The "Don" of rap is back

Don Cartagena
Fat Joe

How many times is a rap album compiled of just a few gems with mostly mediocre songs? How many times do lyrical skills fall short of production, or rhymes fall flat under mediocre beats? On Don Cartagena, Fat Joe's first release with Atlantic Records, we finally have an album in which each of these elements are in place.

Fat Joe, supported by Big Pun, Armageddon and his ever-growing Terror Squad [TS] family, as well as a host of the industry's best, has created something that captures the beauty and intensity that only the best of albums can offer.

From the opening track, "The Crack Attack," it is clear that Joe has developed and refined his skills. When Joe boasts of "the art of rap at the illest form," he backs it up. Jewels like "Triplets," the underground hit "Find Out" and "Terror Squadians" showcase infectious beats and lyrics that display how much Fat Joe has matured and expanded the musical landscapes he creates.

As one of the reigning lords of hard-core rap, the newfound social and political awareness showcased by Joe in "The Hidden Hand" shows a consciousness that most commercial rap ignores. Fueled by a haunting violin, Joe and TS create a song that is both profound and powerful. "My World" (featuring Big Pun) is a hot song that demonstrates yet another level of this album, offering a dance-crowd mover with an addictive beat and chorus.

Fat Joe is out in stores now and fueled by a hot video of the Puffy featured "Don Cartagena" single, this album will both hit the underground heads, as well as achieve commercial success..

This is the delicate balance that every rapper searches for, and Joe has definitely achieved it. In an age when hip-hop purists have sought refuge in underground labels and kids that know nothing about rap mindlessly chant empty rap slogans, Don Cartagena, offers an album that will blaze both the stores and the streets.