Last year in an interview with Men’s Health, Fat Joe shared that his weight loss journey was started after the loss of his dear friend and collaborator Big Pun. The “Still Not A Player” emcee died in 2000 from a heart attack at just 28 years of age.
“I went to his funeral and I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge,” Fat Joe recalled. “And I’m looking at his little daughter. She was the same age as my daughter. I said, ‘You gotta lose weight; otherwise you outta here.’”
Now, in a new interview with Us Weekly, Fat Joe shared that he also has used Ozempic—the popular Type 2 diabetes drug—to drop nearly 200 pounds.
Stars like Oprah Winfrey, Macy Gray and Tracy Morgan have previously admitted to using similar drugs to lose weight.
“We just try to eat everything with the least carbs as possible…so we try to stay away from the bread, the pasta, the rice. That’s the smartest way to eat,” Fat Joe explained to the publication.
The artist, whose real name is Joseph Antonio Cartagena, also quipped that “Ozempic says you may only have two pieces of your favorite stuff.” However, he didn’t reveal exactly when he started using the injection and if he’s even still using it.
Fat Joe did say that he has cut back on certain foods and has learned about the importance of portion control during his weight loss journey.
“Like this morning, I ate breakfast, I had this toast. I cut the corner off, ate it and kept it moving,” the “All The Way Up” rapper continued. “Normally I would’ve ate [sic] the whole thing. But, you know, that’s what we do. We cut carbs and try to be smarter.”
Besides an illustrious career in hip-hop, the star has also mastered on-air hosting duties. The BET Hip Hop Awards 2024, hosted by Fat Joe himself, will air tonight (October 15) at 8 p.m. ET on BET.