Fat Joe and Big Pun is one of the most important friendships in New York hip-hop, resulting in a cultural shift and a lot of great music. While Pun tragically passed away, Joe still honors his memory and does right by him with everything he does. For example, the rapper recently sat down with the Rap Radar podcast and recalled a wholesome story of their experiences before attending the Grammys in 1999 for their nomination. The night before, they waited in line like regular people for The Slim Shady LP by Eminem at Tower Records in Los Angeles. At the height of their fame, they never stopped being fans, especially for someone they liked as much as Marshall Mathers.
"Eminem is a god," Fat Joe told the show's co-hosts. "I don’t give a f**k who or what you think, he’s a god. Somebody [who] shifted the whole algorithm when he came up. Me and Big Pun, Big Pun was the fist Latino to sell two million records solo. We’re nominated for a Grammy, and the night before we go to the Grammys, we are waiting [in] line in L.A. at Tower Records for f***ing Eminem's album. On line, nominated for a Grammy, me and Big Pun on line to get that motherf***in’ Eminem album. You tell me he ain’t a rap god."
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Fat Joe Tells The Story Of How He Waited In Line For The Slim Shady LP With Big Pun
Big Pun received a nomination for Best Rap Album for his debut, Capital Punishment. When he lost to Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, he apparently didn't take it well. "Big Pun was nominated for two Grammys," Fat Joe explained to XXL in March. "He went and got the finger waves like Dru Down. It’s that iconic picture where we look like the Kingpin. The big-a** suits. I remember when we went to the Grammys, they had told us that they do the hip-hop awards before, and we lost. Ricky Martin was doing the ‘Living La Vida Loca’ and I’m looking around. It’s Aretha Franklin. It’s Kirk Franklin. I waited my whole life to get there.
"Pun was like, ‘Yo, f**k these people, man,'" he continued. "'They jerked us.’ I was like, ‘What?’ and he was like ‘Let’s go.’ I was like, ‘Yo, Pun, are you serious?’ He was like, ‘Yo, let’s go. F**k that, you my brother, let’s go.’ I was like, ‘Aight, f**k it. We gotta go.’ That was a big moment for us. We left. We left the Grammys. And we were strapped, like the cover, at the Grammys." For more news on Big Pun's legacy and the latest updates on Fat Joe, keep checking in with HNHH.
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