The man who gave us Bad Boy, Biggie, and Ciroc will now be a giving commencement speech.
On May 10th, P.Diddy will join an illustrious list of celebrities honored with speaking at Howard University’s 2014 commencement.
However, students and critics are unhappy with the choice.
Many people are questioning how the rapper, who attended Howard University but dropped out in the 1980′s, can be selected to address those students actually graduating. P.Diddy will not only be delivering the commencement address, but also receiving an honorary degree in humanities.
Some people took to twitter to voice their opinions, tweeting ” Can someone explain why Diddy, a person who never graduated from Howard, is speaking at graduation?” @DarienCarter and ” Morehouse: Barack Obama. Howard: Ciroc O’ Diddy”@_Rolls_Royce
Others showed support for the rapper tweeting ” The man’s rise from intern to multi-media mogul is inspiring & not unlike the Jobs, Gates & Sergey Brin’s of the dropout world.” @JenebaSpeaks
Howard University commented on the selection in a press release stating : “In selecting the individuals who will be awarded honorary degrees, Howard University continues the tradition of identifying leaders whose work has clearly contributed to the advancement of their fields and the world,” President Dr. Wayne Frederick said. “We are honored to have Mr. Combs serve as our speaker. He sat in classrooms where our students sit, walked ‘The Yard,’ and like many students, his entrepreneurial spirit was sparked at Howard. We know he will inspire our class to work hard and to always strive for excellence.”
Despite students disappointment, the university still plans to move forward with honoring Diddy and the deliverance of his speech.
No one can deny the success and strides P.Diddy has made in the business/music world, however should he address graduating students from a school he dropped out of, or are people being too critical?
And should student opinion matter when it comes to commencement speakers?