Respected Latino hip hop artist Fat Joe made a name for himself bursting onto the scene back in the early 1990’s. With a handful of gold selling singles, he has reached iconic status and was nominated for a Grammy in 2003 and again in 2008. Remaining active over two decades he has released ten studio albums and starred in a list of films. Originally based out of New York City, Fat Joe made a return to his home state on Thursday July 3rd to perform at The Emporium on Long Island in Patchogue. Kicking things off around 10 PM, the club was hopping with enthusiastic fans dressed in classy threads right for the occasion.
During the course of the night multiple DJs came on stage to play a range of current hits, as well as hip hop classics Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel”, 2Pac and Dr. Dre’s “California Love”, and Bell Biv DeVoe’s “Poison”. DJ Class, Smooth City, Click Da Cosigner, Killa K, Scott Camello felt the vibe of the room and kept the energy flowing smoothly through each of their sets. Among those to grace the stage and keeping the mic warm was local rapping talent Odel Young.
Odel Young is an up and coming hip hop artist who resides in Central Islip, NY. Sustaining the tragedy of losing his father and a broken home, Odel Young has taken his hardships and devoted his life to music. Performing his singles “All I Need” and “Super Fly”, Odel Young kept the attention of The Emporium and appeared to thoroughly enjoy his time on stage. Humbled for the opportunity to open for Fat Joe, he told everyone “To open up for an artist like Fat Joe, I’m absolutely grateful”. Igniting the party to new heights, one of Odel Young’s crew members launched a bunch of beach balls into the audience during the performance to help kick off the 4th of July celebration. Mixing heartfelt lyrics with old school influence, Odel Young has a bright future in Hip Hop.
With everyone dancing and having a good time Fat Joe busted out around 1:30 AM. Provoking immense cheers as he arrived, everyone throw their cell phones in the air to capture an image of the artist. In good spirits he stated “Hey Strong Island, it’s been awhile, but I’m so happy to be back here!”. As an artist which lived up to his name for many years, Fat Joe took his life and health into his own hands, achieving amazing weight loss in recent times. Having lost his dear friend and partner in Terror Squad, Big Pun, back in 2000 at the young age of 28, Fat Joe realizes the importance of his health and kudos to him for taking control of matters. Lively and inspiring, Fat Joe moved about the stage covering classics and his memorable top hits. Performing Terror Squad track “Lean Back” and hits “What’s Luv?”, “Ballin”, and “Make It Rain” were a few of the hyper exciting moments. Bodies were moving on the floor with many hollering in appreciation for Fat Joe’s skills on the microphone.
As a tribute to Big Pun, “Twinz Deep” was featured and kept the emotions at peak levels. Receptive to his fans, Fat Joe equally gave everyone the attention they deserve with hand slaps from the left to right and straight down the center. This personal approach made the atmosphere relaxed, family like, and the show that much more enjoyable. Other tracks like “My Life Style” and Ja Rule collaboration tune “New York” were just a few more of the highlights. On his game, Fat Joe spit out lyrics at rapid speed with the audience hanging on his every word. All smiles, laughing, and loving life, Fat Joe showed why he is a grade A hip hop performer. Going to wee hours of the morning, this was a great start to the Independence Day weekend party on Long Island.
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