Veteran American rapper, Fat Joe is facing an explosive lawsuit filed by his former hypeman in federal court. Terrance “T.A.” Dixon is alleging that his former boss, whose real name is Joseph Antonio Cartagena, engaged in “coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation, and psychological coercion.”
Dixon adds that the hip-hop star behind such chart-toppers as “What’s Luv?” got rich and famous while he and his associates deliberately suppressed, silenced, and erased Dixon’s substantial creative, artistic, and commercial contributions, which were foundational to Fat Joe’s professional success and personal brand. He is seeking up to $20 million in damages.
The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, details so many disturbing claims about Fat Joe’s alleged sexual relations with women including minors that it contains a trigger warning on the first page of the 157-page document.
For 16 years, Dixon served as Fat Joe’s so-called hypeman, a common figure in hip-hop who supports the artist by energizing the crowd and enhancing the overall performance. He also contributed as a lyricist and background vocalist on such hits as “Congratulations,” “Ice Cream,” and “Money Over Bitches.”
According to the complaint, he had an unrivaled vantage point to observe the rapper’s off-stage lifestyle and behavior. Dixon is represented by Tyrone Blackburn, who is also the lead counsel in a high-profile case against Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Dixon states in the complaint that Fat Joe forced him “into humiliating situations, including s£x acts performed under duress and surveillance, accompanied by threats of abandonment in foreign countries if [he] refused compliance.” By his own estimation, Dixon states in the suit that “he was coerced into more than 4,000 sexual acts to maintain his standing within the Enterprise.”