Joe learned about the incident later in life
Fat Joe admits embracing a “tough guy” persona back in the day, but the lifestyle came at a price. Recently speaking to Forbes, the Terror Squad boss remembered losing a $2m deal for presenting a “tough guy” picture of himself.
“I was a real tough guy, Joe the Don, and I got the Terror Squad,” he explained. “And so this man, I met him many years later. He was CFO of a marketing company out of Chicago. He passed away.
“But he saw me in Miami. My wife is with me, we're having mojitos. He said, ‘Man, let me tell you a story. I had a $2 million check for you from a beer company who said, ‘Get Fat Joe.' This was when ‘What's Luv?' was number one.
He added, “He said, ‘I came to the Bronx, I came to a club where you was at. You had about 40 guys around you and I saw you with my own eyes. I had a $2 million check in my pocket.' He said he walked past the first 10, then grabbed him. ‘The Don don't wanna speak to nobody.'
“This is a guy in a suit looking like you. He walked around another five. ‘The Don ain't speaking.'
“He looked at me and said, ‘Wow, I have a $2 million check and I can't even get to this kid. I can't put this check in his pocket. As much as the company is telling me, ‘You better close that deal.” So that's the stuff that you block — your blessings.”
