Rapper Fat Joe knows his fame won't last forever

NEW YORK-- Even though he's sold almost 2 million records over the past two years with hits like "What's Love," and "We Thuggin," Fat Joe knows his days as a best-selling rapper are numbered.

"Sooner than later, people are not going to want to hear about Fat Joe no more. Positive. It happens to everybody," says the Bronx-bred rapper and sometime actor.

"I guess it's called a gift and a curse. I love doing what I'm doing, I love the attention, I love making my songs, my music," he says during an interview at one of his favorite restaurants, Jimmy's Downtown, as he greets admirers and friends.

"But at the same time, I feel like, 'Yo. I made enough money, it's time to move to Miami and chill with my kids."'

Of course, at age 32 and around 300 pounds, Fat Joe, whose real name is Joe Cartagena, is hardly ready for retirement. This year he's been touring in support of his latest album, "Loyalty," and filmed a part in "Scary Movie 3." Last year he had a role in "Empire."

Stepped into spotlight

He's accomplished a lot in his short career. A founding member of the Latino rap crew the Terror Squad, Fat Joe discovered and molded the late rapper Big Pun, who became the first Latino rapper to have a million-selling album.

After the 700-pound Pun died in 2000, Fat Joe stepped into the spotlight and had his own platinum successes.

When Big Pun died, a lot of people doubted that you could be a success without him. How did that affect you?

Fat Joe: It really hurt my feelings how people were really sleeping on me. When I say sleeping, there was sleeping down to family members, people who I really love a lot. Cats were talking about me in the house, like, "Yo, Joe can't do it." So I understand that a regular fan or a regular person felt that way. My own family felt that way, so I just had to prove the world wrong.

On "American Idol," judge Simon Cowell has gotten flack for telling people they need to lose weight in order to be a star. You've managed to be a success despite your weight -- is Simon wrong?

Fat Joe: It's harder for women than men -- they can have a little beer belly. Women are judged so much by the way they look that it's so hard. Big women, they get gospel music, a place where its church, where no one's judging nobody for their looks, their size. And it's hard for big women to make it, even big fellas. But me, I am who I am. I've always been a confident big dude before rap music.

You're on R. Kelly's latest album. Given the child pornography charges against him, did some try to dissuade you from the collaboration?

Fat Joe: Yeah, my record label tried to force me not to do a song with him. His record label paid me a nice amount of money to do a song with him, and my record label did not want to clear it, like, "We don't want you affiliated." So I said, "You know what? Take all the money. I don't want a dollar. Take all my money that I'm supposed to get so you clear this."

Why? Because R. Kelly's a good friend, and he's been there for me when I've needed him most. I gotta support my man.