By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Not too long ago, a collaboration between Fat Joe and Kanye West seemed highly unlikely. For years, there was a “cold war” between Terror Squad and Roc-A-Fella, as an altercation took place between the two camps in the late 1990s. Jay-Z and Fat Joe never directly mentioned each other, or interacted, but industry insiders knew there were issues.
These issues went away late in 2008, when Jay-Z took the stage with DJ Khaled and eventually performed with Fat Joe, alongside Swizz Beatz weeks later. Still, neither rapper mentioned their past issues. While Jay-Z shouted DJ Khaled out in his comeback single, “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune),” he never directly mentioned his former foe.
Four years later, Kanye West has continued to rise, while Jay-Z has returned to his offices of Roc Nation and is handling the careers of many of hip hop’s top artists. Recently, a resurgent Fat Joe turned to Kanye West for his new posse cut, “Pride N Joy.” The song features a number of artists and is produced by Kanye West. Speaking with XXL, Fat Joe said he recorded several versions of the track, which may be released as remixes. With so many tracks out there, Fat Joe said it was a honor to work with Kanye West for the first time, as he has worked with so many others.
