Fat Joe, the New York rapper known for hits such as “What’s Luv?” and “All The Way Up,” has been accused by his former hype man of having sex with minors and labor exploitation, among other things, in a $20 million federal lawsuit. The rapper has called this a “blatant act of retaliation.”
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The federal lawsuit, obtained by outlets such as PEOPLE and the Los Angeles Times, was filed on Thursday, June 19, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The man who filed the suit, Terrance “T.A.” Dixon, worked as the hype man for Fat Joe, whose real name is Joseph Antonio Cartegena.
The complaint alleges that Cartagena “engaged in coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation and psychological coercion.” Additionally, Dixon alleges that he was “consistently underpaid, denied songwriting credits, and deliberately concealed from royalties and backend compensation.”
Additionally, Dixon makes even more troubling accusations, alleging that Cartegana coerced him into more than 4,000 sexual acts throughout the 16 years he worked for him. This was done, allegedly, “to maintain his standing within the Enterprise.”
Sexual Misconduct Accusations
The most serious accusations raised by Dixon involve Cartagena allegedly having sexual relationships with underage girls. These girls, as per Dixon, were 15 and 16. The complaint alleges that these encounters took place when Cartagena was in his late 30s. Furthermore, Dixon alleges that one of Fat Joe’s songs, “She’s My Mama,” refers to one of his alleged underage victims.
Fat Joe, however, through his attorney Joe Tacopina, has denied all accusations, calling Dixon’s lawsuit a “blatant act of retaliation.”
“The allegations against Mr. Cartagena are complete fabrications — lies intended to damage his reputation and force a settlement through public pressure,” Tacopina said. “Mr. Cartagena will not be intimidated. We have taken legal action to expose this fraudulent campaign and hold everyone involved accountable.”
Reportedly, Cartagena previously sued Dixon and his attorney, accusing them of defamation. Tacopina referred to this by saying that his lawsuit is “a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the civil suit we filed first, which exposed their coordinated scheme to extort Mr. Cartagena through lies, threats and manufactured allegations.”