Cherlise gets some encouragement from her mentor Fat Joe on “I’m So Ready,” a sexy cut off her DJ Khaled-hosted mixtape GroundZero, dropping Monday. With the radio blasting in the back seat, the Division1 songstress gets ready to take her relationship to the next level as she coos over the slinky beat, written and produced by herself and Pierre Medor.

Fat Joe and Chris Brown rise from the sand in the sexy video for “Another Round.” In the Colin Tilley-directed clip, a slimmed-down Joey Crack soaks up the exotic beauty surrounding him, while a shirtless Breezy panders to the ladies. Escape to paradise with the fellas.

Fat Joe and Chris Brown brought Egypt to the beaches of Southern California while shooting the Colin Tilley-directed video for “Another Round.” The Bronx rapper showed off his slimmed-down physique and a blond Breezy rocked the sold-out Versace for H&M velvet bomber jacket, also worn by Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, and Diggy Simmons. The fellas were surrounded by pyramids and beach babes as they performed scenes in the sand.

Joey Crack explained how his smooth collaboration with Chris came together. “I’ve known him for years and we toured together in Africa and he was like, ‘We gotta do something.’ I’m like, ‘You are the hottest ni**a in the game right now; why wouldn’t I want to do something with you?’” he told Rap-Up.com. “He always told me that for years but at the time, he was like 15, 16 and just so young. I was like, ‘Yo, it wouldn’t even be right.’ But now he’s a grown ass man, so it makes sense.”

Check out some on-set pics from their voyage to Egypt.

Fat Joe ventures to the dark side once again on The Darkside, Vol. 2, the sequel to his 2010 album. The Don Cartagena, who recently shed nearly 100 pounds, returns to his hardcore hip-hop roots, enlisting Cool & Dre and Macho as executive producers and Mark Henry for the bulk of production. The 10 street tracks feature collaborations with Jadakiss, French Montana, and Raekwon.

“I love making hardcore hip-hop shit. That’s where my heart is at,” the Bronx MC told Rap-Up.com. “It’s just some more of that Fat Joe; that hardcore shit. That smokin’ weed and driving a car-type shit.”

Crack open Joey’s Halloween gift below.

Download: Fat Joe – The Darkside, Vol. 2

The Darkside, Vol. 2 Tracklisting

1. “Welcome to the Darkside” feat. French Montana
2. “Dopeman” feat. Jadakiss & Dre of Cool & Dre
3. “So Fly” feat. Arland
4. “Big Business”
5. “Angels Say”
6. “Pushing Keys” feat. Raekwon
7. “Drop a Body”
8. “My Lord”
9. “F**k Them Other Ni**as”
10. “Around the World” feat. Arland

Following the release of his 10th solo album The Darkside, Vol. 1, Fat Joe has spent the better part of 2011 finishing up the follow-up The Darkside, Vol. 2, his first official mixtape out October 31. With guest appearances from Raekwon, Jadakiss, and French Montana, Joe returns to his hardcore hip-hop roots after 2009’s more commercially-minded Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (J.O.S.E. 2), enlisting Cool & Dre and Macho as executive producers and handing the bulk of production over to fledgling producer Mark Henry.

But the Bronx rapper, who recently shed nearly 100 pounds, hasn’t completely abandoned his mainstream aspirations, having just released the slow, R&B-laced “Another Round” with Chris Brown. While no release date has been set for Joe’s upcoming album of the same name, his confluence of street, club, and bedroom hip-hop has allowed him to remain popular long after other rappers his age have faded from the scene.

Rap-Up.com spoke with Joey Crack about his support for Chris Brown, keeping in touch with Ja Rule, opening weight loss clinics, and why, regardless of his size, he will always be Fat Joe.

1. The Darkside, Vol. 2 is your first mixtape after nearly 20 years in hip-hop. Why now?
Because there’s a thing called the Internet [laughs] and times are changing. You have this outlet where you can get your music and content out there and the fans don’t even have to pay for it. They can just enjoy it. I love making hardcore hip-hop shit. That’s where my heart is at. The last album I put out was Darkside, Vol. 1 and it got great reviews and all the real hip-hop heads loved it to death. But at the same time, it’s such hard-body, gangsta music that you can’t really play that on the radio. People loved it, but that was my core audience, street ni**as. So I said let me make music for the masses with “Another Round,” which is for the ladies. But I love to make street music. I’m just trying to feed everybody.

