Music
Prison, a bitter feud, and a changing industry haven’t stopped the
Terror Squad rappers from collaborating on a new album.BY NOLAN FEENEYFAT JOE & REMY MA
GO “ALL THE WAY UP”
What to
Stream
EW’s guide
to this week’s
essential
new releasesLITTLE BIG TOWN
The Breaker
After last year’s Pharrell
Williams-helmed detour,
Wanderlust, the country
quartet return to Nashville
on this sublime full-length,
which features barn burners
like “Rollin’” and one weeper
of a ballad: the Taylor Swift-
penned single “Better Man.”THUNDERCAT
Drunk
Kendrick Lamar, Wiz
Khalifa, Pharrell Williams,
and (no joke) yacht rockers
Michael McDonald and
Kenny Loggins assist the
bass maestro on his fourth
album, which perfects his
psychedelic fusion of jazz,
soul, and electronica.DIRTY PROJECTORS
Dirty Projectors
Warped vocals, Afro-
inspired rhythms, and
deceptively catchy melo-
dies: Must be the latest
from these beloved indie
rockers. The deeply per-
sonal LP includes collabs
with Solange Knowles
and Dawn Richard.ROCKABYE BABY!
Lullaby Renditions
of Beyoncé
Queen Bey will soon have
two new bey-bies, making
the latest installment
of the long-running lullaby
series all the more timely.
The set features plucky
xylophone renditions
of material from Destiny’s
Child toLemonade.
e
g
Town
Littl
Bi
TWhen Remy Ma took the
stage at the Rose Bowl
stadium in Pasadena last
May, she wondered why every-
one was cheering. The rapper
was making an appearance
during DJ Khaled’s opening set
on Beyoncé’s Formation world
tour, so when she saw the
crowd, she assumed Jay Z, who
was backstage, had joined her.
Then she turned around and
realized she was alone. “They
were screaming like Tupac was
alive,” says her mentor and
collaborator Fat Joe. “To this
day, Jay texts me, ‘Does she
know that never happens?!’ He
was concerned with [whether]
she appreciated the moment.”
She certainly did—for lots
of reasons. In 2004, as members
of the rap group Terror Squad,
Remy and Joe were at the top
of their game with their No. 1
smash “Lean Back.” But Remy’s
career was soon interrupted
by a six-year prison sentence
stemming from a 2007 nightclub
incident in which Remy (real
given its throwback ’90s
feel—especially for a genre
that’s favoring youth, viral
potential, and the trap
sounds coming out of Atlanta.
“YouTube sensations have
these huge records out of the
clear blue sky, and we pull
off two Grammy nominations
independently,” Remy says.
“We didn’t do that when we
were signed to majors!”
Now the two are setting
their sights beyond music. In
addition to a new solo album,
Remy is working on a book and
stars on VH1’sLove & Hip Hop.
Joe, who is developing two
TV shows, says he could see
Remy “being a Will Smith”
by getting into acting and
producing. “I want something
I can pass on to my kids,” Remy
says. “This is my empire that
I started.” Even when you’re
“All the Way Up,” she says,
“there’s always another level
of up.” Adds Joe, “We lookin’
for space suits right now.”name: Reminisce Mackie) shot
an acquaintance she suspected
of stealing money from her
purse. (In court, Remy’s attor-
ney said the nonfatal shooting
was an accident.) She and
Joe also had a falling-out, after
her debut album, 2006’s
There’s Something About Remy:
Based on a True Story,
disappointed commercially.
Remy, 36, eventually
reconciled with Joe, 46, while
she was in prison, and the two
were reignited creatively.
After Remy released a mixtape
in 2014, she and Joe scored a
surprise hit with 2016’s brassy
“All the Way Up,” which was
nominated for two Grammys
this year. Their new album,
Plata o Plomo, out now, marks
Remy’s first official studio
release in more than a decade.
“I don’t want anyone to think I
take that for granted,” she says.
“All the Way Up” is also
something of a small miracle
Fat Joe and
Remy MaCALL IT A COMEBACK
e
gFAT JOE AND REMY MA: MIKE PONT/WIREIMAGE; WESTBROOK: TAYLOR HILL/FILMMAGIC; SWEET: ERIC JAMISON/INVISION/AP; SCHLAPMAN: JASON DAVIS/WIREIMAGE; FAIRCHILD: JASON DAVIS/WIREIMAGE