On Sunday, June 20th CÎROC VS Fine French Brandy is celebrating the inspirational and ‘Very Special’ fathers impacting their communities by amplifying their unique and extraordinary roles. Together with Puerto Rican, hip-hop legend Fat Joe, CÎROC VS, and Fat Joe will join The Dad Gang, a conscious social community of dads on a mission to change the way the world views Black and Brown fatherhood, at their annual ‘March of Dads’ in NYC. Taking place in Brooklyn, NY tomorrow, dads and their loved ones are invited to come together and march in celebration as they amplify the experience of fatherhood together. Plus, Fat Joe and CÎROC VS will be donating to Random Acts of Dadness. HOLA! USA had the opportunity to talk to Fat Joe about the event, how we can shatter stereotypes surrounding black and brown fathers, and of course, we had to ask him about his ‘sister’ Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s reunion. Read the special interview below in honor of fathers day and attend Sunday’s event if you’re in NYC!
It’s cool to be ‘dad and papa’ publicly. [Fat Joe]
How are you and the family? We‘re outside!
We’re out. We‘re outside, you know it feels good to be outside, it feels good to see family it feels good to get back to business. You know it’s amazing, it’s an amazing feeling.
So you’re participating in this March of Dads in NYC, it‘s crazy to think last year this wasn’t even possible. What’s the goal of this celebration in your words?
Well, I think just celebrating fathers, good fathers, fathers that are there by their kids. Empowering fathers and letting them know- I’m sure they don‘t need a pat on the back- but pretty much giving them a pat on the back like, ‘yo you doing the right thing.’ So we’re going to be out there on the 20th in the morning in Brooklyn New York, with me and a bunch of fathers, and we telling everyone to bring your fathers out. If you’re proud of your father bring them out and we’re going to March together, in solidarity.
That‘s beautiful, and there are a lot of stereotypes surrounding black and brown men as fathers- blatant stereotypes. It’s in our movies, media, it’s everywhere. In addition to events like this, what else can we can do to shatter those stereotypes as a society?
You can do stuff like my brother [DJ] Khaled does all the time on his Instagram, social media, with his kids. You know we got a big ‘machismo’ about us men but there’s nothing wrong with publicly showing affection for your kids, loving your kids. And showing that- that will make other people realize, it’s cool. You’re cool to show your kids love. It’s cool to be ‘dad and papa’ publicly, you know what I’m saying? And thats what this march is all about, just embracing the fathers who are doing the right thing. Like you said, there are stereotypes out there and propaganda- I will call it propaganda. Where it isn’t necessarily true, you know, there are great fathers out there. I meet them all the time.
That is a great point that it is okay to show your kids love and hug and kiss them. And you have sons that are going to maybe be future fathers.
Well, you know my father was different. He didn‘t really know how to really, really show love, and be affectionate. So I show it to them. And I used to be jealous of my best friend Tone because his father would walk up and kiss him on the mouth in front of everybody and be like ‘I love you.’ And I’d be like wow man his father really loves him, and a kid needs to know that. It’s very important that we show affection and show them leadership, be strong. We definitely want them better than we were, which is hard these days. You know we try to work hard so that our kids can have one step up more than we had growing up in the end. So they got to embrace that and they got to take it to the next level.
So what‘s the best advice that your father has ever given you?
Wow, best advice my father has ever given me? You know my father crazy. You know I‘m the type of guy, I’m like Bugsy Siegel the guy who made Vegas. I will invest in something if I believe in it, even if I lose I don’t care because I believed in it cause I come from nothing. He’s more of ‘save your money, you crazy, you opening another business? You’re nuts, I’m telling you.” And I’m more of a risk-taker. I think there’s no reward without risk. That’s the difference between us, he would always tell me ‘save your money save your money save your money’. And me, I’m like dad, ‘I’m trying to be a billionaire dad.’ But thanks to them, my mother and father have been together for 50 something years and I’ve been with my wife for 26 years. So they set the example in many ways.
Well you know since l have you on I have to ask, how are you feeling about ‘Bennifer 2.0?’
Man Bennifer 2.0 that’s a serious one. I don‘t know what to say I mean as long as my sister is happy, I’m always here to support her. That’s it. No matter ‘Bennifer’ or whoever it is, whatever she wants to do. It’s always been an honor to have her as my sister and she’s been always so real with me and so beautiful that I support her to the moon and back.
What else can we look forward to in the future? I know you have your sick podcast The Fat Joe show
We’re doing a lot. I think the next 10 years is going to be ‘Fat Joe The American businessman.’ That‘s how I structure my next 10 years. On becoming the American businessman and investing in different businesses and creating different projects and movies, all type of things, just getting it in.
CÎROC VS, a brand you can trust’ [Fat Joe]
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