Bronx-born rapper Fat Joe has been in the music industry for two decades. Throughout that time, he has been juggling his duties as a musician and media personality while also being the father of three. And while he would love to be a father now, it terrified him about becoming a father at first.
Fat Joe had his first child at the age of 19
Fat Joe first became a father in 1992 at the age of 19. He talked about his son Joey, and what it was like raising a child with autism in a 2022 interview in News letters.
“Well, I’m 19, and we have Joey,” he recalls. “Once the doctors told me it wouldn’t be normal, his mom said we should give him up for adoption. And that wasn’t the case. [and] My father raised Joey. We said, “No, it’s ours.”
“He has brought so much joy to this family, and I feel he is the biggest blessing to me, my career and my family, and Joey is always always happy,” the CEO continued.
I will never leave my children behind. He said of his life as a father, “I know that no matter what the situation and I will always be with them.” “As a father, you just taught me that life isn’t easy, but we have to fight through it.”
Joe gave birth to his second child, Ryan, in 1995, and a daughter named Azaria in 2006.
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Having children was “the scariest moment of my life” for Fat Joe
Fat Joe looked back when he first found out he’d be a dad in a 2022 interview with him HipHopDX.
“That was the scariest moment of my life, man,” he admitted. It was. It was scary. I was just a kid myself. I just got a record deal. I didn’t even have a song. It was really scary being so young and having so much responsibility, so that was my initial response.”
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Fat Joe wants his kids to be independent
However, being a father is Fat Joe’s greatest gift. “I wouldn’t trade it for nothing in the world, man,” he said. “Nothing is better than being a father and raising children. We hope they can take this legacy to another level.”
He does not necessarily want his children to follow in his footsteps, but instead wants them to find their own path.
He said frankly, “My second son loves music, but I don’t think your kids have to do exactly what I did in life to be successful.” “Actually, that’s like extra pressure really. You know what I mean? Because your dad is supposed to be a great artist. How are you going to proceed? So I don’t like them putting that kind of pressure on them.”
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