Rapper Fat Joe is coming under fire big time. His former employees, led by Terrance “T. A.” Dixon, have sued him for sex trafficking, fraud, and dozens of other charges. The lawsuit was filed on June 19 in the Southern District of New York. It tells a deeply troubling story about Dixon’s 15-year personal working relationship with the rapper.
Fighting Fat Joe
Dixon became Fat Joe’s hype man, lyricist, studio-time booker, background vocalist, and member of security detail. He claims there were all kinds of times that Fat Joe made sure to put him in embarrassing positions. These meetings included performative sexual acts under coercion and observation. While abroad, Dixon continued to receive tangible threats to his safety. If he didn’t do what Fat Joe said, he was threatened with being cut, losing his job, even physical violence.
Dixon has a lot at stake for serious accusations. He is seeking more than $2 million in damages for unpaid performance wages and additional damages for the abuses he says he has endured. The lawsuit highlights claims that Dixon contributed lyrics and creative direction to several of Fat Joe’s songs, including “Congratulations” and “Ice Cream,” without receiving proper credit or compensation.
Fat Joe’s legal representation, attorney Joe Tacopina, has categorically dismissed the claims as the work of a “disgruntled former employee.” He called out Dixon and Dixon’s attorney, Tyrone Blackburn, as further lost as to take purpose. They were the plaintiffs in a civil suit they had earlier filed. Tacopina claimed they were attempting to blackmail his client with trumped-up accusations.
“The lawsuit filed by Tyrone Blackburn and Terrance Dixon is a blatant act of retaliation — a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the civil suit we filed first, which exposed their coordinated scheme to extort Mr. Cartagena through lies, threats, and manufactured allegations.” – Joe Tacopina
Tacopina further accused the Blackburn of having a long history of abusing the court system. He assured that his client would not be cowed by these charges.
“We have taken legal action to expose this fraudulent campaign and hold everyone involved accountable.” – Joe Tacopina
Blackburn has aggressively come to the defense of his client. He used this golden moment to speak fondly of the lengthy, fruitful collaboration between Dixon and Fat Joe. Hudson claimed that Dixon’s memory is at once reliable and deeply documented. Blackburn said that they have more proof in the form of documentation that shows more predicated instances of trafficking.
“Fat Joe knows what he has done. My client was with him for nearly 20 years. My client does not do drugs, nor does he drink alcohol. His memory is perfect, and he has receipts. We have three additional pages of predicated acts, which detail trafficking of another sort. Joe [Tacopina] should better advise his client to do the smart thing.” – Tyrone Blackburn
A hearing on this matter is scheduled for August 1. Dixon and Blackburn will now need to answer to the lawsuit brought against them by Fat Joe’s powerhouse legal team. They have until June 23 to file their reply.
As the case plays out, both sides seem prepared to let the matter go the distance in court. Tacopina has an extensive prior resume representing high-profile clients, including until recently, former President Donald Trump. On the other hand, Blackburn has collaborated with musical luminaries from rapper T.I. to producer and past collaborator Rodney Jones.