Hip-hop veteran Fat Joe has claimed that bailing out Justin Bieber from jail in 2014 led to the breakdown of their friendship, after the pop star allegedly didn’t take well to being told to tone down his behaviour.
Speaking on the newly launched podcast “Joe & Jada,” co-hosted with fellow rapper Jadakiss, the Bronx-born star reflected on a turbulent chapter in his friendship with Bieber. Joe recounted how he was contacted by his late friend Raul Conde, who urgently requested help for Bieber’s release following his high-profile DUI arrest in Miami over a decade ago.
“Raul, rest in peace, calls me and says, ‘Yo, they looking for somebody to bail out Justin Bieber,’” Joe recalled. “It wasn’t no money, just a couple hundred dollars, maybe a thousand. We used Rich Playa’s girl to bail him out. So we bail out Bieber — $100.”
However, public records at the time indicated Bieber’s bail was actually $2,500, leading some listeners to question the full accuracy of Joe’s version.
“I’m A Gangster Now” — Bieber’s Reaction?
Fat Joe claimed that after Bieber was released, he phoned to express gratitude — but with a twist.
“He calls me to thank me and starts saying, ‘Yo, I’m a gangster now,’” Joe said. “I told him, ‘Yo, Justin. Listen, bro. You gotta stop. We don’t want you gangster. We don’t want you getting arrested. We want you to succeed. You’re Justin Bieber! My daughter worships you! We all love you!’”
Joe went on to explain that his efforts to advise Bieber were not well received.
“That conversation kinda messed up my relationship with him,” Joe said on the podcast, suggesting Bieber didn’t appreciate being called out for trying to play tough.
Mixed Public Reaction
The episode, which aired as part of promotional content for the “Joe & Jada” podcast — produced by The Volume in collaboration with Roc Nation — quickly sparked a wave of responses online. While some fans sympathised with Joe’s attempt to offer guidance, others accused him of embellishing the story.
“All this man does is lie,” one X (formerly Twitter) user posted. Another wrote, “Joe is the type to tell a story that has maybe like 50% truth in it.”
Despite the scepticism, the anecdote adds another layer of intrigue to the long and colourful history of celebrity friendships and fallouts in the music industry.
A Podcast Aimed at Culture
“Joe & Jada,” launched in May 2025, features Fat Joe and Jadakiss dissecting music, culture, sports, and personal stories from their decades-long careers. The show releases twice a week and is already making waves for its raw and often controversial storytelling.
Whether Bieber will respond to Joe’s claims remains to be seen, but one thing is certain — the episode has reignited curiosity about what really happened behind the scenes of one of pop culture’s most unexpected friendships.
