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Don Cartagena
Studio album by Fat Joe
Released	September 1, 1998 (1998-09-01)
Studio	D&D Studios (New York, NY) Mystic Studios (Staten Island, NY) Marley Marl's House of Hits (Chestnut Ridge, NY) Soundtrack Studios (New York, NY)
Genre	East Coast hip hop hardcore hip hop gangsta rap
Label	Atlantic Big Beat Mystic Terror Squad
Producer	Armageddon Baby Paul Buckwild Curt Gowdy Dame Grease DJ Premier JAO L.E.S. Mack 10 Marley Marl Rashad Smith Ski Beatz Spunk Bigga V.I.C. Younglord
Fat Joe chronology
Jealous One's Envy (1995) Don Cartagena (1998) Jealous Ones Still Envy (2001)

Don Cartagena is the third studio album by American rapper Fat Joe. It was released on September 1, 1998 through Atlantic Records, Big Beat, Mystic Entertainment Group and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions. Production was handled by Armageddon, Baby Paul, Buckwild, Curt Gowdy, Dame Grease, DJ Premier, JAO, L.E.S., Mack 10, Marley Marl, Rashad Smith, Ski Beatz, Spunk Bigga, V.I.C. and Younglord, with Craig Kallman, Fat Joe and Greg Angelides serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from fellow Terror Squad members Big Punisher, Armageddon, Prospect, Cuban Link and Triple Seis, as well as Charli Baltimore, Jadakiss, Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Nas, Noreaga, Puff Daddy, Raekwon and Rell.

The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200, selling 106,000 copies in its first week. On October 28, 1998, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 500,000 units in the United States.

It was supported with two singles: "Don Cartagena" and "Bet Ya Man Can't (Triz)". Its lead single, "Don Cartagena", peaked at number 2 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number 40 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the US. The second single from the album, "Bet Ya Man Can't (Triz)", made it to number 54 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and also marked Fat Joe's first entry on the UK singles chart, reaching number 97. Both singles featured accompanying music videos. Though not released as a single, a music video for John Blaze was made.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Entertainment Weekly	A−
Los Angeles Times
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide
The Source
Spin	7/10
The Village Voice	C+

Don Cartagena received generally favourable reviews from music critics. Matt Diehl of Entertainment Weekly praised the album, writing that Fat Joe's "blunt lyrical flow, infectious Latino pride, and appropriately ominous grooves make these gangsta tales explode like a sonic Scarface". Soren Baker of Los Angeles Times called it "Joe's triumphant return project", adding "Joe largely sticks to ultra-violent lyrics and gangster story lines. The album's appeal rests largely on his ability to effortlessly mix gangsterism and braggadocio. Joe's menacing voice and thunderous production create a masterful musical atmosphere that thrills and intimidates", and resumed: "a superb blend of hard-core sounds and sensibilities, Don Cartagena places Fat Joe among rap's elite".

Track listing

Notes

• Track 11 is produced by Victor "V.I.C." Padilla, who is a member of Ghetto Professionals and The Beatnuts. The production credits are shared between the two production teams (Ghetto Pros & The Beatnuts) in the liner notes.

Sample credits

• Track 6 contains elements from "Don't You Know That?" written and performed by Luther Vandross.
• Track 7 contains a sample from "How High" by Method Man & Redman.
• Track 10 contains samples from "Got to Be Real" performed by Cheryl Lynn and an interpolation of "No Time" written by Kimberly Jones, Sean Combs and Steven Jordan.

