Fat Joe described himself as a middle-class rapper next to Hip-Hop’s billionaires, explaining how time around JAY-Z pushed him to aim higher even after decades in music.

The Bronx rapper made the comparison during Joe and Jada with London Brown. Brown had discussed the grind of auditioning despite his success on Raising Kanan, prompting Joe to reflect on his own place in the industry.

“Well, I’ll speak for myself. We middle class rappers,” Joe said.

He put that assessment in perspective against a 34-year rap career, then recalled a night with JAY-Z and Beyoncé. Joe described other people’s success as motivation rather than a reason for resentment.

The gap he described had a clear example in JAY-Z, who became Hip-Hop’s first billionaire in 2019.

Forbes estimated his net worth at $2.8 billion as of October 13. That estimate covered assets and business stakes, rather than just money earned from records or sitting in a bank account.

JAY-Z’s fortune grew well beyond music through deals that included selling half of his Armand de Brignac champagne brand to LVMH in 2021 and most of his stake in D’Usse cognac to Bacardi in 2023.

His holdings also included his music catalog, art and investments, illustrating how far the financial comparison stretched beyond a hit record.

Joe had been building businesses outside the studio, too.

He co-founded Rewind It 10, a hair-and-beard color brand, with Carolyn and Jeff Aronson. AllHipHop spoke with him about the venture at its launch. By July 2025, the company announced a Stop & Shop rollout, adding another retail chain alongside CVS and Sally Beauty.

His podcast with Jadakiss brought another business expansion. Joe and Jada joined Netflix’s video podcast lineup in January, while iHeartMedia continued distributing the audio.

Under that partnership, new video episodes and selected past episodes moved exclusively to Netflix, giving the hosts a major streaming platform alongside the audio feed.

After leaving the JAY-Z premiere and after-party, Joe recalled sitting in his Sprinter on the way home to New Jersey and reaching a simple conclusion: “I got some work to do. I got some work to do.”