA).
Check out the interview below.
https://youtu.be/ieaP9z5uUxM
