Grammy-winning musician, Ludacris gave a speech to students at Georgia State University and was left in shock when he was presented with an honorary bachelor’s degree.
Ludacris, otherwise known as Christopher Bridge, attended GSU back in the ’90s, where he studied for 2 years before dropping out…
But this week, the artist returned to give a speech to the class of 2022 and received something pretty special in return.
He stood before 800 master’s degree awardees and gave a fifteen-minute speech about his time at GSU and how it helped shape him into the person he is today.
Despite leaving the university, he has been their artist-in-residence since 2019 and has helped give back to GSU over the years by working as part of the Creative Media Industries Institute as a mentor.
Because of this, the students all know Ludacris well, and many have been inspired by the artist and his own journey to the top.
“GSU, I am home right now. I owe Georgia State University a great debt because you helped me arrive at me ‘why?’” he started off his speech.
“[…] My time on campus sharpened my skills. It gave me confidence that my path was preordained. That I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing. Though I left school I was never gone because this institution had become a part of me. It was a part of my fabric and DNA. My heart never strayed far from its steps and my commitment to someday return, and finish, was ever-present.”
After his speech, Ludacris was presented with an honorary degree in Bachelor of Science in Music Management from the university, which is the course he took all those years ago in 1996.
He left the course just 2 years in after signing a deal with Def Jam Records with who he went on to release his hit single ‘What’s Your Fantasy’.
After the ceremony, he spoke to Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where he explained: “I went to this school and I never finished my credits.”
“For them to come back and give me this honorary degree, it means the world to me, just for the simple fact that I always knew I wanted to come back. I always wanted to finish. I’m not a person who starts things and doesn’t finish. For me, it’s a full-circle moment.”
What an achievement!