Fat Joe Leans Back On Education, Makes Surprise School Visit

Terror Squad leader Fat Joe surprised an inner-city school Thursday (June 11) by making an unexpected visit and speech for a "School Is Cool" event in New Jersey.

The rapper’s speech focused on reminding students about the importance of staying in school.

“I can buy a watch, they can take it,” Joe explained to the crowd. “I can buy a car, I can crash it. But an education, they can’t ever take that away from you. You can take a man without an education and he can become a mechanic or a baker and he can know everything about baking and do it for 22 years. But that’s as far as he’s ever going to go. The man who gets an education doesn’t have to know a thing about baking. He doesn’t have to know how to make a donut, but he becomes his boss. That’s the difference about having an education.” (The Jersey Journal)

Kanye West also performed a Stay In School Benefit concert today.

Kanye has announced (through his Facebook page) a performance at the Chicago Theatre on June 11. But this is no ordinary event; it’s the second Stay In School Benefit Concert. The event is sponsored by the Kanye West Foundation, which was founded by the rapper’s late mother, Dr. Donda West, with the goal of stemming academic dropout rates. The performance will be taped by the Fuse network, and will air sometime during the summer. (Chicago Defender)

Ye’s concert was initially the idea of a Chicago high school student.

The event was conceived by David Abrams, a student who was inspired to create an incentive for kids to stay in school after he listened to a story on NPR about a Chicago student turning his education around after his mother offered him two tickets to a Lil Wayne concert if he brought up his grades and stayed in school. Abrams went on to form S.H.O.W. (Students Helping Our World), which is run by a group of teens, supported by parents, and partnered with Chicago Public Schools, the City of Chicago, former Bears quarterback Kyle Orton and the Kanye West Foundation. (Live Daily)

Aside from school benefits, Fat Joe’s upcoming album J.O.S.E. 2 will reportedly be released later this month.

“I got bad news for everyone,” Joe wrote on Twitter last month. “My album got pushed back. I will have the new date!!!!!! I’m just as upset as ya!!!! CRACK!!! We pushed my album back my brother, sample clearance, you know. The album is coming late June.” (Fat Joe’s Twitter)

No further information on Joe’s new album has been announced as of yet.