Joseph Michael Calleja (November 9, 1974 – November 16, 2000), known by his stage name Joe C., was an American rapper, best known for being a

hype man A hype man, typically in hip hop music, is a backing vocalist who supports the primary performer with exclamations, interjections, or ad-libs in an attempt to increase an audience's excitement or engagement. Origins Early hype men included Keef C ...

for fellow rapper

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock, is an American musician, singer, rapper, and songwriter. After establishing himself in the Music of Detroit#Hip-hop, Detroit hip-hop scene, he broke through into m ...

Early life

Calleja was born in the

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

suburb of

Trenton, Michigan Trenton is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County, Michigan, United States. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the city population was 18,853. A Shawnee village was built in the area by war chief Blue Jacket after the 1795 Tre ...

, and grew up in nearby

Taylor Taylor, Taylors or Taylor's may refer to: People * Taylor (surname) ** List of people with surname Taylor * Taylor (given name), including Tayla and Taylah * Taylor sept, a branch of Scottish clan Cameron * Justice Taylor (disambiguation) ...

. Since childhood, he had been treated for

celiac disease Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine. Patients develop intolerance to gluten, which is present in foods such as wheat, rye, spel ...

, a chronic autoimmune disorder that limited his height to , and required him to take dozens of pills and undergo dialysis daily.

Career

Calleja first met Detroit-area musician

at a concert by the latter in Roseville, Michigan, in 1994. Rock initially mistook Calleja for a child. "He used to come to all my shows. He'd be standing on tables in the front row singing the lyrics." Rock subsequently brought Calleja into his act as a rapper and hype man: "He's talking and I'm like, would you like a job? He's like, I can't do anything. I'm like, it's not important right now. I was like, you got attitude flying all over this room. I was like, I'll teach you everything you need to know," Rock said. In 1997, Calleja posed with two naked strippers for an album cover for rapper Shortcut. A photo lab reported the image as possible

child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...

, but the investigation was closed less than a day later when Calleja verified his age to be 23. Calleja also appeared on television, including a guest role with Kid Rock in the animated series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'', in the season 11 episode " Kill the Alligator and Run". Calleja was a World Wrestling Federation fan and made various references to the WWF

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

D-Generation X D-Generation X (DX), is an American professional wrestling Glossary of professional wrestling terms#Stable, stable, and later a tag team, who consisted of various members mostly Generation X wrestlers, most notably Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Ch ...

during concerts. He appeared on the May 18, 2000, edition of '' WWF Smackdown'' during a taping in Detroit to drink beer with The Acolytes, and on the May 29 edition of '' Raw Is War'', helping Too Cool win their only WWF Tag Team Championship in 2000 from Edge and Christian. He was also featured posthumously in the animated film ''

Osmosis Jones ''Osmosis Jones'' is a 2001 American live-action animated buddy cop comedy film written by Marc Hyman. Combining live-action sequences directed by the Farrelly brothers and animation directed by Piet Kroon and Tom Sito, the film stars the ...

'' as a part of Kidney Rock.

Death

On November 16, 2000, Calleja died in his sleep at his parents' home in Taylor, Michigan, from complications from celiac disease. His death was determined to be from natural causes and no autopsy was performed. Kid Rock released a statement on Calleja's death: "Family and friends are everything; without them, all of the fame and fortune means nothing. We have lost part of our family. Joey gave us, and the world, his love. He brought a smile to everyone who has ever known or seen him. In a world full of confusion, Joey made all of us laugh. No matter what color, religion, race, or beliefs we have, he made us all smile. He gave us the gift of joy. Joey, thank you. We will never forget you. We love you." Rock dedicated his 2001 album '' Cocky'' to Calleja.

Discography

With Kid Rock

* ''

Devil Without a Cause ''Devil Without a Cause'' is the fourth studio album by American musician Kid Rock. Released on August 18, 1998, the album saw Kid Rock continuing to develop his sound, and marked the finalization of his stage persona as a 'redneck pimp'. Additio ...

'' (1998) * '' The History of Rock'' (2000) * '' Live Trucker'' (2006)

Soundtracks

* ''South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'' (1999) * ''Osmosis Jones'' (2001)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:C, Joe 1974 births 2000 deaths People from Taylor, Michigan Deaths from digestive disease Entertainers with dwarfism American musicians with disabilities Rappers from Detroit 20th-century American musicians Hype men Twisted Brown Trucker members