In the recent years we have been privileged enough to
witness a plethora of musicians climb the ranks from musical stars to cultural
icons. Provided with little more than a
platform and a microphone, these individuals have found a way to garner fan
base like few have before them. And
although their influences travel far beyond what they may have called familiar
at one point, they will forever be immortalized by those that identified with
them first; their home… It is within
this same vein that we applaud Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. for
his motion to induct rapper Fat Joe into the Brooklyn Walk of Fame.
Joseph
Antonio Cartagena (stage name Fat Joe) was born August 19,
1970. The Brooklyn native was the
co-founder of two very influential hip-hop groups (Terror Squad &
D.I.T.C.). Jose’s repertoire includes:
·
Represent (1993)
·
Jealous Ones Envy (1995)
·
Don Cartagena (1998)
·
Jealous Ones Still Envy (2001) inducted
·
Loyalty (2002)
·
All Or Noting (2005)
·
Me Myself & I (2006)
·
Elephant In The Room (2008)
·
Jealous Ones Still Envy 2 (2009)
·
The Dark Side Vol. (2010)
It is due in large part to these
musical offerings that Diaz Jr. chose Joe.
"He announced that this weekend, he will induct rapper Fat Joe into
the Bronx Walk of Fame, for being "an outstanding citizen and a role model
to countless Bronxites. He has positively represented the Bronx and throughout
his music career has helped keep the Bronx on the 'musical map,' becoming one
of our very own homegrown success stories (New York
Daily News).
As if his musical contributions weren’t
impressive enough, one may also point to his influences in another department
as inspiration as well. “Rapper Fat Joe
has lost over 100 pounds in the past year, scaling back from his all-time high
of 460, according to a recent article in the New York
Daily News. But he isn't just concerned with his own health -- he
sees his extreme weight as a symptom of social problems in the community where
he comes from” (www.huffingtonpost.com). In era were obesity is running ramped and fast
food has become a staple; Joe jeopardized his established persona to embark
upon a more health conscious lifestyle.
And in the process not only transforming his image but also providing
hope for others in similar situations.
Rapper Fat Joe Honored
Talk To You Soon
