Pharrell Williams is now a doctor.
After blessing the two decades with sonic portraits and fashion landmarks, Williams walked through Yankee Stadium on Wednesday in a purple cap and gown as he prepared to give the commencement speech at New York University’s Class of 2017 graduation. In addition to delivering a 10-minute commencement speech to graduates, in which he praised their generation for creating change via social justice, equal rights and technology, Williams also received a Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the institution’s Tisch School of the Arts.
“There is no humanity without education and there is no education without humanity,” he shared.
“Your generation is unraveling deeply entrenched laws, principles, and misguided values that have held women back for far too long and, therefore, have held us all back,” he said. “Imagine the possibilities when women are not held back. The world that you will live in that will be a lot better. This is the first generation that navigates with the security and confidence to treat women as equals.”
Williams was an artist in residence at the Tisch School for about a year and already had a PhD in political science. The news comes after he was given France’s prestigious arts honor, the Officier des Arts et des Lettres Award, back in March during Paris Fashion Week.
Watch Pharrell’s 2017 commencement speech below.