2. How does it differ from Vol. 1?
I really don’t know if it’s different. It’s just some more of that Fat Joe; that hardcore shit. That smokin’ weed and driving a car-type shit. Years ago, in order to be successful in this rap game, you needed some type of credibility, like a Freddie Foxx or an M.O.P. or a N.W.A. There was a time when hardcore shit was the norm. And then you had these guys like Mos Def, Black Star, and Common like, “Yeah, but nobody shows us love. We on some positive shit.” And they were cool too. But now it seems like that’s the majority. You turn on the radio and it’s J. Cole or Kid Cudi or Mac Miller. And I love that shit. My favorite album now is J. Cole’s. But it’s like the gangsta rappers are becoming extinct.

3. In 2008, you talked about how the diversity on your albums made it difficult to define your identity. Is Darkside, Vol. 2 a way to separate your harder material from the more commercial stuff?
Definitely. And now I can say whatever the fuck I want to say. Back in my major record days, I wrote a line about Suge Knight and the executive said, “Oh no, we can’t have that on our album. You have to change that.” I had a video with clippings of John Gotti and they said, “Oh no. We can’t put that out.” But now, it feels great that you can just release whatever you want to release however you want to release it.

4. How did you link up with Chris Brown for “Another Round”?
I’ve known him for years and we toured together in Africa and he was like, “We gotta do something.” I’m like, “You are the hottest ni**a in the game right now; why wouldn’t I want to do something with you?” He always told me that for years but at the time, he was like 15, 16 and just so young. I was like, “Yo, it wouldn’t even be right.” But now he’s a grown ass man, so it makes sense. We just recorded that one song, but we’re shooting a video in November with [video director] Colin Tilley in L.A. We’re going over the concept now.

5. Are you surprised that people have re-embraced him?
Naw, I’m not surprised. He’s been a phenomenal talent; he’s a freak of nature to begin with and an incredible artist from day one. We always knew the talent was there. I think American society is very forgiving and people love that good music. I don’t really want to comment further, but I’ve seen several situations [with other artists] where I thought, “Oh man, this guy’s gonna have trouble.” But he kept dropping these hits and then everyone was like, “Yo, fuck it. I’m fuckin’ with him.” Music is spiritual and it goes into your soul and pores. Even if I wasn’t getting along with the usual suspects like 50 Cent, if he dropped a hot record, I was like, “Damn, that shit is hard. I fuckin’ hate him, but that shit is crazy.” There’s no way to hide good music.

6. Do you think it’s hard for people to reconcile an artist’s music with their personal life?
Everybody got problems. I’ve always hated people who’ve been hiding behind door number one pointing the finger at people. Most congressmen who are against gays and lesbians fuckin’ turned out to be gays and lesbians. I’m not with these guys who say, “Chris Brown is a piece of shit” and meanwhile, they’re smackin’ the shit out of their girl. Get the fuck out of here.

7. Jennifer Lopez recently brought you out on stage to perform in Connecticut. With Ja Rule in prison, was it a bittersweet reunion?
God bless him, man. He’s my brother and I wish him the best. I just got his address from his manager and I’ve been writing him. I was with him just before he went away. He’s a beautiful dude. He got a bad rap for everything. He’s a great guy and making great music.

8. You’ve been on a rigorous diet recently. What was your peak weight and are you happy with where you’re at now?
I dropped about 100 pounds and now I’m down to 260. I’m where I want to be at weight-wise and now I’m just trying to build muscle. At this point, I don’t want to be no more skinnier than this. I didn’t do it for psychological reasons or looks. I just did it to feel healthy and because too many of my friends are passing away.

9. Is it difficult to maintain your current weight?
It really ain’t hard because I’ve been trying to lose weight for 10 years. It got to the point where it’s almost like science for me. I know exactly what I can do and what I can’t do. I know I gotta stay away from those carbs. The only carbs I really eat are in the morning because it burns off. After that, I ain’t fuckin’ with them. I have a routine now. I’m trying to open up some weight loss clinics to help some other people. I’ve put four friends of mine on a diet that have each lost like 60 pounds listening to me.

