There is much irony in Fat Joe’s above statement. In the 90s, it was Joe criticizing Masta Ace for experimenting with West Coast sounds and “selling out” his fanbase. In recent years, Fat Joe was hearing nearly the exact same accusations over his radio-themed, Southern-styled singles like “Make It Rain.” Whether it’s due to hearing those callouts or simply his progression as an artist, Joe now decided to give more credence to his edgier side with 10th studio album The Darkside Vol. 1 (E1 Music).
Scram Jones “Intro” supplies Joe with a baleful rhythm accentuated with opera vocals and scratches. The tone set is one of controlled chaos, a struggle where Joe challenges the listener to be a prepared for a decadent, violent journey (“The darkside you don’t want to go to this place/Where I got special power/ I could punch a hole through your face…More bitches to beat up/Got lips like Megan Goode and a ass like Vita”). Cool and Dre further the momentum on “Valley of Death,” which utilizes the same Montclairs sample from Prodigy’s “Bang On Em.” It’s a vintage NY sound that has Joe resembling his Jealous One’s Envy and Don Cartagena days.
On “I Am Crack,” Joe personifies himself as the destructive drug. His storyline takes him through the narcotic’s emergence in the 80s to political scandals in the 90s like D.C.’s former mayor Marion Barry. Just Blaze ominous production with remind fans of his work on Game’s “The Remedy.”
Another sample retread on “Kilo,” this time from Ghostface’s same-titled track, gets new life with the Clipse and Cam’Ron. Each emcee does well, but on the topic of drug no one is outdoing the Clipse’s wordplay and allusions (“I plays it like a cello/I pull them strings/To make the scale thither-totter like balance beams…Smile candid camera/Got us in zoom lenses/Unclaimed taxes sitting in new Benzes”).
The lead single “Slow Down” functions as a transition song for the LP. It’s catchy melody, club rhythms and singing signal the more mainstream R&B guests and sounds of The Darkside’s second half. That doesn’t necessarily have to mean a drop in quality, but it starts off shaky with “If It Ain’t About Money.” Trey Songz’s part is solid, but the repetitive, almost video game like affect that is the song’s centerpiece becomes grating. And Joe himself sounds stilted trying to ride it.
“No Problems” is a serviceable, upbeat track but is ultimately forgettable since Joe follows a generic script lyrically. When he injects personal struggles, like his experiences with family and friends on the R. Kelly featuring “How Did We Get Here,” it engages the listener beyond your average R&B-styled rap songs. “Money Over Bitches” isn’t helped by Raw Uncut’s Murder Inc circa ’02 production, but the song stands out first because Fat Joe channels Tupac’s rhyme scheme for the chorus. And Too $hort is of course at home discussing his favorite word and topic (“If you like me you don’t let nothing get past ya/I’ll make a bitch hoe in the snow in Alaska”).
Joey Crack settles old debts on “Heavenly Father.” Lil Wayne handles the chorus, and Joe launches considerable venom at past nameless associates he frames as being leeches and ungrateful (“I paid niggas rents, I paid niggas bails/Gave niggas jobs so they wouldn’t go to jail/Did so much dirt niggas knew I wouldn’t tell/Paid for some funerals they probably went to hell!”). While he doesn’t endorse the verified spousal abuse the late Big Pun administered to his wife, he accuses her of being unfaithful and not managing a million dollar payment he gave her. The track works because Joe doesn’t hesitate to reveal his own shortcomings by speaking on his regrets for previous illegal activity.
Even so, the most heartfelt track is the DJ Premier produced “I’m Gone.” Written in the immediate aftermath of Guru’s passing, the song has Joe at his most reflective as his ponders his own mortality. He takes the listener from his beginnings as a violent teen to successful rap star, and fighting with his Jekyll and Hyde mentality conceptualized in the phrase “conversating with the Devil rocking diamond Messiahs.” Premier delivers an appropriately somber track highlighted by his trademark vocal scratch, this time from JVC Force’s classic single “Strong Island.”
The only misstep here is not due to Joe or Premier, but whoever decided to not make this the final track. Joe’s ending two minute monologue made it a fitting conclusion, and the additional track detracts from some of its potency.
Thankfully the concluding track “At Last Supremacy” is solid. Joe acknowledges that he hadn’t been giving the fans what they wanted, and is now refocused (“The streets is missing me they love me in my early days/Damn, has it really been this long/Since I last spit the facts with the gas mask on?”). The entire second verse cleverly incorporates all of Joe’s album titles, symbolizing that his musical journey has now reached a milestone but is far from complete.
The Darkside Vol. 1 is a surprising and strong return to form for Fat Joe. There is still some residue from his pop leanings, but it’s been several albums since Joey Crack has made this much of an effort to pull back his older fans. If he continues down this road, expect even better albums in Fat Joe’s future.
Fat Joe-“I’m Gone”
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 