The rapper Stormzy has been awarded an honorary degree from Cambridge University for his work helping black students get into higher education.
The 31-year-old received a doctorate in law for his “transformative” scholarship programme, which funds black UK students to study at the institution.
Stormzy, whose real name is Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, launched the Stormzy Scholarship in 2018. So far, 56 undergraduates have benefited from full tuition and maintenance support backed by his #Merky Foundation and HSBC UK.
The Cambridge vice-chancellor, Prof Deborah Prentice, said: “Stormzy’s scholarship programme has had a transformative impact and we are proud to recognise his work with this degree.”
Prentice added: “Each of this year’s honorary graduates has made an extraordinary contribution to their field, and their work continues to inspire people in Cambridge and around the world.”
The rapper, known for songs such as Big For Your Boots, Vossi Bop and Shut Up, has initiated various philanthropic schemes across sport and the arts, including founding his #Merky Books imprint, which champions black British authors, and buying the AFC Croydon Athletic football team in south London with the intention of turning it into a “community asset”.
Stormzy’s doctorate is his second honorary degree, after receiving one in 2022 from the University of Exeter “in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of higher education philanthropy and widening participation”.
Last week, a short film called Big Man – about the travails of a former rapper – was released on YouTube, with Stormzy playing the lead role. The movie was made by the rapper’s own production company #Merky Films in association with Apple.
Stormzy was among eight public figures to receive the honorary degree from Cambridge on Wednesday.
Other recipients included the acclaimed actor Sir Simon Russell Beale and the US political activist and author Prof Angela Davis, who were both awarded a doctorate in letters.
Lady Arden of Heswall, a former justice of the UK supreme court, and the Olympic gold medallist Dame Katherine Grainger, the chair of UK Sport and incoming chair of the British Olympic Association, were also awarded a doctorate in law.
