I'm a Fat Joe fan from the early ninties. I honestly stopped liking Fat Joe just before Big Pun died. I heard the Just Blaze produced "Safe 2 Say (The Incredible)" and instantly thought that the recent beef with 50 Cent had jolted an awakening of the Fat Joe of the D.I.T.C. fame. Singles like "So Much More" and "Listen Baby" seemed to have confirmed this...but once I listened to the finished product I must say I was quite disappointed. This album fronts several lackluster pop anthems (Get It Poppin for example) and just plain awful songs (Hold You Down). For those looking for that raw NY street lyricist, wait until Nas or Jay-Z release their next albums or go underground and listen to Immortal Technique.

With over ten years in the game, Fat Joe has yet to get his just due as one of the few rappers to continuously step up his master of ceremony game. He has developed the once sophomoric delivery first heard on Represent, into a more laid back cocky flow that helped him lock down last summer along Terror Squad. Now on his appropriately titled sixth album, the Boogie Down's last hope, attempts to legitimize himself within the battle of the boroughs. Unfortunately, All Or Nothing (Terror Squad/Atlantic) does not stack high enough to justify the Don's recent King Of NY claims.

On the opener "Does Anybody Know", the Bronx Bomber sets a stern tone with tales of his come up on the streets and the ambition that fueled it on a sped up vocal sample driven track. Joe goes hardest on "Safe 2 Say (The Incredible)" though. "On my waist you know I gotta keep that oven/for you gingerbread ass niggas, the heats coming/on high/ Joey Crack I/bake the cake serve you niggas humble pie". Just Blaze cooks up a heater by incorporating Chuck D's legendary "Once again it's the incredible" line from PE's "Bring The Noise" over some menacing guitar licks. In house Terror Squad production duo Cool & Dre are not to be outshined, as they hold down Joe on the albums first single "So Much More". Other highlights include the DJ Khaled produced "Beat Novacaine."

Still to this day, Joe has tasted minimal mainstream success with previous cross over smashes ("Lean Back" and "What's Love"), but has yet to lock down his spot alongside the Jay-Z's of the Rap world. On All Or Nothing, Crack tries to recreate this magic but can't effectively nail down a hit. Joe enlists the help of Nelly on the hook and super producer Scott Storch on "Get It Poppin". The potent lineup that reads so well on paper doesn't translate into the grand slam he hoped it would have been (Think about when you only appreciate a track when you hear it five years later on your local radio station's throwback hour). And addressing beef doesn't seem to be Crack's forte either as he drops the ball to "ether" down his newfound nemesis 50 Cent. "My Fo Fo" suffers from a weak hook and lack of substance.

Even most hardcore Fat Joe fans will find All Or Nothing a tad difficult to grasp. The album lacks direction, as the album sounds more like a bunch of songs put together. Fat Joe will need to bring more to the table in order to sit with the big boys.

fat joe...wat can i say ur name has been in the game for a while so gotta give props to that...but ur music is garbage in my opinion

Fat Joe stays steady,but He can be streaky.the problem is that He gets caught up in alot of trendy stuff that tends to wear where He is trying to go down.I was looking forward to the cut "So Hot" with R.Kelly.anybody working with the King of Music R.Kelly is always gotta get my ear&Attention,but the cut is alright at best."Lean back" had me hyped last summer&while the Re-Mix is cool the rest of this Album is decent enough to get by,but consider that Fat Joe is all the Hype on Him He didn't Bring that Knock Out album.had Fat Joe came with a stronger Album then Dude would have fully been on the first Tier of Rappers.

fat joe's gone completely commercial man. he's lyrics are alright but his aim is way off. hope he sells some units to rest his soul, cuz i know it bothers him to be such a pop culture rapper.