Fat Joe has not forgotten returned to the Bronx, his hometown, to donate over $100,000 in clothing to kids for the current school year.
According to ABC 7 NY, the rapper headed back to his neighborhood and donated items such as sweatsuits, tracksuits, t-shirts, shorts, and sneakers on Sept. 2 as he hosted a back-to-school clothing drive at The Eagle Academy for Young Men.
He made the same gesture at I.S. 219 New Venture School and at the elementary school he attended as a youngster, P.S. 146 Edward Collins.
The artist is well-known for his generosity. In June 2022, the “Lean Back” rapper teamed up with Pepsi Stronger Together and Gamesa Cookies for a national scholarship search, which rewarded four students with $25,000 scholarships toward an education in music and arts.
“What we’re telling them is that you can become successful, but you don’t have to leave where you’re from. You can be in your community, and you can also inspire the youth because every now and then, all they need is a little push. They need a little inspiration,” Fat Joe told ABC7 at the Eagle Academy.
The emcee assured the kids that the clothing they received would keep them looking correct after the school day ended..
Jamir Dickens, the Eagle Academy’s dean said, “I’m going to be able to really emphasize the importance of working hard, and you get rewarded for the hard work that you put in, so I’m excited that they got to participate in this today and I’m even more excited that every student got to have something today.”
“It takes dedication, and if you apply that in the future, you’ll become successful at whatever you want to do,” Joe said. “It’s only right for me who has been blessed in my life, me and my partners at UpNYC, my sneaker store, we said, ‘Let’s give back to the community. Let’s give back to the young people and let them know that they are stars of the future.”
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