From a three-time Grammy award winner to a Jets offensive guard, five newly unveiled Bronx Walk of Fame inductees drew anything but the borough’s signature cheer on Monday.
A who’s who of civic leaders and politicians applauded as Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. named rapper Swizz Beatz, NFL great Willie Colon and actors David Zayas, Priscilla Lopez and Rachel Ticotin as 2014’s Walk of Fame honorees.
“My Bronx roots are something that will never leave me,” said Beatz, who was on hand at the Gun Hill Brewery in Bronxdale to accept the honor alongside Zayas, an NYPD cop turned actor. “This is an honor for me. I’m very humbled.”
The latest inductees — including Ticotin, Paul Newman’s love interest in “Fort Apache, the Bronx” — will be added to a stretch of famous Bronxites along the Grand Concourse that includes Chazz Palminteri and Colin Powell.
Launched in 1997, the Walk of Fame kicked off with comedian Robert Klein and TV personality Regis Philbin and has since grown to include 98 legendary Bronx natives, officals said.
“2014 is our county’s centennial, and I can think of no better way to celebrate the best of our borough than by welcoming home these five individuals, who have made a major impact in their respective fields, back to where it all began, right here in The Bronx,” said Diaz Jr.
The announcement Monday served to kick off Bronx Week 2014, a 10-day event that will boast a parade, food fest, dinner for the borough’s centenarians and a grand finale featuring Rakim of the pioneering Bronx hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim.
The 43rd annual Bronx Week will also feature a veteran’s appreciation breakfast, a glittering ball just for the borough’s grandparents and a health expo.
“Bronx Week is not just for Bronxites,” said Diaz. “It’s for all New Yorkers, and people from the tri-state area. There’s so many people who haven’t come to the Bronx in many years. There’s some who are Bronxites themselves.”
Beatz, whose real name is Kasseem Dean, credited his Bronx upbringing with giving him the drive to become a successful artist and philanthropist. The Melrose native worked as a barber while selling mix tapes before making his big break.
“They all know I didn’t come up too sweet,” he said. “My spoon wasn’t too silver. I love that when I see people from the Bronx they always tell me that I gave them hope.”
jcunningham@nydailynews.com
