Represent

Classic 90's cd his best by far

The dopest album of any emcee to debut in the 90's incredible album!

i love it

My nephew loves old rap music. I am glad he appreciates the music that I like also. Great kid. I'm sure I'll be purchasing more for him.

This joint here is a Hip Hop classic! Fat Joe's 1st album repping the Boogie Down is rock solid with plenty of special guest appearances. You can hear the hunger in his delivery and the production is Outstanding!!!!

Before Joey Crack, Don Cartagena, the D.I.T.C. albums, Terror Squad, Big Pun, summer anthems, the 50 Cent beef, crossover hits and R&B collaborations, Joseph Cartagena was simply Fat Joe da Gangsta, a straightforward, heavyset Latino rapper from the Bronx. Love him or hate him, he's had a truly storied career for such a modest talent, owing mostly to an appeal that many folks outside the five boroughs don't quite appreciate. Much of it lies in his attitude, sound, and style...chances are if you're a New Yorker, you know somebody like Fat Joe. For the better part of two decades now, he's managed to remain a star because he has a knack for surrounding himself with the right people, smoothly adjusting to new trends, and maintaining respect on the streets. True to the spirit of New York, Fat Joe gets his and always will.Joe comes hard on his 1993 Relativity debut "Represent," a rugged, straightforward, consistent album with no pop concessions produced mostly by legendary D.I.T.C. beatsmith Diamond D in his prime. As you might expect, Joe's no lyrical visionary, but it's fun to hear his stories about the life of an early-90s New York gangster. Even at a young age, it's clear he knew exactly how to market himself, and guest rappers include legends Grand Puba, Kool G Rap, Diamond D, Apache, and Showbiz as well as some lesser-known Bronx MCs. Showbiz, Lord Finesse, and the Beatnuts also contribute beats, adding to an all-star cast.The beats are excellent, bearing the classic rugged D.I.T.C. sound with choppy jazz samples, upbeat percussion, and rich New York flavor. Still, it's Joe's show, as he lives up to the album's title with heavy, angry rhymes from the openers "Livin' Fat," "Bad Bad Man" and the posse cut "Watch the Sound" with Grand Puba and Diamond D. The single "Flow Joe" is a gloomy, horn-laden track quite indicative of the album at whole, and the funky "This Is Real" and the ruthless "You Must Be Out of Your Mind" with Apache and Kool G Rap are also highlights. A surprising late standout is the Chilly D production "Another Wild N From the Bronx," a posse cut with underground BX rappers.While not his most memorable work, "Represent" is a really solid offering of hardcore, jazzy '93 East Coast boom bap. A few guys came out of New York with debuts like this one in '93, but Joe and his machine ensured that his style progressed and star kept rising with each album well into the new millennium. While neither conceptual nor mind-blowing and somewhat predictable, it's quite well done and really consistent and "Represent" is a great album and a piece of lore in that it's a largely unheard debut from a superstar.

Hailing from the Bronx, Fat Joe enters the rap game with his debut album, "Represent" in 1993. From the same city in New York as other legends such as KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions, can Joe keep the city on top or will he fail at his first attempt at stardom?1. A Word to da Wise (Intro) - No Rating2. Livin' Fat - 4/53. My Man Ski (Skit) - No Rating4. Bad Bad Man - 4/55. Watch the Sound (Featuring Grand Puba & Diamond D) - 4/56. Flow Joe - 4.5/57. Da Fat Gangsta - 4.5/58. Shorty Gotta Fat A** - 4/59. The S*** Is Real - 4/510. You Must Be out of Your F*****' Mind (Featuring Kool G Rap & Apache) - 4/511. I Got This in a Smash - 4/512. Another Wild N***** From the Bronx (Featuring Gismo, Kieth Kieth & King Sun) - 4.5/513. Get on Up - 4.5/514. I'm a Hit That - 4.5/5Overall:50.5/604 StarsFat Joe releases a very solid album with his debut. Just a couple of points away from being nearly classic. The production is booming and goes along great with Joe's raw flow and lyrics. He definitely represented the Bronx great with this album. It has a very old school feel to it as well. Check it out if you're a fan of Fat Joe, Big Pun, Terror Squad, or New York hip-hop.

I missed out on Fat Joe's D.I.T.C. stuff, so why not go back and check out the earlier material while he was Fat Joe Da Gangsta? Can you believe this album is 20 years old? You know how people always say an artists older material is their best? Well lets see! The production on Represent is very raw, it has that whole early 90's jazzy boom bap sound. He gets beats from Lord Finesse, Diamond D and The Beatnuts, just to name a few. Fat Joe is really limited on Represent, he rarely switches flows, his mic presence is average at best, and his repetitive tough talk gets annoying after a while. Fat Joe wasn't always mainstream, this is way before Lean Back, What's Luv?, All I Need, Make It Rain, Etc. The album kicks off with the Lord Finesse produced Livin' Fat, the hook is chanty "Im livin fat yall/ I'm livin fat", and the lyrics are pretty much straight forward. "Flow Joe" fits his rap style perfectly, it was the single, you should already know about that one. "Da fat Gangsta" samples the Ohio Players "Pride and Vanity", yeah yeah I know the song has been sampled a million times, but I never get tired of it. Bad Bad Man samples Yvonne Fair's "Let Your Hair Down", Jay-Z later used the same sample on "Where I'm From"."The S*** Is Real" is a introspective track. Joe talks about the struggles he dealt with, from his Mother being on welfare, to his Father not being there for him, and even admits to robbing his own cousin because he needed the money. Joe also calls out the fakers in the third verse. I recommend checking out the DJ Premier remix too, but it doesn't appear on this album, its actually on his second album Jealous Ones Envy. There are few posse cuts on here, "Watch The Sound" features Grand Puba and Diamond D, it has the Jamaican sample in there, the beat is less hardcore compared to the other songs. Gismo, Kieth Kieth and King Sun appear on Another Wild N***** From The Bronx, they all had good verses, and they got the Cypress Hill "Hand On The Pump" sample in there. The menacing "You Must Be Out Of Your F*****' Mind" features the late Apache and Kool G Rap, of course G Rap stole the show, but come on now, how many people could actually out-rap him in his prime? Exactly. The dialogue on the hook comes from the movie Straight Out Of Brooklyn.Now lets get into the bad. One of main problems with Represent is that Joe rarely switches topics and when he does, the results are lackluster. Shorty Gotta Fat A** and I'm A Hit That are forgettable, luckily later in his career, he figured out how to cater to the females without sounding corny. The lyrics bring the album down too, even Joe himself knew he had to work on his lyrics. But Fat Joe eventually picked things up on the Jealous Ones Envy album. I will be reviewing that album as well, so stay tuned. All in all, I would recommend checking out Represent just to see how far Joe progressed as an rapper.

Excelente álbum, la entrega fue muy rapida

tout simplement enorme!!!Quand on connait le rap des années 90 une fois encore ce CD nous le prouve,le son de ces années là a marqué une génération et pour ma part on a rien fait de mieux depuis .Si vous voulez du lourd n'hesiter pas une seconde ce disque est pour vous.....