by Cedric ‘BIG CED’ Thornton
December 1, 2023
Joey Cartegena, or Fat Joe, returns to his hometown in The Bronx to give a special fan a gift.
Fat Joe and his generous giving have struck again!
The lovable Bronx rapper returned to his hometown to give a gift to an autistic teenager who has dreams of being a successful artist like Joey Cartegena, according to Hip Hop DX. Joe went to the home of Jilian, who is autistic like his namesake son, Joey, Jr., to present her with a $20,000 check from him and the auto brand Lexus. He posted a video of the interaction on his Instagram page.
“I’ve been watching you, Lexus has been watching you; today’s gonna be the best day ever. We love what you’re doing with hip-hop, and we love that you representing the autistic community.”
He then told Jillian that his son is also autistic.
“My son Joey’s autistic so we’re proud [of] how brave you are, and I got a big surprise here from Lexus… really for you, but mommy’s gonna watch this one.”
He wrote in the post, “I am proud to team up with @lexususa to highlight the importance of Autism Acceptance and to brighten this family’s day in a special way.”
Joe is no stranger to giving back, especially to his hometown of The Bronx in New York City.
On Sept. 2, according to ABC 7 NY, the rapper returned to his old neighborhood and donated sweatsuits, tracksuits, t-shirts, shorts, and sneakers when he hosted a back-to-school clothing drive at The Eagle Academy for Young Men. He also did the same thing when he went to I.S. 219 New Venture School and at the elementary school he attended growing up in The Bronx as a youngster, P.S. 146 Edward Collins.
“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.
Last year, 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.
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