Hip-hop veteran Fat Joe isn’t one to hold back, and his recent comments about losing to Chance The Rapper at the Grammy Awards nearly a decade ago is evidence of both his outspoken nature and continued frustration with the music industry’s most prestigious awards show.
In a viral video circulating on social media, the Bronx rapper revealed just how deeply he feels about what he describes as being “robbed.” Fat Joe made the claim during a brief aside amidst the playback session for his upcoming album, The World Changed On Me. In his initial remarks, he appears to credit Killer Mike’s recent success at the award’s show for inspiring him to start working on music again.
“I’m busy trying to get these businesses going and get real money,” Fat Joe said, referring to his most recent ventures outside of Hip-Hop.
“Killer Mike wins three Grammys, right, and I called Jay up, I was like, ‘Man, f##k that’,” he said. “I said, ‘Let’s go back in, let’s lock in.’ If it wasn’t for him, I was done.”
The turning point in the conversation came when he began recalling how he felt when his hit track “All The Way Up” featuring Remy Ma and French Montana lost to Chance The Rapper at the 2017 iteration of the Grammy’s. In doing so, he confessed his belief that losing to the Chicago MC was more disrespectful than when he last to the Black Eyed Peas.
“We got robbed,” he said. “‘Lean Back’, I don’t know if you know, but we lost to the Black Eyed Peas without Fergie. And then we lost ‘All The Way Up’ to Chance The Rapper. Like, that’s the biggest disrespect.”
Fat Joe should stop rapping if he thinks losing a Grammy to Chance The Rapper is "the biggest disrespect." pic.twitter.com/rYOjZC84Gw
— johndav.iD (@johndav_iD) December 12, 2024
Transitioning from recounting the loss, Fat Joe admitted it’s a regret he can’t let go of.
“You know how JAY-Z used to say, you know, gotta learn to live with regrets? I can’t live with that one,” he confessed. “Man, losing to Chance The Rapper. ‘All The Way Up’—whatever his s##t was, it was just not that, right?”
Fat Joe’s frustration wasn’t limited to the single moment. He expressed anger at the Grammys’ history of snubbing him and his collaborators, particularly given the circumstances behind their 2016 hit.
“Remy comes out of jail, I come out of jail,” he said in part. “We throwing a f###ing miracle frisbee out there. S##t No. 1 in America and you’re gonna give it to the, you know….it’s crazy. The Grammys been playing with us a long time.”
Fat Joe’s grievance over the 2017 loss isn’t his first experience with Grammy disappointments. The rapper has been nominated multiple times, including for hits such as “What’s Luv?” Despite the accolades and chart-topping success, a Grammy win has remained elusive for the Terror Squad legend, fueling his disillusionment with the institution.