André 3000 To Become Doctor
André 3000 will be honored with an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music.
The prestigious award will be bestowed upon the rapper during Berklee’s 2025 commencement at Boston University’s Agganis Arena on May 10.
Berklee College of Music will recognize André 3000 for his decades-long impact on music and culture.
The award comes on the heels of the announcement that the nine-time Grammy winner will be inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame alongside Antwan “Big Boi” Patton.
In 2023, he released New Blue Sun, his first solo album in two decades. The experimental, flute-driven project broke new ground, becoming the first instrumental album to chart on the Billboard 200.
Its opening track, “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time,” set a record as the longest song to debut on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Atlanta native rose to prominence as one-half of the genre-shifting Hip-Hop duo Outkast.
Together, they helped redefine Southern rap and earned six Grammy Awards. Berklee’s commencement weekend starts May 9 with a tribute concert at Agganis Arena.
More than 200 student performers will pay musical homage to the honorees. The event celebrates artists who have made lasting contributions to music and philanthropy.
Berklee’s past honorary degree recipients list includes legends such as Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, Missy Elliott, Willie Nelson and John Legend.