Personnel

• Joseph "Fat Joe" Cartagena — vocals, executive producer
• Christopher "Big Pun" Rios — vocals (tracks: 3, 6, 7, 10, 12, 15)
• Richard "Prospect" Perez — vocals (tracks: 3, 12, 15)
• John "Armageddon" Eaddy — vocals (tracks: 4, 12, 13, 15), producer & mixing (track 13)
• Sean "Puffy" Combs — vocals (track 5)
• Nasir "Nas" Jones — vocals (track 7)
• Jason "Jadakiss" Phillips — vocals (track 7)
• Corey "Raekwon" Woods — vocals (track 7)
• Tiffany "Charli Baltimore" Lane — vocals (track 8)
• Gerrell "Rell" Gaddis — vocals (track 8)
• David Anthony "Kid Capri" Love Jr. — voice (track 8)
• Felix "Cuban Link" Delgado — vocals (tracks: 10, 12, 15)
• Sammy "Triple Seis" Garcia — vocals (tracks: 10, 12)
• Lo-Key — additional vocals (track 10)
• Victor "Noreaga" Santiago — vocals (track 11)
• Steven "Layzie Bone" Howse — vocals (track 14)
• Anthony "Krayzie Bone" Henderson — vocals (track 14)
• Rodolfo "DJ Clark Kent" Franklin — scratches (track 2)
• Gerald Flowers — guitar (track 7)
• Martha Mooke — viola (track 7)
• Chris "DJ Spinbad" Sullivan — scratches (track 7)
• Larry Devore — strings arrangement (track 7)
• Barry Salter — guitar (track 8)
• Dinky Bingham — keyboards (track 8)
• Rob "Reef" Tewlow — keyboards and additional programming (track 11), co-executive producer, A&R
• Darryl McClary — keyboards and additional programming (track 11)
• Dedrick "Mack 10" Rolison — producer (track 1)
• Leshan "L.E.S." Lewis — producer & mixing (track 2)
• Damon "Dame Grease" Blackmon — producer & mixing (track 3)
• Marlon "Marley Marl" Williams — producer & engineering (track 4)
• Richard "Younglord" Frierson — producer & mixing (track 5)
• Paul Anthony "Baby Paul" Hendricks — producer & mixing (track 6)
• David "Ski" Willis — producer & mixing (track 7)
• Anthony "Buckwild" Best — producer & mixing (track 8)
• Christopher "DJ Premier" Martin — producer (track 9)
• J. "JAO" Ortiz — producer (track 10)
• Victor "V.I.C." Padilla — producer & mixing (track 11)
• Anthony "Spunk Bigga" Blagmon — producer & mixing (track 12)
• Rashad Smith — producer & mixing (track 14)
• Richard "Curt Gowdy" Pimentel — producer (track 15)
• Christian "Soundboy" Delatour — recording (tracks: 2–6, 8–14), mixing (tracks: 12, 13), mixing assistant (track 6)
• Paul Gregory — recording (track 6), recording assistant (track 8)
• Ken "Duro" Ifill — recording (track 7), mixing (tracks: 2, 7, 8)
• Dexter Thibou — recording & mixing assistant (track 9)
• Gustavo Garces — recording (track 14)
• Rich Keller — recording (track 15), mixing (tracks: 3, 15)
• Rich Travali — mixing (tracks: 5, 6, 10)
• Eddie Sancho — mixing (track 9)
• Phil Pagano — mixing (track 11)
• Romeo Antonio — mixing (track 14)
• Gregory "Gold" Wilson — recording assistant (tracks: 6, 12), mixing assistant (track 12)
• Nikos Teneketzis — recording assistant (tracks: 7, 10, 12, 13), mixing assistant (tracks: 2, 5, 7, 8, 10–14)
• Tom Hughes — recording assistant (track 11)
• Carlisle Young — mixing assistant (track 3)
• Leon Zervos — mastering
• Gregory J. Angelides — executive producer
• Craig Kallman — executive producer
• Eric Altenburger — art direction, design
• Michael Lavine — photography

Charts

Certifications

References

1. Boehlert, Eric (September 9, 1998). "Hill Still on Top". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
2. Gallucci, Michael. "Don Cartagena - Fat Joe | Album". AllMusic. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
3. ^ Diehl, Matt (October 2, 1998). "Don Cartagena". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
4. ^ Baker, Soren (September 5, 1998). "* * * 1/2 Fat Joe, "Don Cartagena," Mystic/Big Beat/Atlantic". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
5. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 296. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8 – via Google Books.
6. Osorio, Kim (October 1998). "Record Report: Fat Joe – Don Cartagena". The Source. No. 109. New York. p. 218.
7. Gonzales, Michael A. (November 1998). "Reviews". Spin. Vol. 14, no. 11. SPIN Media LLC. pp. 136, 138. ISSN 0886-3032.
8. Christgau, Robert (November 3, 1998). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
9. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
10. "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 38. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 19, 1998. p. 106. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
11. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 38. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 19, 1998. p. 42. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
12. "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-50. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
13. "American album certifications – Fat Joe – Don Cartegena". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

• Don Cartagena at Discogs (list of releases)

• 1998 albums
• Fat Joe albums
• Atlantic Records albums
• Albums produced by Buckwild
• Albums produced by Ski Beatz
• Albums produced by DJ Premier
• Albums produced by Dame Grease
• Albums produced by Marley Marl
• Albums produced by Rashad Smith
• Albums produced by L.E.S. (record producer)
• Big Beat Records (American record label) albums