Fat Joe’s ‘The Elephant in the Room’

Hip-hop veteran Fat Joe finally is trying to solidify his status as one of the
genre’s greats, and his new album, “The Elephant in the Room,” definitely
walks the walk.

The album gives Joe the winning formula by including a DJ Premier track
– Young Jeezy sampled one of the best songs on the disc, “That White” – and
by mixing in a timely Lil’ Wayne chorus and numerous top-notch verses.

Joe begins the album strongly with the Street Runner-produced “The
Fugitive,” which outlines many accomplishments in the hip-hop game while
throwing a few shots at his detractors-more specifically those that oppose his
use of the “N” word. The second track, “You Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin,’ ” features
the talents of Dr. Dre and the often-hated, but ultimately respected, Florida
emcee Plies, who actually drops a respectable verse here.

From there, the album ramps up in Joe’s signature chaotic, almost Scarfacelike
escapades, channeling the sporadic rhyme scheme of fallen mentor Big
Punisher on the Swizz Beatz-produced “Drop.” Big Punisher is able to alter
his flow on “Preacher on a Sunday Morning.”

Virginia native and Timbaland protégé Danja also has a standout track
in “Cocababy,” a perfect mash up for Joe that should give him that next
mainstream hit.

The real standout track is the mash up of KRS-One and Fat Joe on “My
Conscience,” which was produced by The Alchemist. KRS proves he still has the
verbal aptitude to stand on his own in a more “thugged-out” song-amazing,
considering how many of his peers
– such as LL Cool J – fail to do
so. KRS first appears on the song
as a figment of Joe’s imagination
before skimming through their
fabled catalog of hits. It’s really a
spectacle.

Consistent through most of the
album, Joe stumbles a bit on this
unfortunately short LP – clocking
in at a mere 42 minutes – with
songs such as the snitch-bashing “K.A.R.,” which further perpetuates an
ignorant viewpoint present in hip-hop today. DJ Khaled’s average production
on “Get It for Life” certainly doesn’t help matters much, and the lead single
“I Won’t Tell” is a drowsy and boring affair, though perfectly safe to release
at this point, I would imagine.

“300 Brolic” is a great song that is plagued by the clarity of the samples.
The brilliant sampling of the “300” motion-picture soundtrack is lost on the
synthesized orchestra of the redone-album version. Since the other songs are
solid, a small sample issue doesn’t completely ruin a solid track.

Though the discussion of Joe’s spot in hip-hop will continue, “The Elephant
in the Room” can be used to show an artist that is ever evolving and more
than willing to prove his doubters wrong.

With the elephant now out of the room, let’s hope next time we will get a
longer and more focused album.