Bronx rap legend Fat Joe returns to his roots with new album ‘Organized Rhyme’

Organized Rhyme, set to be released Aug. 28, brings together a lineup of heavyweight collaborators, including Pusha T, Yung Miami, Jadakiss and fellow Bronx rapper and Terror Squad member Remy Ma.

Longtime collaborators Cool & Dre, who have produced several of Fat Joe’s biggest singles, including “What’s Luv?” with Ashanti and “New York” with Ja Rule and Jadakiss, also handled production on the new project.

Fat Joe previewed the album at a listening party Wednesday night at the Roc Nation office, giving attendees an early look at a project he described as being made specifically for people who love hip-hop.

“I’m just making music for my fans, for our era, our culture, hip hop culture,” Fat Joe said. 

The album comes as Fat Joe has become increasingly vocal about the direction of hip-hop and what he sees as a need to preserve the culture’s emphasis on quality music.

Joe said he believes younger rappers can feel pressured to release music based on whether they think it will sell, rather than simply focusing on making music they believe in.

“I don’t give a f—. I know already that music is forever,” Fat Joe said. “I’m still getting paid off the s— I did 33 years ago. So when I’m dead and gone, my family is still going to be eating off the s—-.”

That philosophy shaped the project, which Joe said was made for fans of hip-hop and gangster rap rather than to chase trends or first-week sales.

But Organized Rhyme also gave Fat Joe room to experiment with sounds outside of traditional hip-hop. The album opens with an original corrido, a Mexican ballad-style song associated with narco culture, created around Joe and Terror Squad.

Fat Joe also said he wanted to collaborate with yacht-rock legend Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers to capture a “Miami Vice” sound for the project, but McDonald was on tour.

Fat Joe also said he wanted to collaborate with yacht-rock legend Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers to capture a “Miami Vice” sound for the project, but McDonald was on tour.

The new album also brought Fat Joe back to a question he has heard throughout his career: where hip-hop began.

Asked about his upbringing in the Bronx, Fat Joe told the Bronx Times that he grew up surrounded by the people who helped build the culture in Forest Houses in Morrisania.

I’m from the soil. Not crosstown, not down the block. I’m from where Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are from. Sha Rock, first female MC, lived around the corner. You don’t believe me? Ask him. Ruby D, first Latino MC,” he said.

“It’s not my fault. And as a baby, I came outside and them n—-s was outside!” he said. “I never thought we would have a big hip-hop debate.”

After more than 30 years in the industry, Joe said the project ultimately came down to one thing: making music that sounds like him.

Organized Rhyme is set to be released Aug. 28.