Fat Joe received a major honor in his hometown of the Bronx when New York City Mayor Eric Adams presented him with a key to the city. The surprise moment occurred on Tuesday night during the Up NYC concert at Orchard Beach. Mayor Adams took the stage to acknowledge Fat Joe’s impact on the city, declaring, “Fat Joe who’s getting the Key to the City of New York. All his legendary — his music, a real brother, authentic — we want to give you this key.”
Fat Joe, visibly touched, took the opportunity to express his gratitude, especially to the hip-hop legends who influenced his career. “Shout-out my wife, my daughter, shout-out my favorite aunt in the world. I gotta thank the pioneers. From Melle Mel, Mr. Ness to KRS-One — my whole life I been trying to be KRS-One — LL Cool J, Heavy D and the list goes on,” he said. “I want to shout out everybody here because we in the Bronx and I know I know all of you. Every last one of you, I know you — I love you.”
Earlier this month, Fat Joe hinted at the honor in an Instagram video, where he mentioned that the decision had sparked some controversy. “I get the key to the city the 20th and, boy, was that a hard one. Hip-hop got a black eye,” he said. “The mayor and his crew, his right-hand girl, got me the key to the city. Everybody was a little upset. But I don’t know another guy who keeps it realer with the streets of New York than Fat Joe, who feeds more people, opens more businesses. I don’t know what to tell you guys.”
This moment comes after Mayor Adams made headlines earlier this year for revoking the key to the city previously awarded to Diddy. The key, originally given in 2023, was taken back following the emergence of serious allegations that damaged Diddy’s reputation.