Joe and Jada Podcast: “112 & Total on Joint Tour, Biggie & Bad Boy Stories, Diddy Fallout & Modern R&B”
Episode 112 | December 23, 2025
Episode Overview
In this legendary episode, Fat Joe and Jadakiss welcome iconic R&B groups 112 (Slim, Mike) and Total (Keisha, Kim) for an in-depth, vibrant conversation. They discuss their upcoming joint tour, their historic time with Biggie and Bad Boy, the realities and business of longevity in music, and candidly address the Diddy controversy and its impact on their catalogs. Spanning stories of love, struggle, evolution and R&B, this episode is equal parts celebration and real talk about what it means to last 30+ years in the game.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Joint 112 & Total Tour: 90s R&B Nostalgia Returned
- Mike (112) & Keisha (Total) express deep gratitude for being able to reunite and headline a tour after 30 years in the industry (04:26).
- Keisha: “We gonna get them their flowers, y’ all. And just so honored that our brothers would tap us on the shoulders and say, y’ all gotta take this journey with us. … Thirty years and people still supporting our music and just showing up for us, you know what I mean?” (04:26)
- Both groups emphasize mutual respect and wanting to give each other "their flowers" (10:09), and see the tour as a family affair and a celebration of culture.
- Mike: “We also wanted to give Total their flowers as well, because they have been so influential, not only in just music, but just in fashion and just how a woman is supposed to, you know, be, you know, like a queen is supposed to be in this industry and beyond, man.” (10:58)
- Fat Joe & Jadakiss both joke about sneaking into shows, underscoring the events as must-sees for real fans (10:25).
2. Stories from Bad Boy, Biggie, and the Era's Energy
- Slim (112) relives early days in NY with Biggie, Junior MAFIA, and Faith Evans, and how Big was a big brother and mentor (05:44).
- “Big was doing his promo for 'Ready to Die', man, he would bring us with him... We learned a lot of jewels, man.”
- Jadakiss shares a classic first meeting at a freezing Central Park video shoot, and recalls the notorious moment Biggie first heard Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” and how he handled it calmly—except for the references to his crew (06:23).
- Multiple members discuss how Biggie would fully embrace new artists and infuse the scene with both camaraderie and intense competition.
- Fat Joe: “I was in Harlem… Biggie’s on stage and this dude walks by with a boombox… playing ‘Hit ‘Em Up’… I just knew this shit wasn’t going right. The energy wasn’t right. I said, damn.” (07:36)
3. Tour Business, Independence & Lasting Through Industry Changes
- Slim & Mike: The groups purposefully scaled back on back-to-back shows for the holiday season to prioritize fans’ wallets and life priorities, planning to “overload” on shows in the new year (19:13).
- Ownership and independence played heavy roles in their longevity.
- Slim: “We believed in ourselves, we brand ourselves and that’s what we did. And then we learned the knowledge of the game and then we made the actual agencies come to us. So with this tour… we earned it by selling out whatever place that they put it.” (49:30)
- Echoes Fat Joe’s transition to independence: “I had to take power in my own hands and go independent. I wasn’t scared. I was like, man, fuck these dudes. And I’ve been winning ever since.” (51:37)
- Group members highlight the real sacrifices of long-term music careers—missing birthdays, events, and “giving a lot to get a lot.” (43:17)
4. Diddy Fallout and Catalog Longevity
- Addressing the elephant in the room (52:46), Fat Joe asks bluntly about the Diddy controversies and if this affected how they view their music or catalog.
- Jadakiss: “I don’t see nothing to the music… It made him wanna hear it more.” (52:54)
- Slim: “We saw our royalty shoot up like a thousand percent. …The younger people didn’t even know who Diddy and stuff… at first, what was the music? But they said, what is the music? So who are these people?”
- Controversy sparked renewed interest; they note the importance of ownership and controlling your own narrative.
- Slim: “If you’re a person that you know… you can control your puppet—turn a negative to a positive.” (56:12)
5. Modern R&B, Social Media, and Raising Kids with Values
- Keisha goes deep on why she temporarily stepped away for family and spiritual balance (14:26).
- The groups discuss how much social media and “instant” culture has changed love, relationships, and the industry.
- Fat Joe: “Social media ruined love… My mom’s and pops… they was together for 50 something years and no matter what fucked up she did or whatever the case may be, they worked this out.” (31:56)
- Slim & Mike stress teaching kids standards, especially fathers modeling how daughters should expect to be treated (36:17).
- Discussion on modern music’s lack of vulnerability and love themes compared to earlier eras.
