Bronx rapper Fred The Godson
remembered at bumpin’ street co-naming
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Famed rappers Fat Joe and
Jim Jones joined the likes
of Bronx Borough President
Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Councilman
Raphael Salamanca, Jr.
plus dozens of south Bronx
residents in remembering the
late hip hop icon Frederick
‘Fred The Godson’ Thomas
by renaming the intersection
of Leggett Avenue and Kelly
Street in his honor Monday,
February 22.
Fred The Godson succumbed
to complications from
COVID-19 in April of 2020, he
was 35.
The streets of his old neighborhood
of Longwood, a place
where he donned the name
“Big Bronx” early in his career
were co-named on what
would have been his 36th
birthday, the same day Fred
The Godson’s posthumous album
titled “Ascension” was
“The thing that’s most
special about Fred is that he
wanted to make you feel special,
so even though he is who
he is, every time he sees you
he wanted to put a smile on
your face,” fellow Bronx rapper
Fat Joe said on that snowy
Monday in front of a cheering
Bronx crowd.
Jim Jones also shared
some personal memories and
times shared with Fred, telling
of how he even motivated
Jones to pursue his own rap
career.
“Fred inspired me to do
this music,” Jones told the
crowd, recalling times when
Always
take them
with you!
COVID-19 is still here.
Keep wearing your face
covering:
• Anytime you are outside your home
• If you live with others and have any COVID-19
symptoms
Always make sure it fits tightly and covers your nose, mouth
and chin to best protect yourself and those around you.
released.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, F 14 EB. 26-MAR. 4, 2021
Godson” Thomas Ave.
#RIPFredTheGodson pic.
twitter.com/6kqTq2IvWh—
HOT 97 (@HOT97) February
22, 2021
regular guest DJ for the radio
station Hot97, he often collaborated
acts such as Jadakiss, Pusha
T, Cam’ron, and Raekwon of
Wu Tang Clan.
Bronx hip hop producer also
shared out a message of remembrance
“Once A Legend Always A
Legend! King I Know Ya Smiling
ALL! Your Name, Music &
Legacy Will Live On FOREVER!
King & Legend.”
too commented on the celebration,
amazing Bronxites this past
year who are not just numbers
the life of one of them.”
Health
COVID-19 vaccines are now available
to certain groups in New York City.
To learn more about COVID-19 and vaccines,
visit nyc.gov/health/coronavirus.
Courtesy of Raphael Salamanca, Jr.
he was reluctant to be involved
in music, only to have
Fred The Godson almost literally
push Jones into a studio’s
recording booth.
Leggett Ave. & Kelly
St. in the Bronx, #NYC, is
now Fredrick “Fred The
Fred The Godson was a
with fellow New York
Amadeus, another iconic
for Fred The Godson,
posting to Instagram
& Shining Down On Us
Happy Birthday Bronx
Borough President Diaz
stating “We lost so many
to us. Today, we honored
NYCDOH_COVID19_StillHere_CNG_8.75x5.6_v1.indd 1 2/12/21 4:17 PM
/6kqTq2IvWh
/coronavirus