Dr. Kanye West Honorary Doctorate Speech

Prof nick Cave: Kanye
You join us today to be
Recognized for your transformative
Genre-defining
Work across music, performance
Film, and fashion design your visionary
And ambitious career is
A true reflection of the creative spirit so
By virtue of the authority
Vested in me by the Board
Of Governors of the School
Of the Arts Institute of Chicago
And the Board of
Trustees of the Art Institute of Chicago
I now confer upon you the degree of Honorary
Doctorate of Fine Arts, dr west

Dr kanye West: I’m sorry
That was just my opinion

I am a pop artist so
My medium is public opinion and
The world is my canvas

"I’m sorry" is something that you can
Use a lot it gives
You the opportunity to give your
Opinion, apologize for it
And give your opinion again people say you
Should not be sorry for your opinions
George Bush… has some very
Cool self-portrait's i
Didn’t know he was an artist

I felt my nerves a bit
And I don’t feel that feeling a
Lot the nerves of humility and modesty
When being honored a humanization
A reality of being recognized
And all I thought
As I sit here kinda shaking a little
Bit is "I need to get rid of that
Feeling" I need to not be nervous

This honor is gonna make your
Lives easier two reasons:
You don’t have to defend me as much
And I’m gonna make all of
Our lives easier and it’s
These Floyd Mayweather belts that are
Needed to prove what
I’ve been saying my entire life
Whether it’s the cosign
Of Paul McCartney grabbing me
And saying, "It’s okay
He doesn’t bite white people
" or the New York times cover, or the Time
"Most Influential" cover
And now a doctorate at The
Art Institute of Chicago
When I was giving a lecture at Oxford
I brought up this school because when
I went on that mission to create
In other spaces – apparel, film
Performance – it would have been easier
If I could have said:
"I have a degree at the
Art Institute of Chicago"

Thank you