- Keisha: “…that’s the driving force of how people show up. How the guy approaches the female… We still have good music, but we’re not vulnerable in our music anymore. We don’t talk about love.” (38:32)
6. Influence, Legacy, and Passing Down the Culture
- Group Members trade stories on their musical influences:
- 112: Take 6, Commission, New Edition, Jodeci, Boyz II Men, Babyface (61:01)
- Total: Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Stephanie Mills, Labelles (65:19)
- Missed opportunities, what keeps them going, and why resilience matters: (Fat Joe recounting being counted out and coming back with hits like “Lean Back” and “All the Way Up”—"(46:13)" and how Hip Hop and R&B shouldn’t “age out” like the industry tried to force) (46:13–49:26).
- Reflections on how culture outside of Black music (i.e., rock bands) supports its legends better—a recurring theme of needing continued, generational support and celebration within Hip Hop and R&B.
- Jadakiss: “We don’t age out over here.” (41:02)
7. Memorable & Humorous Moments
- Fat Joe’s jokes on taxes and “chilling” (17:19)
- Running gags about never buying tickets, always sneaking into shows (10:25)
- On old heads doing current dances—“Don’t do that. It’s not allowed. That’s like LeBron J doing the young…” (69:38)
- Jadakiss and Fat Joe’s mutual “fanboying” about legendary performers and spontaneous singing—“I need a rose in my mouth. Fat Joe would have been on R and B. Sing Fat Joe.” (76:26)
- Warm sendoff about giving each other flowers, support, and making this run even bigger in the future (73:24–75:23)
Notable Quotes w/ Timestamps
- Keisha (Total): “We gonna get them their flowers, y’ all... Thirty years and people still supporting our music...” (04:26)
- Jadakiss: “When you think of synergy, when you think of chemistry, when you think of camaraderie… 30 plus years in the game. Good skin.” (03:00)
- Fat Joe: “Every fucking time. Every time your shit come on. And they can’t take that from you. So you got something, God bless you with something that you could go 10 years from now… they want to see it again.” (49:06)
- Slim (112): “We believed in ourselves, we brand ourselves and that’s what we did… And then we learned the knowledge of the game and then we made the actual agencies come to us.” (49:30)
- Fat Joe: “Social media ruined love… My mom’s and pops… together for 50-something years and no matter what fucked up shit… they worked this out.” (31:56)
- Keisha: “We still have good music, but we’re not vulnerable in our music anymore. We don’t talk about love…” (38:32)
- Jadakiss: “We don’t age out over here.” (41:02)
- Mike (on Diddy controversy): “We saw our royalty shoot up like a thousand percent... The younger people didn’t even know who Diddy … at first, what was the music? But they said, what is the music? So, who are these people?” (53:32)
- Fat Joe: “If I could throw my whole rap career in and be an R and B singer, I would have did it long time ago.” (68:41)
- Keisha: “Thank you for the love... You guys make us happy. Some people going through depression. Some people going through whatever... I got to see my people, man. When they come through, I got to be there. I’m a fan of the music.” (77:40)
Timestamped Highlights
- 04:26 — Total and 112 on what makes their chemistry special on tour
- 05:44 — Biggie’s mentorship and Bad Boy days
- 06:23–07:46 — Jadakiss and Fat Joe’s vivid first encounters with Biggie, Tupac’s “Hit ‘Em Up”, and East/West tensions
- 10:58 — Mike on giving Total their flowers for contributions beyond music
- 19:13 — Discussing the business decisions behind the tour’s scheduling
- 31:56 — Real talk about love, marriage, and social media’s impact on relationships
- 36:17 — On raising daughters and instilling standards and self-respect
- 38:32 — Keisha on the loss of vulnerability in today’s R&B music
- 41:02 — “We don’t age out over here” – comparison to rock bands and why legacy matters
- 46:13–49:26 — Taking ownership and refusing to be “aged out” by labels or industry
- 52:46–56:20 — Diddy fallout, catalog legacy, and turning controversy into engagement
- 61:01–65:19 — Musical influences and how legendary sounds are built and maintained
- 69:38–71:05 — Tours, routines, and stories about live performances and legendary acts
- 75:23–78:13 — Planning for even bigger tours with more legends, and fans’ devotion
Closing Notes
The episode brims with synergy, honest insight, legendary storytelling, humor, and blunt NYC wisdom. It’s a masterclass in surviving, thriving, and giving back in music. The guests and hosts reinforce the importance of honoring your roots, making bold moves, retaining creative and business ownership, and supporting each other in Black music—while never losing the joy and camaraderie that made R&B and Hip Hop timeless.
Listen if you want:
- Authentic behind-the-scenes Bad Boy/R&B history
- Real talk about the music business’s deep changes
- Reflective wisdom on love, family, and legacy
- Laugh-out-loud moments and modern-day lessons
End of summary.
(For essential segments, jump to 04:26 for tour discussion, 05:44 for Biggie memories, 41:02 for legacy and aging in hip-hop trivia, and 52:46 for the Diddy/career impact talk.)