Today’s net worth is not yesterday’s net worth. Rapper-turned-mogul Fat Joe has shared yet another valuable financial lesson with his fans —public feuds are costly. While promoting his new memoir, The Book of Jose, the Terror Squad leader revealed he missed out on a lucrative sneaker deal with the Jordan Brand.
Since serving four months in prison for tax evasion back in 2013, the Bronx native has used that as a lesson in financial literacy. The “Lean Back” rapper has continued to diversify his financial portfolio, something he wished to did much earlier. At the height of his career, Fat Joe was slated to sign with the shoe company, but his then beef with “Candy Shop” rapper 50 Cent took the deal off of the table.
If you recall, during the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, in response to being heckled on stage, Fat Joe uttered the infamous line, “I feel safe with all the police protection courtesy of G-Unit.” This nearly led to a fight between the crews.
During an interview with GQ, Fat Joe recounts the incident stating, “I lost about $20 million by not getting that deal. I lost out on other endorsements too. Promoters definitely didn’t book me and 50 Cent on the same shows. Everybody had to keep us separated.”
The “All The Way Up” rapper also detailed his phone call conversation with Michael Jordan. On the call, the NBA Hall Famer stated, “you know I love you, Big Joe, but you’re too hot right now. I wanted to do it, but I’m not into all that rap beef. With all this controversy, we can’t do the sneaker anymore.”
The pair have since squashed their feud, avoiding any physicality, as Joe shared, “but as fate would have it, after the VMAs, we didn’t see each other again in person for almost a decade.”
