I had a chance to speak with rapper Fat Joe over the phone during his recent publicity stop in Atlanta to promote upcoming brawler Def Jam: Icon.

I was working on a story about hip hop culture for the Rocky, part of a package they did on the subject that examined both the culture and some of the violence tied to it.

I thought it was sort of ironic that a culture that seems at times held back by negative stereotypes would so exhuberently embrace a game that is all about linking violence and hip hop.

Fat Joe didn't see a problem:

While the game seems to play up violence in the hip-hop industry and among its biggest stars, Fat Joe downplays that. "Playing a video game is similar to creating hip hop music," he said. "It's not real, your having fun and kicking someone's (ass), but when you turn it off you go back to your normal everyday life." "This is therapeutic." Fat Joe says he's not worried about the game influencing kids or casting hip-hop in a bad light. "You have to keep it real," he says laughing. "Kids have much worse things going on in their lives than a video game."

Fat Joe also told me that he plays mostly on the Xbox 360, though he owns a PS3 as well. He said he favorite games, besides the Def Jam franchise, are sports titles. I asked if he had an early build of Icon for his house and he said he was "working on it." Brian Crecente

Rappers brawl in upcoming 'Def Jam: Icon' [Freeplay]

My wife and son spent the day making Valentine's Day cookies and then left the house for quite awhile. When I went into the kitchen I discovered: Three cookie sheets filled with cookies, a pot half-filled with melted chocolate, and four boxes of recently delivered Girl Scout Cookies. I thought: Lunch! I don't feel so good.

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I interviewed rapper Fat Joe today for a story I'm working on for the Rocky. He was at some store in Atlanta and his posse, it sounded like, were very much present. Whenever he said something funny or shouted something out, they all shouted or laughed. I've decided that from now on I need a posse present during all interviews so when I ask questions they can be all "Snap" or "Oh, no you didn't." That would rock.

Question I didn't ask Fat Joe when he said the game has his "signature fight move.": Wait, there's a button combo that realeases a bunch of your thugs and has them dogpile the other guy?

"Oh no you didn't"

To the Brian Lounge! (Cue Batman music.)