Fat Joe Blames Rap Killings on Jealousy and Haters: ‘We Got Evil Out Here’

Fat Joe attends the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on October 01, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/2021 BET Hip Hop Awards/Getty Images for BET)

Fat Joe says he’s struggling to understand the violence plaguing the hip-hop community.

The Grammy-nominated artist, author, and entrepreneur sat down this week on Red Table Talk to discuss growing up in The Bronx, leaving home at age 14, the recent advice he gave Kanye West, and violence in the rap world.

“What’s sad is, I don’t understand why we hate our own,” he said on the episode. “Obviously you can ask, ‘Joe, why you got them diamonds on?'”

He told hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield Norris, and Willow Smith that after growing up in poverty, he’s proud of what he’s accomplished and there’s nothing wrong with wearing nice things.

“We didn’t have shit. It was summer time. We didn’t have any AC. We had to sleep on the floor. When we ran out of toilet paper, we wiped our ass with newspaper. When we didn’t have no meat, we ate eggs and rice,” he added.

Related StoryFat Joe Says Kanye West Showed Up Out of Nowhere Seeking Advice

Fat Joe on Red Table Talk (Credit: Facebook Watch)
Fat Joe sits down on this week’s episode of Red Table Talk (Credit: Facebook Watch)

The “Lean Back” rapper insisted many hip-hop stars flaunt expensive jewelry, luxury cars and designer clothes to let fans know it’s possible to achieve success.

“We try to inspire the community, ‘look, you can have this. It’s attainable,'” he said. “But unfortunately, there’s people in our own community that hate on someone else’s success.”

His comments came just days after Migos rapper Takeoff was fatally shot outside the doors of a bowling alley in Houston on Nov. 1.

Takeoff’s death followed the Sept. 12 killing of rapper PnB Rock at a restaurant in south Los Angeles. A father and his teenage son have been charged with murder and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with the killing.

Rapper Pop Smoke was killed in February 2020 in Hollywood. An LAPD detective testified at a hearing last year that the up-and-coming artist was slain by a 15-year-old gunman who was part of a crew hoping to steal the rapper’s diamond-studded Rolex.

Related Story: ‘Hip Hop Homicides’ Examines Epidemic of Violence in Rap Community

Meanwhile, Southern California rapper Kee Riches was one of two people killed in a triple shooting in Compton this past September.

Rapper Rollie Bands was shot dead in July after posting a message on Instagram telling his enemies he was on his way home if they “want smoke.”

Nipsey Hussle was shot to death outside his clothing store in Los Angeles on March 31, 2019. The list goes on.

While discussing the violence in hip-hop, Fat Joe told Red Table Talk, “We got evil out here. The devil is just really out here.”

The episode premiered Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 9am PT/12pm ET on Facebook Watch.