On Loyalty’s blazing pre-amble, “Take A Look At My Life”, Fat Joe asserts his new Big Willie status—”Not Crack with a Platinum plaque/no.”  However, if anyone told you last year before J.O.S.E. dropped that Fat Joe would go platinum, you would have probably just chuckled slightly under your breath and went about your business.  Granted, Joe is a respected street-spokesman, but the prospect of Don Cartegena going platinum at that point seemed unlikely right?  But after two commercially adopted singles; “We Thuggin” feat. R. Kelly and “What’s Luv” featuring crooner of the moment, Ashanti, lots of love from MTV and a slight musical makeover (Irv Gotti, Bink, Rockwilder) from Atlantic that’s exactly what happened. 

While J.O.S.E placed Joe in unfamiliar territory—commercial prosperity—it also resuscitated his career and generated a needed boost to his Terror Squad imprint as well.  Yet, for all of the underground backlash that J.O.S.E. spawned, it’s not as if Joe did not deserve the success that had been bestowed upon him.  After all, Joe has remained a diligent worker, paid mad dues and as he states on “Its Nothing” has “never been more focused.” 

Adhering to an “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it ideology”, Joe sticks to the script and tries to bomb radio once again with crossover thoughts; including the cute “Crush Tonight” which eerily mirrors “We Thuggin” with a potty mouthed Ginuwine taking over the hook duties from R. Kelly, “TS Piece”, the lazy Alchemist produced “Bust At You” featuring Scarface and Baby refurbishes N.W.A.’s “I’d Rather Fuck You” and Irv Gotti’s “Turn Me On” where Irv takes another page from 2Pac with a “How Do You Want It” sound alike. 

Once Joe gets the obligatory radio cuts out of the way, he finds a more comfortable medium by reinvigorating his street campaign.  With “Take A Look At My Life” (peep Buck’s trill horns) Joe reconnects with Buckwild for their yearly banger and Armageddon’s dark production meshes perfectly with Joe’s “like father like son” dysfunctional realism on “Gangsta”.  Likewise, Joe continues to safeguard Pun’s legacy on “Shit Is Real pt.3″ as he dismisses recent allegations from Pun’s wife that she was physically and mentally abused by the fallen legend—”dead men can’t talk that’s why you hearing one side of the story/but did they tell you how he provided for forty family members.”  And further “how could you deceive your kids like that/make em believe their Dad wasn’t worth jack.” 

While Joe’s continual shape shifting from commercial to grimy on Loyalty forsakes any lasting continuity, his maturity is evident on the soulful “Born In The Ghetto” where newcomer Lamajic wonderfully channels the energy of Ron Isley on the hook and Joe continues to exhibit more aspects of his personality on the tender ode to his wife, “All I Need”, (which interpolates New Edition’s “Can You Stand The Rain”) even if this dedication does conflict and appear on the heels of the promiscuous “Crush Tonight” and “TS Piece.”

Though not one of the most visceral emcees in the biz, the mere fury of Joe’s voice makes up for some of Loyalty’s inadequacies.  However, after taking less then a year to record Loyalty, its uncohesive and hurried nature can probably be attributed to wanting to get some product in stores for the Christmas retail blitz.  While Joe was obviously eager to cash in his chips from J.O.S.E’s success, perhaps its time for the Don to take more time between efforts for quality control purposes.