Fat Joe Explains How Killer Mike Inspired Him To Get “Back Out”

Fat Joe ended 2024 with the release of a new album, The World Changed On Me, his first solo release in 15 years. However, the 11-track work is not rooted in frivolous motivations. Speaking with Billboard, the Bronx native shared which rapper inspired him to get back in the game.

“He’s the guy who inspired me,” declared the 54-year-old of Atlanta’s own Killer Mike. “I retired. I was gone. I had an infamous phone call with Eminem, where he was trying to talk me into not retiring. ‘Joe, we need you. You’re one of us.’ … I was super done, but I got back out because Killer Mike. The man won that Grammy. The one thing I never got in this business is a Grammy.”

He continued to detail, “When I seen it… I never look from a jealous lens. I always look from an inspirational lens. So I called Dre, I was like, ‘Yo. It’s possible. Let’s get back in the kitchen and cook.’ So, he inspired me to come out of retirement.”

Fat Joe continued to detail The World Changed On Me by elaborating, “I’ll tell you one thing, I’m dropping a smoker.” Officially released on Dec. 13, 2024, the album features Babyface, Ty Dolla $ign, Anitta, Jarma Nova, Cool & Dre, Remy Ma, Chris Rock, Karma Nova, DJ Khaled, Tony Sunshine, and Tuggawar, who Fat Joe discovered on social media and describes as a “wild white boy” from the “projects” in the UK.

Despite dropping an album he’s proud of, the Hip-Hop veteran described last year as one of the worst for the genre.

“All our legends, all our mentors getting scrutinized. This is the worst time to be a celebrity in the history of mankind. I’m not sure you guys wanna be celebrities,” he added. “Like I got friends who are filthy rich that wanna be popping and wanna be a celebrity. I don’t think they want everybody in they sh*t like that. This sh*t crazy out here. This is nuts. The f**king world done changed on me. It’s f**king nuts out here. You can’t make it up!”

Check out The World Changed On Me below.