Fat Joe's Sneaker Store UPNYC Named in $20 Million Lawsuit

Fat Joe has entered a legal battle with his former hype man Terrance “T.A.” Dixon this week, with the Bronx rapper currently facing a number of accusations, including financial fraud.

Named in the $20 million suit was Joe's popular sneaker store, UPNYC, where Dixon alleged that the shop served as a channel for the rapper's racketeering activities. The filing claims that Joe used his celebrity status to acquire early access to high-heat sneaker releases, where he used UPNYC to resell the sneakers at inflated prices due to the high demand of the early product. Dixon says this alleged practice created an unfair advantage for its retail competitors like Foot Locker, Kith, and Stadium Goods, who are barred from selling scheduled products early.

Dixon also alleges in the suit that Joe's UPNYC created an abusive environment for both shoppers and workers by revealing instances where a teen was violently assaulted for stealing, and various female employees were repeatedly sexually assaulted and verbally abused.

Fat Joe's Terror Squad partnered with Nike last year to release their coveted Air Force 1 Low collabs, which were previously introduced in the mid-2000s as family-and-friends exclusives. Also expected to be released soon is a white and university red colorway.