On at the present time in 1993, Bronx heavyweight and D.I.T.C. consultant Fats Joe launched his debut full-length studio album Characterize on Relativity/Violator, formally planting his flag in Hip Hop historical past.

Lengthy earlier than turning into the larger-than-life cultural determine we all know at present, Fats Joe was nonetheless within the trenches. Uncooked, unfiltered, and contemporary off his first characteristic on Diamond D’s Stunts, Blunts & Hip Hop album, Joe Crack wasn’t a family identify simply but. With the assistance of his Diggin’ In The Crates crew, Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Huge L and Showbiz, he crafted one of many grittiest, most genuine New York avenue albums of the early ‘90s.

With standouts like the road anthem “Move Joe,” the Beatnuts-produced gem “Shit Iz Actual,” and “You Should Be Out Of Your Fuckin’ Thoughts” that includes Apache and Kool G Rap, Characterize was Fats Joe at his most uncut—laborious bars, no gimmicks. It was the uncooked blueprint of the Fats Joe Da Gangsta persona that helped bridge the golden period and the hardcore mid-‘90s sound. The album captured the essence of the Bronx and showcased why D.I.T.C. stays one of the vital revered collectives in Hip Hop.

Huge salute to the late Chris Lighty (RIP), Diamond D, Showbiz, Lord Finesse, and the remainder of the D.I.T.C. crew for serving to carry this challenge to life; a timeless, Bronx-bred second in Hip Hop.

And whereas Fats Joe has since advanced into one of many tradition’s most recognizable voices, with hits, main options and government strikes beneath his belt, he’s nonetheless acquired that very same vitality in 2025. Nowadays, you may catch him dropping jaw-dropping tales on his Joe and Jada podcast, the place each episode comes with a aspect of “nah, that may’t be true” storytelling, however that’s precisely why we preserve tuning in. Characterize, certainly.