What happens when you’re an artist of high caliber … you get your college degree handed to you with any fees owed, waived. J. Cole made his way over to his alma mater at St. John’s University in Queens for a concert performance of a few tracks from his latest album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, including “A Tale Of 2 Citiez” and “Fire Squad“. In addition to the rap festivities, Cole met up with several faculty members in the greenroom where he was handed his college degree.
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Dr. Julia Upton — former Provost and the professor of Cole’s “Discover New York” class (a required course for incoming freshmen) — bestowed him with his official college diploma. Majoring in communications and minoring in business, Cole graduated Summa cum laude in 2007 (with a G.P.A. of 3.82) but he never received his sheepskin because of a missing library book.
Cole recollected the missing library book. “I owed money for a library book that I didn’t turn in.” The book, he doesn’t remember the title of was the one reason he didn’t have his paperwork. “If you have any outstanding fee, that translates to money. There’s a price associated with it. I never paid. That’s why I don’t have my degree. Tonight, I guess they let me slide,” he laughed. With happiness illuminating from the North Carolina native, he let the crowd know what his plans were to do with the gift. “I’m gonna send it to my Mom.”
[via]
