Throughout music history, there has been a long history of notable friendships. For example, virtually everyone knows about pairs like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez, Iggy Pop and David Bowie, or André 3000 and Big Boi. On the other hand, there are some examples of celebrity musicians who’ve been pals for years without the masses realizing.
When it comes to Eminem, it is very well known that throughout his career he has developed close friendships with several other famous musicians. For example, it almost seems impossible to be aware of Eminem without knowing that he is close with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent.
On top of Eminem’s more famous friendships, he has developed strong relationships with a long list of his peers even though people don’t really talk about that fact much. For example, Eminem and Fat Joe have been a part of each other’s lives for a very long time and their history is a very interesting one.
Superstars
All the way back in 1993, Fat Joe found his first success of note with the release of his song “Flow Joe” which reached the top spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles chart. Going on to attain a lot more popularity, Joe’s 2001 album Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) would be certified platinum by the RIAA. Best remembered for songs like “Lean Back”, “What’s Luv?”, “Make It Rain”, and “All the Way Up”, Fat Joe has cemented his place in rap history.
Arguably among the greatest rappers of all-time, given the fact that Eminem is reportedly worth $230 million, there is no doubt that he has enjoyed an incredible amount of success. Best known for songs like “Lose Yourself”, “Stan”, “Greatest”, and “Love the Way You Lie” among others, Eminem has released so many hit tunes that he seems to have the Midas touch.
Missed Opportunity
Long before Eminem had become a legend, he was a young performer who was searching for his big break. An extremely hard worker throughout his career, Eminem wasn’t going to sit back and hope that the powers that be in the music industry would take note of his reputation and sign him. Instead, Eminem hustled to get his music in front of anyone he thought could help him. Given the fact that Eminem has been very open about the fact that he had a difficult childhood, it makes perfect sense that he worked so hard to find success as an adult.
As it turns out, during an interview with the South China Morning Post, Fat Joe revealed that Eminem worked hard to catch his attention but he let the young rapper slip through his fingers. Asked about if he had any regrets, Fat Joe replied; “Man I got so many regrets. The biggest is that Eminem gave me so many demos – six different times he approached me and I didn’t sign him. Shame on me.”
Long-Lasting Friendship
Back in 2004, the song “Lean Back” became a sensation largely due to Fat Joe’s contributions to the tune. For that reason, when Joe released his 2005 album All or Nothing, he decided to include a remix of “Lean Back” which included contributions from Mase, Remy Ma, Lil Jon, and Eminem. During a 2020 Southpawer interview, Joe spoke about how much respect he gained for Eminem while working on the remix.
“Eminem is the only guy who sent me ‘Lean Back’ remix and he sent me that verse 30 different times with different tone, lighter tone, he would make up his mind into 30 different takes of verses. Same verse but different flows. High or low. I don’t know what to tell you, this dude is such a perfectionist.”
During that same interview, Fat Joe spoke about the feud Eminem had going on with DMX at that time and why he thought the Detroit rapper was destined to win. “I don’t know who wanna battle Eminem. I don’t think. Nobody can f**k with Eminem. NOBODY. DMX? Nah. He got biggest hits in the world. One of the greatest rappers of all time. Legendary. Iconic. Superhero and everything I’m saying is understatement. He’s bigger than that. But there is something about that white boy and his fans. Naah bro. You wanna see some crack in the Internet? He’s gonna crash”
On top of addressing Eminem’s skills in recent years, Fat Joe has also worked with his longtime pal of late. After all, nearly 15 years after the two men worked on a remix of “Lean Back” together, Eminem contributed to Fat Joe’s song “Lord Above”. Considering that Fat Joe isn’t nearly as popular as he was during the 2000s, it speaks to the pair’s lasting friendship that Eminem is still willing to spend his time recording verses for his pal’s tune.
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