Fat Joe's fact-and-fictitious raps have earned him a grand accolade ... the legendary rapper was just awarded an honorary doctorate from Lehman College in his Bronx hometown today.
TMZ Hip Hop got vid of the newly minted Dr. Joseph “Fat Joe” Cartagena on Thursday ... the Don was given a Doctorate of Humane Letters ... pretty much the standard certification for celebs with outstanding philanthropic contributions to society.
Joe took to the podium to share the secrets of success with the graduates -- the key is not to let age be a deterrent, he says.
The Terror Squad leader has put the BX on his back for decades throughout his storied hip-hop career -- and told the audience his community, not coins, drove him to become the man they see today.
Not too bad for a dude who claims most of his rap lyrics were fugazzi ... Joe's got the book and street smarts to boot!!!