André 3000 can now go by “Dr. Three Stacks” if he so wishes. The legendary rapper/composer is being honored with an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music. According to Berklee’s website, honorary doctorate recipients are celebrated and recognized for their invaluable contributions to the worlds of music and philanthropy. 3000 spoke at the 2025 commencement on May 10, offering his words to graduates and sharing how much music has shaped his life.
He acknowledged that his musical limitations have never hindered his creativity. “If someone were to walk up to me right now, and say ‘André, I’ll give you two billion dollars if you can look at this keyboard and with only two seconds on the clock point to a key that would play the E-note,’ I would not be able to,” he admitted.
André joins an esteemed list of past recipients, which includes Missy Elliott, Ringo Starr, Tito Puente, Usher, Q-Tip, Willie Nelson, Gloria Estefan and the inaugural honoree, Duke Ellington. Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles was also honored and spoke at commencement, where she encouraged the graduates to face down their fears.
“Whatever you do, keep telling your truth to the world,” she said. “That’s what makes you an artist.”
As one-half of the legendary hip-hop duo OutKast, André 3000 (born André Benjamin) became a Grammy-winning superstar alongside his partner-in-rhyme Big Boi (Antwan Patton). Since that duo’s extended hiatus, Three Stacks has branched out into more musical experimental territory, releasing the jazz flute album New Blue Sun in 2023 and 7 piano sketches this April. It was also announced in May that OutKast is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November.
“People will talk about what you do, good and bad,” André said. “You will feel good and bad. But none of it matters. Like once it’s recorded, once you’ve done what you have to do, that’s the work. Everything else is chatter and it does not matter, it doesn’t contribute to what you’re doing. So always keep your original reason for doing music, that original feeling that you got when you were a kid when you heard the song in the first place, always keep that original feeling.”
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