Credit: Alamy

Common and Fat Joe are from the same hip-hop generation, and the two acts have profoundly impacted rap music. Although they were raised in Chicago and New York, respectively, the two have crossed paths on a number of occasions, and, according to Common, Fat Joe once saved his life.

The 1990s birthed many legendary hip-hop beefs, one of which was between Common and Ice Cube. Although it was all based on a misunderstanding, at the time, it was very serious. In 1994, when Common released ‘I Used to Love H.E.R.’, the lead single of his sophomore album Resurrection, Ice Cube took some of the lyrics as dissed toward the West Coast.

This initiated a war and the former N.W.A. member responded on Mack 10’s track, ‘Westside Slaughterhouse’. On the track, he references Common’s song, rapping, “All you suckas wanna diss the Pacific / But you busta niggas never get specific / Used to Love H.E.R., mad ‘cause we fucked a / Pussy-whipped BITCH with no Common Sense!” However, this prompted Common to respond.

On his 1997 album, One Day It’ll All Make Sense, Common released his response ‘The Bitch in Yoo’ on which he raps, “A bitch n*gga with an attitude named Cube Stepped to the Com’ with a feud / Now, what the FUCK I look like dissin’ a whole coast? / You ain’t made shit dope since AmeriKKKa’s Most.”

The back–and–forth went on for a few years. However, Fat Joe intervened and, according to Common, saved his life. In a 2021 interview with HOT 97.0, the Chicago native spoke about music and his acting career and reflected on his friendship with Fat Joe.

Opening up about his relationship with the ‘Lean Back’ legend, Common told the hosts, “You know, that brother kind of saved my life. Fat Joe saved my life.” He then recounted how the Terror Squad rapper stepped up and cooled a heated encounter he was having with LA emcee Mack 10.

Elaborating on the exchange, Common explained how, during the late 1990s he got a call from Sprite to be part of their advertising campaign alongside other MCs. Mack 10, Westside Connection, and Fat Joe were part of the project, and filming took place in Los Angeles.

Although this was fine for most, Common was on bad terms with Mack 10 and, as a result, a member of the ‘Testify’ rapper’s team began antagonising the West Coast native. It led to a verbal confrontation, which culminated in Mack 10 and his people reaching for guns.

At this moment, Common recalled Fat Joe screaming, “Fat Joe said, ‘Rash [Rashid], your man got to go. He’s got to leave. He can’t stay.’” He added, “‘Man, y’all are not touching him.’”