With so many high school and college graduates walking across the stage this May/June, however, one graduate that Hip Hop cannot overlook is Fat Joe, who was recently awarded a honorary doctorate degree from Lehman College in the Bronx.
Yesterday(May 30), Dr. Joseph “Fat Joe” Cartagena was awarded a Doctorate of Humane Letters, which is 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, magnifying the fact that age should not be a deterrent.
Congrats to Fat Joe on his scholarly accomplishment, proving that anyone can improve their life through education.
Q-Tip accepted an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music alongside jazz artist Ledisi and Puerto Rican bandleader Gilberto Santa Rosa on Saturday. The school recognized them for their “profound influence as artists, educators, and activists.” For Q-Tip specifically, they mentioned “his forward-thinking artistic vision, which merges rap, jazz, and other styles with socially conscious lyrics, as well as for his impact as a producer, actor, educator, and cultural ambassador.” In turn, the legendary A Tribe Called Quest rapper spoke to the graduating class at their commencement ceremony.
“To choose this path [of the artist] is a courageous choice indeed. You are handed the task to be courageous in your personal lives, to find balance between intellect and instinct… to not let bad choices define you, but to refine you,” he said to the class of 2024. He added that accomplishments such as these serve as “precious mantras . . . to remind you that you are worthy, and that you can do it. You got this!”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 29: Queens native Q-Tip appears as a guest during the Wale set at the Rolling Loud NYC music festival in Citi Field on October 29, 2021, in New York City. (Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images)
He reflected on the honor in a since-deleted post on Instagram that HipHopDX caught before being taken down. Captioning a photo of himself holding up the honorary doctorate, he wrote: “Thank you again to the folks at Berklee for the honor bestowed. What a great time to share w dear friend @ledisi and new friend @santarosalive and CONGRATS to the class of 2024! Im still pinching [pinching emoji] #berkleecollegeofmusic.” Check out the post below.
Q-Tip Shows Of Honorary Doctorate From Berklee
Q-Tip receives honorary doctorate at Berklee College of Music: “Still pinching [myself]” pic.twitter.com/iGBex1BmK7
The honor comes after Q-Tip celebrated his 54th birthday, last month, at which time he promised that he’s still working on new music for his fans. Be on the lookout for further updates on Q-Tip on HotNewHipHop.
