Instagram/@fatjoe
This past week, Fat Joe took to his social media accounts to congratulate Eif Rivera on his first feature film, calling it “the movie of the year.” The photo was clicked at what seemed like the film’s red carpet premiere, and the rapper-media personality expressed his ebullience over the project. Such a kind of high praise by a legend in hip-hop culture will almost inevitably bring much-needed red carpet treatment to any independent project.
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Shown in the photo are Fat Joe and Rivera standing in front of a backdrop illustrating the “Killing Castro” logo, among other sponsor branding. Rivera looks dashing in his leather jacket and jeans as he points dramatically at Fat Joe, who is chicly dressed in a white cardigan, dark pants, and white sneakers. There seems to be a genuine friendship between the two beyond just working together for the film.
Eif Rivera himself responded excitedly to Fat Joe’s socials post: “we here bro! Let’s keep going!!” and subsequently responded again, “the blessings gona keep coming so we ain’t gona never stop ha on God ha” with some fist and muscle emojis.
Another user observed the absence of Diddy from the production, joking, “Damn the exec producer got diddy cropped 😂”; this was insinuating that the mogul’s recent legal troubles could have something to do with it. It appears the original commenter then said that they had “one crystal clear” photo in a joke exchange.
Several users shared on how long of a road it had really been for both of them. One wrote, “@fatjoe remember how it all started? Time flies, and look where both of you are now at. Started from the bottom, now you’re here!!!!!!!!” That sentiment extends the familiar narrative of making it through perseverance with which both Fat Joe and Rivera resonate in the hip-hop community.
The post drew attention her way, and one person stated, “1 of those terror squad pants ts.add to my collection 🔥plz 🙏🏼” referring to the rapper’s famous crew and fashion label. Another commented, “The chain is blinging 👀,” appreciating the jewelry presented in the shot.
Most of the comments were positive, though there was one critical voice in cultural consciousness: “These kids don’t no nothing about the Guru 💪🏽🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🇵🇷🤴👸🙏☮️” – possibly alluding to the late rapper Guru of Gang Starr or just issuing a broader commentary on hip-hop history.
The general response to Fat Joe’s post shows that the man is still important enough to make a big buzz about anything he stands for. Fat Joe putting his seal of approval on “Killing Castro” means, in the urban entertainment market, that there is some serious possibility of greatness for the film, especially with Rivera as a prominent music video director making a venture into features.
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This public show of support between these Bronx boys is evidence of the strong ties that artists who have attempted to claw their way up through the same arts culture forge. Their tribute to each other at this career milestone occasion embodies the very essence of collaboration in hip-hop culture.