It looks like college dropout Kanye West will finally graduate.
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) announced that the hip-hop superstar will be receiving an honorary doctorate from the school at its commencement ceremony on May 11. The 21-time Grammy Award winner will receive his degree alongside artists Janet Neiman, Douglas Druick, Albert Oehlen and Rhona Hoffman.
“West is an advocate for education as well as a thinker and maker who often uses his work—his lyrics, videos, performances, designs and paintings—to deconstruct stereotypes and spur cultural discourse on important social issues,” the school said in an announcement on its website.
The Chicago native received a scholarship to attend the American Academy of Art, and he would later transfer to Chicago State University. He dropped out at the age of 20 to pursue music full time, releasing six studio albums since. Kanye is set to release his seventh studio album—the follow-up to 2013's Yeezus—entitled So Help Me God.
While the honorary doctorate doesn't mean much for Kanye, SAIC is capitalizing on a great PR opportunity in building a relationship with the famous artist.
Either way, the school's claim that Kanye supports education is questionable considering lyrics like, "She has no idea what she's doing in college. That major that she majored in don't make no money but she won't drop out, her parents will look at her funny" from his 2004 track All Falls Down, a line that must hit close to home for many SAIC students.