Fat Joe and Jadakiss dropped a teaser on their joint Instagram account Thursday. New York hip-hop is paying attention.
The post on @joeandjada read: “CRACK HITTIN THAT LEAN BACK. KISS HOLDIN A MIC. THIS IS A MOVIE 🍿”
Every word in that caption does work. “Crack” is a longtime nickname for Fat Joe. “Lean Back” is the 2004 Terror Squad hit that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. “KISS” is Jadakiss’s rap alias. The popcorn emoji at the end suggests something visual or cinematic is in the mix.
Fat Joe, born Joseph Antonio Cartagena in the South Bronx, built much of his mainstream profile around “Lean Back.” The track featured Remy Ma and was produced by Scott Storch. It became one of the defining records of mid-2000s hip-hop. It put Terror Squad – Fat Joe’s crew and label – at the top of the charts that summer. The song stayed in rotation for years after its release. More than two decades on, it still shows up on playlists and at live shows.
Jadakiss was born Jason Terrance Phillips in Yonkers, New York. He came up as a member of The LOX alongside Styles P and Sheek Louch. The group signed to Bad Boy Records in the late 1990s. They later moved to Ruff Ryders. Jadakiss went on to build an extensive solo catalog. His albums include “Kiss tha Game Goodbye,” “Kiss of Death,” and “The Last Kiss.” He’s continued recording and performing into the 2020s.
Both artists come from the same era of New York rap. Their careers have run alongside each other for decades. No full joint project between the two has ever been released. Individual features have appeared on each other’s records over the years. A formal collaboration would be new ground for both.
What “THIS IS A MOVIE” points to hasn’t been confirmed. The phrase could indicate a film project, a visual album, or a joint studio release. Fat Joe has appeared in film and television projects throughout his career. A film angle isn’t out of the question. No follow-up had appeared on the @joeandjada account by Thursday afternoon. No press announcement came with the post.
The post drew over 12,000 likes on Instagram. The @joeandjada account has been quiet since. Hip-hop fans are watching for what comes next.
