1998 studio album by Fat Joe
Don Cartagena Released September 1, 1998 (1998-09-01 ) Studio Genre Label Producer
"Don Cartagena" Released: July 14, 1998
"Bet Ya Man Can't (Triz)" Released: December 8, 1998
Don Cartagena is the third studio album by American rapper Fat Joe . It was released on September 1, 1998 through Atlantic Records , Big Beat , Mystic Entertainment Group and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions . Production was handled by Armageddon, Baby Paul , Buckwild , Curt Gowdy, Dame Grease , DJ Premier , JAO, L.E.S. , Mack 10 , Marley Marl , Rashad Smith , Ski Beatz , Spunk Bigga, V.I.C. and Younglord , with Craig Kallman , Fat Joe and Greg Angelides serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from fellow Terror Squad members Big Punisher , Armageddon, Prospect, Cuban Link and Triple Seis, as well as Charli Baltimore , Jadakiss , Krayzie Bone , Layzie Bone , Nas , Noreaga , Puff Daddy , Raekwon and Rell .
The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200 , selling 106,000 copies in its first week.[ 1] On October 28, 1998, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 500,000 units in the United States.
It was supported with two singles: "Don Cartagena" and "Bet Ya Man Can't (Triz)". Its lead single, "Don Cartagena", peaked at number 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number 40 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the US. The second single from the album, "Bet Ya Man Can't (Triz)", made it to number 54 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and also marked Fat Joe's first entry on the UK singles chart , reaching number 97. Both singles featured accompanying music videos. Though not released as a single, a music video for John Blaze was made.
Don Cartagena received generally favourable reviews from music critics . Matt Diehl of Entertainment Weekly praised the album, writing that Fat Joe's "blunt lyrical flow, infectious Latino pride, and appropriately ominous grooves make these gangsta tales explode like a sonic Scarface ".[ 3] Soren Baker of Los Angeles Times called it "Joe's triumphant return project", adding "Joe largely sticks to ultra-violent lyrics and gangster story lines. The album's appeal rests largely on his ability to effortlessly mix gangsterism and braggadocio. Joe's menacing voice and thunderous production create a masterful musical atmosphere that thrills and intimidates", and resumed: "a superb blend of hard-core sounds and sensibilities, Don Cartagena places Fat Joe among rap's elite".[ 4]
Notes
Track 11 is produced by Victor "V.I.C." Padilla, who is a member of Ghetto Professionals and The Beatnuts . The production credits are shared between the two production teams (Ghetto Pros & The Beatnuts) in the liner notes.
Sample credits
Joseph "Fat Joe " Cartagena — vocals, executive producer
Christopher "Big Pun " Rios — vocals (tracks: 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 15)
Richard "Prospect" Perez — vocals (tracks: 3, 12, 15)
John "Armageddon" Eaddy — vocals (tracks: 4, 12, 13, 15) , producer & mixing (track 13)
Sean "Puffy " Combs — vocals (track 5)
Nasir "Nas " Jones — vocals (track 7)
Jason "Jadakiss " Phillips — vocals (track 7)
Corey "Raekwon " Woods — vocals (track 7)
Tiffany "Charli Baltimore " Lane — vocals (track 8)
Gerrell "Rell " Gaddis — vocals (track 8)
David Anthony "Kid Capri " Love Jr. — voice (track 8)
Felix "Cuban Link " Delgado — vocals (tracks: 10, 12)
Sammy "Triple Seis" Garcia — vocals (tracks: 10, 12)
Lo-Key — additional vocals (track 10)
Victor "Noreaga " Santiago — vocals (track 11)
Steven "Layzie Bone " Howse — vocals (track 14)
Anthony "Krayzie Bone " Henderson — vocals (track 14)
Rodolfo "DJ Clark Kent " Franklin — scratches (track 2)
Gerald Flowers — guitar (track 7)
Martha Mooke — viola (track 7)
