Students at Intermediate School 217 School of Performing Arts started their morning with an unexpected cup of Joe.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz introduced “Bronx Tale” rapper Fat Joe to the kids, who found out Thursday morning they would be getting a visit. Diaz and Fat Joe, born Joseph Antonio Cartagena, have known each for 20 years.
Teachers begged students to calm down as Fat Joe entered the auditorium.
“Listen to what’s going on because today is gonna be a beautiful day,” the 48-year-old star told excited students. “I grew up on welfare, I grew up poor. We didn’t have nothing. I never forget where I come from.”
Fat Joe’s visit was to promote a contest in which students belonging to the “most improved” homeroom between now and Christmas will win a pair of Nikes. Improvements will be gauged by factors including attendance and academic achievements.
The rap star told the kids that sneakers were among his favorite things growing up in the Forest Housing Project on Trinity Avenue in the Bronx. He explained how having goals and working together would help students win new kicks as well as preparing them for bigger challenges as adults.
“Personally, when I was your age I was a terrible student and a bad-behaved student. So I said to myself, what can I do to make the little young bad fat Joe change his behavior and do good in school?” he asked. “Teamwork makes the dream work. So we’re not talking about any individual student, we talking about the whole classroom. We wanna see the improvement of the whole classroom.”
It’s Fat Joe’s hope that he and Nike can make this initiative work nationwide. He says the sneakers program isn’t about materialism, it’s about incentive.
“I remember being their age dreaming about things like this,” said Joe. “I’m just letting these kids know anything is possible. Their future is bright.”
