Christopher Bridges, better known by the name Ludacris, is officially a college graduate! On Wednesday, Georgia State awarded the rapper an honorary bachelor’s degree in music management. The prize comes over two decades after he signed a deal with Def Jam Records and dropped out of the school.
Addressing a crowd of over 800 students to help kick off Georgia State’s commencement week, Ludacris said:
“GSU, I am home right now. I owe Georgia State University a great debt because you helped me arrive at my ‘why?’ Our alma mater was founded on the principles to help you find those answers. So with its rich history of excellence and inclusion, it plays an even more important role. And this is very important to me, this school graduating more African-Americans than any other university in America.”
Ludacris added that despite dropping out of Georgia State, the school was still a part of his DNA, “My heart never strayed far from its steps, and my commitment to someday return, and finish, was ever-present.”
It’s been a long journey for Luda to get his degree. He first enrolled at Georgia University in 1996 and studied music management for two years. During that time he also interned at Atlanta’s Hot 97.5.
Shortly after dropping out, he released his debut album, and the rest, as they say, is history. Ludacris’ most recent release came in 2015 with Ludaversal. He has of course been busy with other ventures, including starring in The Fast and the Furious saga alongside Vin Diesel.
Ludacris hasn’t abandoned rapping for acting, though. In August of last year, he released “Butter.ATL.” He also collaborated with Carried Underwood in 2018 on her chart-topping single “The Champion.”