10. So would you ever drop the “Fat” from your name?
Naw. I ain’t dropping nothing. Fat Joe is Fat Joe forever.

–Jason Newman

When it comes to Jennifer Lopez, there’s one question that longtime friend and collaborator Fat Joe gets all the time.

People always be like, “Yo, what that ass look like?,” the “Lean Back” rapper told Rap-Up.com. “I’m like, ‘My man, I can’t look at her. I’d be embarrassed to be looking.’” But when the newly single J.Lo brought out Joe during a show at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun over the weekend, even he admitted to finally copping a quick peek.

“Honestly, I’ve never looked at J.Lo’s ass,” said Joey Crack, who will release his mixtape The Darkside, Vol. 2 on Halloween. “Never. It would be disrespectful for her to look at me like a brother figure and then when she turns around, I’m staring at her ass. But the other night, I’m watching the performance and she’s wearing some beige shit and I couldn’t avoid it. It was right there. [Laughs] So I finally seen it. I told her about it too and was like, ‘Yo, listen, that beige suit? I’ve always been the brother, but your ass was there, like…’ She started laughing.”

Lopez performed as part of Mohegan Sun’s 15th anniversary concert, which saw the singer bring Joe onstage to perform “Feelin’ So Good” off her 1999 debut On the 6. “It’s always a great thing to perform with her,” shared Joe. “She don’t do too many shows and she called me up and was like, ‘Could you please come out with me?’ I have major love for her and a lot of respect because I happen to know where she comes from and how hard it was to make it out of the Bronx, let alone make it to an iconic status. I respect everything about the lady.”

While the two performers have no new tracks in the works, Joe said the door is always open for future collaborations.

–Jason Newman

Jennifer Lopez linked up with Fat Joe, who’s looking less “fat” these days, during her concert for Mohegan Sun’s 15th anniversary in Uncasville, Connecticut. The old pals performed “Feelin’ So Good” off J.Lo’s 1999 debut On the 6, which also featured the late Big Pun.

“@joeycrackts just killed @mohegansun with me tonight!!!” tweeted J.Lo, while Joe added, “My sister @JLo and me great Times!!!!!!!”

Unfortunately, the recently incarcerated Ja Rule wasn’t able to join the celebration, but J.Lo still performed their classic remix to “I’m Real.”

Fat Joe sheds some pounds and returns with “Another Round,” his new single featuring Chris Brown. Joey Crack shouts out some sexy ladies including Janet Jackson, Kim Kardashian, and Chris’ ex Rihanna (“She like it kinky”) on the smooth joint, which samples ’80s R&B group Troop’s “I Will Always Love You.”

Pharrell continued the nationwide rollout of his Qream liqueur with a sexy soirée in Miami on Thursday night (July 28). The music impresario flew down south to launch the vodka-based, lactose-friendly cream with some help from his pals including Trina, Fat Joe, hitmakers Jim Jonsin and Rico Love, and Q-Tip, who DJ’d the event.

In an interview with Rap-Up TV, Skateboard P explained how he came up with the concept. “I looked at the market, I looked at the holes out there and it felt like indulgence and women were the two things that were being neglected,” he said. “So what I decided to do was design a drink that made sense for women that everybody could enjoy, but women knew it was for them.”

Pour over more pics from the sweet celebration below.

While most of their counterparts were celebrating the Fourth of July with barbecues and fireworks at home, Chris Brown, Ciara, Lil’ Kim, and Fat Joe were overseas setting off their own sparks onstage. The U.S. stars brought their worldwide hits to Luanda’s Cidadela stadium for the “Festival Unitel 10 anos Contigo” in Angola, Africa.

Chris thrilled his international fans with songs off his latest album F.A.M.E., Ciara had the crowd transfixed with her bangin’ body and moves, Lil’ Kim stormed the stage with her fiery mixtape material, and a slim Fat Joe performed hits such as “What’s Luv?”

You won’t have to trek across the world to check out some of the fan-filmed footage below.