Source: Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET / Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
All eyes are on Fat Joe and for all the right reasons. The veteran MC is closing out the year with a return to the BET Hip Hop Awards, a new album and more.
While the 2020 pandemic negatively impacted millions it surprisingly brought the Hip-Hop community together via virtual engagement on social media; here Fat Joe was reborn. The “Lean Back” rapper hosted a captivating Instagram Live series that featured some of the highest profile talents in music, film, sports and more. Fast forward a couple of years and the Bronx, NY native is Rap’s unofficial Master of Ceremonies that we never knew we needed.
This week he completed a rare three-peat and returned as host for the 2024 BET Hip Hop Awards for the third time. Taped in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Oct. 8, the ceremony was attended by countless celebrities and power players. The event not only celebrated some of the most impactful releases from the last year but also honored Travis Scott with “I AM HIP HOP Award.”
In an exclusive interview with HipHopWired.com Fat Joe made it clear the honor was all his. “Three-peat baby! Night night! [There’s] nothing like it. You know coming from The Bronx there is no better vibe than representing the culture and seeing all the other artists. You know the only time we get to see the other artists” he said with excitement.
Since his last stint at the BET Hip Hop Awards Fat Joe has kept busy with co-hosting talk shows, multiple promotional appearances for his autobiography and more. He went on to admit that the additional experience of being on set served him well. “To be honest with you I did it and before you knew it, it was the last act. It just flew by so smoothly; I don’t know how to explain it” he added. “This year was way easier than the first two. I knew everything that was going on. The timing was perfect, everything was perfect about it. I guess practice makes perfect.”
While he didn’t give us any spoilers about the event, he made it clear his favorite moment of the night was when Cactus Jack was honored. “The biggest moment of the night was when Travis Scott received the ‘I AM HIP HOP Award’. This man created his own style. His music is so incredible, he’s one of the few artists that I can listen to 20-30 songs in a row” Joe explained. “It was a happy moment to see him received his flowers.”
Back in 2022, Fat Joe broke necks when he hosted the BET Hip Hop Awards wearing the very limited Eminem Jordan 3 sneakers. When asked what fans can expect this year he remained tightlipped but revealed that he was thinking pink. “I got an outfit called Pinky and the Brain, that’s how I start the show. Super Bottega [Veneta] flow. A lot of name brands that a lot of people don’t know” he said cryptically. “It was real clean, it wasn’t big logos it was more just straight clean. More subtle but [the pieces] are real!” he said jokingly.
To round out the year Fat Joe looks to release a new album. “The World Changed On Me will be out later this month, no later than the beginning of next month. I feel like I am the last un-gentrified MC. [It’s like] I got the bodega and they trying to change the neighborhood with the Jamba Juice and all that,” he said.
The 2024 BET Hip Hop Awards will air Tuesday, October 15 at 8PM EST and will be simulcasted across BET HER, VH1, AND MTV2.