The first single on the CD has been getting a lot of play. "We Thuggin'" gives rap fans a good idea of what to expect on the album. At press time Joe's powerhouse single had reached number five on the Billboard Hot Rap Charts and was still climbing the heights. Featuring R. Kelly, "We Thuggin'" was the winter party anthem at every damn raucous holiday party in New York and the entire northeast region (and probably the whole nation). An open declaration and exclamatory celebration of hip-hop politics, lifestyle and ideology, with the spins that this song receives on the radio, even those who are not into hip-hop will be moved by the distinctive rapping style of Fat Joe and probably will feel compelled to groove to the infectious beat.
With his continued success we are sure Joe will be adding more vehicles to his stable. As it is, Joe's firmly cemented position in the uppermost echelon of the hip-hop hierarchy has justified having more than several cars turned-out and tuned to the nines. Like most people in the music business game he's got the right one for almost every occasion; this time around we had the privilege of checking out the new 2002 Escalade, and apparently there are more fabulous vehicles (of the luxury variety) that may be revealed as we go.
2002 EscaladeThe word "escalade" refers to the act of scaling, say, a wall. While this SUV may not exactly be able to climb up and over one, it's safe to say the car audio system in it could break one down sonically. For the installation in the luxury sport-ute Fat Joe turned to Audio Designs of Fort Lee, New Jersey, and Dave Miranda and Andy Kagan. One of the key aspects of the system design they had to consider was whether or not to keep the factory radio. Because it is connected to the OnStar system they decided not to upgrade to an aftermarket head unit. The benefits of a superior source signal would have negated the benefits that Fat Joe enjoys from OnStar.
Dave and Andy did, however, modify the outputs on the radio to produce a low level signal for Planet Audio amplifiers which were Fat Joe's choice for power. When the rear seats are folded down you can see three of them which run the speaker system. A 4-channel PA HVT754 amp puts out 70 watts per channel and two HVT7150's make available approximately 600 watts into each of the subs.
The HVT754 runs Kicker 6.5" components that replaced the stock setup. The factory mounting rings were altered to accommodate the new speakers. But otherwise, the original cosmetic look of the interior was kept intact. Of course, prior to speaker replacement the doors were damped with plenty of Dynamat.
The low frequency is handled by subwoofers from Kicker. It was a consensus among installers and owner alike that the 15" L7's would provide great output for hip-hop. The 10 cubic ft. sub enclosure is made of MDF with an acrylic window, covered with leather panels, and needless to say produce an earthshaking bass characteristic of the type of music Joe loves.
For the video end of the system two monitors were installed. Up front, there is a custom 7-inch widescreen. The installation of it required moving the factory 6-disc CD changer and a computer controller. A second 15-inch drop-down motorized TV for the rear passengers keeps them occupied. Switching is made from a multitude of relays and limit switches. Video sources include a Sega Dreamcast, DVD player, and VCR. All of the ancillary pieces of the system were handmade and assembled.
Plans for the immediate future include a back-up camera, Phoenix Gold amps and a Zapco EQ for fine-tuning the signal.