Chris "DJ Spinbad " Sullivan — scratches (track 7)
Larry Devore — strings arrangement (track 7)
Barry Salter — guitar (track 8)
Dinky Bingham — keyboards (track 8)
Rob "Reef" Tewlow — keyboards and additional programming (track 11) , co-executive producer, A&R
Darryl McClary — keyboards and additional programming (track 11)
Dedrick "Mack 10 " Rolison — producer (track 1)
Leshan "L.E.S. " Lewis — producer & mixing (track 2)
Damon "Dame Grease " Blackmon — producer & mixing (track 3)
Marlon "Marley Marl " Williams — producer & engineering (track 4)
Richard "Younglord " Frierson — producer & mixing (track 5)
Paul Anthony "Baby Paul " Hendricks — producer & mixing (track 6)
David "Ski " Willis — producer & mixing (track 7)
Anthony "Buckwild " Best — producer & mixing (track 8)
Christopher "DJ Premier " Martin — producer (track 9)
J. "JAO" Ortiz — producer (track 10)
Victor "V.I.C." Padilla — producer & mixing (track 11)
Anthony "Spunk Bigga" Blagmon — producer & mixing (track 12)
Rashad Smith — producer & mixing (track 14)
Richard "Curt Gowdy" Pimentel — producer (track 15)
Christian "Soundboy" Delatour — recording (tracks: 2-6, 8-14) , mixing (tracks: 12, 13) , mixing assistant (track 6)
Paul Gregory — recording (track 6) , recording assistant (track 8)
Ken "Duro" Ifill — recording (track 7) , mixing (tracks: 2, 7, 8)
Dexter Thibou — recording & mixing assistant (track 9)
Gustavo Garces — recording (track 14)
Rich Keller — recording (track 15) , mixing (tracks: 3, 15)
Rich Travali — mixing (tracks: 5, 6, 10)
Eddie Sancho — mixing (track 9)
Phil Pagano — mixing (track 11)
Romeo Antonio — mixing (track 14)
Gregory "Gold" Wilson — recording assistant (tracks: 6, 12) , mixing assistant (track 12)
Nikos Teneketzis — recording assistant (tracks: 7, 10, 12, 13) , mixing assistant (tracks: 2, 5, 7, 8, 10-14)
Tom Hughes — recording assistant (track 11)
Carlisle Young — mixing assistant (track 3)
Leon Zervos — mastering
Gregory J. Angelides — executive producer
Craig Kallman — executive producer
Eric Altenburger — art direction, design
Michael Lavine — photography
^ Boehlert, Eric (September 9, 1998). "Hill Still on Top" . Rolling Stone . Retrieved May 7, 2024 .
^ Gallucci, Michael. "Don Cartagena - Fat Joe | Album" . AllMusic . Retrieved May 7, 2024 .
^ a b Diehl, Matt (October 2, 1998). "Don Cartagena" . Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved May 7, 2024 .
^ a b Baker, Soren (September 5, 1998). "* * * 1/2 Fat Joe, "Don Cartagena," Mystic/Big Beat/Atlantic" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved May 7, 2024 .
^ Brackett, Nathan ; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster . p. 296. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8 – via Google Books .
^ Osorio, Kim (October 1998). "Record Report: Fat Joe – Don Cartagena". The Source . No. 109. New York. p. 218.
^ Gonzales, Michael A. (November 1998). "Reviews". Spin . Vol. 14, no. 11. SPIN Media LLC . pp. 136, 138. ISSN 0886-3032 .
^ Christgau, Robert (November 3, 1998). "Consumer Guide" . The Village Voice . Retrieved May 7, 2024 .
^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved May 7, 2024.
^ "The Billboard 200" . Billboard . Vol. 110, no. 38. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 19, 1998. p. 106. ISSN 0006-2510 . Retrieved May 7, 2024 .
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums" . Billboard . Vol. 110, no. 38. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 19, 1998. p. 42. ISSN 0006-2510 . Retrieved May 7, 2024 .
^ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998" . Billboard . Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-50. ISSN 0006-2510 . Retrieved May 7, 2024 .
^ "American album certifications – Fat Joe – Don Cartegena" . Recording Industry Association of America .
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