Veteran rapper Fat Joe said he suffered a bout of depression when he reached his 40th birthday, citing fears about his relevance and career trajectory. On the latest episode of his podcast Joe & Jada (released October 28), the artist opened up about how turning 40 felt like a major turning point.
“I’ve been in the game since I’m 19. So, when I’m about to turn 40, all I know is standing on couches and popping bottles,” Joe said. “But that 40 hit you like a different… I was depressed.”
The rapper explained his distress came partly from seeing few peers who had hit major success after the age of 40. “I’d never seen a rapper hit one out the park after 40,” he confessed.
Facing the Fear of Irrelevance
Joe said the fast-moving pace of the hip-hop industry added to his anxiety. “So what we’re doing is we’re selling this brand… for a guy like me, it felt like, Oh, they know I’m old now,” he told his listeners.
Thankfully, Joe says the darkness didn’t last forever. His friend and producer Dre (Cool & Dre) visited him on his birthday. “I was straight depressed and he was like, ‘Yo, Joe… Tina Turner ain’t have her first hit till she was 47.’” That conversation helped shift his mindset.
Today, Fat Joe says he feels renewed and more focused. He told the podcast he now views his brand and artistry through a broader lens, beyond the hit single cycle. He said the moment of clarity arrived when he accepted that his value wasn’t just in topping charts but in building something lasting.
Though more than a decade has passed since that midlife anxiety, Joe stressed the message remains clear: growth and reinvention are possible at any age. “When I turned 50 I felt brand new again,” he remarked.
He hopes his candor will encourage younger and older artists alike to confront change rather than shrink from it. His experience underscores that success in music, like life, doesn’t always follow a predictable timeline.