''Don Cartagena'' is the third

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American rapper

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

. The album was released on September 1, 1998, by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

Craig Kallman Craig Kallman is an American entrepreneur and former DJ. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Atlantic Records. His career in music began in the 1980s as a DJ in Manhattan. He is the founder of the independent label Big Beat, which was es ...

's Big Beat Records, Mystic Entertainment Group and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions. The album received generally positive reviews. The album debuted at number seven on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. The album was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for shipping and selling over 500,000 copies in America.

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews. Soren Baker from the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

, gave the album a positive review, calling it "Joe's triumphant return project". Baker also talked about how "Joe largely sticks to ultra-violent lyrics and gangster story lines." and that "The album's appeal rests largely on his ability to effortless sly mix gangsterism and braggadocio." Overall the album was giving a 3.5 out of 4 rating by the critic. Matt Diehl from

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

also praised the album, stating that despite his strong level of featured appearances; "Fat Joe doesn't need any help: His blunt lyrical flow, infectious Latino pride, and appropriately ominous grooves make these gangsta tales explode like a sonic Scarface". The album was ultimately given a rating of A− by Diehl.

Commercial performance

''Don Cartagena'' debuted at number seven on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 106,000 copies in its first week. This became Joe's first US top-ten debut. In its second week, the album dropped to number 15 on the chart. On October 28, 1998, the album was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

(RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Sample credits * "The Crack Attack" contains samples from "Slow Dance" performed by

Stanley Clarke Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jaz ...

, "Have Mercy on Me" performed by The East St. Louis Gospelettes and "

Shook Ones (Part II) "Shook Ones (Part II)" is the lead single from Mobb Deep's 1995 album ''The Infamous, The Infamous...''. The song is a sequel to the group's 1994 promotional single "Shook Ones (song), Shook Ones", with similar lyrics, but less profanity. The orig ...

" performed by

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Scien ...

. * "My World" contains a sample from " Don't You Know That?", written and performed by

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Known for his sweet and soulful vocals, Vandross has sold over 40 million records worldwide. He achieved eleven consecutive P ...

. * "John Blaze" contains samples from "Dirty Ole Man" performed by

Mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males ...

“Clock Strikes (Remix)” performed by

Timbaland & Magoo Timbaland & Magoo were a rap duo consisting of producer/rapper Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and rapper Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff, formed in 1989. Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, the duo first met when they were teenagers. They later paired up as ...

and "How High (Remix)" performed by

Method Man & Redman Method Man & Redman (also referred to as Meth & Red, Red & Mef, John Blaze and Funk Doc or Funk Doctor Spock and Johnny Blaze) are an American hip hop duo, composed of East Coast rappers Method Man (of Wu-Tang Clan) and Redman (of Def Squad) ...

. * "Bet Ya Man Can't (Triz)" contains a sample from "

Got to Be Real "Got to Be Real" is a song by American singer Cheryl Lynn from her 1978 self-titled debut studio album. The song, which was Lynn's debut single, was written by Lynn, David Paich and David Foster. Recording For the recording, David Shields play ...

", written by

Cheryl Lynn Cheryl Lynn (born Lynda Cheryl Smith; March 11, 1957) is an American singer. She is best known for her songs during the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, including the 1978 R&B/disco song "Got to Be Real". Lynn's singing career began with her ...

David Paich David Frank Paich (born June 25, 1954) is an American musician, best known as the co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist and singer of the rock band Toto since 1977. He wrote or co-wrote much of Toto's original material, including the ba ...

, and

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

, as performed by Cheryl Lynn. It also contains an interpolation of " No Time", written by

Kimberly Jones Kimberly Latrice Jones () is an American author known for co-authoring the book ''I'm Not Dying With You Tonight'' and for the viral video ''How Can We Win'' published during the George Floyd protests. ''I'm Not Dying with You Tonight'' Jones ...

Sean Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...

, and Steven Jordan.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

1998 albums Fat Joe albums Atlantic Records albums Albums produced by DJ Premier Albums produced by Marley Marl Albums produced by Buckwild Albums produced by L.E.S. (record producer) Albums produced by Ski Beatz Albums produced by Dame Grease {{1990s-hiphop-album-stub