One of the culture’s most preeminent pioneers was celebrated in his hometown this week. Grandmaster Flash has received an honorary degree from Lehman College.
As per HipHopDX, the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame member graced the stage at the educational intuition but not behind the turntables. On Thursday, June 1 he attended Lehman College’s 2023 Spring Commencement Ceremony. He was joined by former New York State Rep. José Rivera where both of them received honorary degrees; the DJ received his honorary doctorate in Music.
See an Instagram post here.
Grandmaster Flash spoke to the graduating class and made sure to credit the Bronx for placing him at the birthplace of Hip-Hop.
“We from the Bronx — we are starters, we are finishers, we are very, very important” he stated. “And I must tell you, young people, as you go out into the world, you will probably do what I did… [and] [make] mistakes. I cannot tell you how many mistakes I made before the technique finally came into fruition. I say to young people, as you leave here, you will scrape your knees, [that’s] guaranteed, but we Bronx people, we go hard.”
He closed his speech by saying that this degree is his most special accolade because it was bestowed to him in the Bronx and from a Bronx institution. You can see the ceremony below.
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Photo: Daniel Knighton / Getty
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