This Monday, Kanye West surprised everyone by not acting like a maniac. Instead he received an honorary doctorate degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and waited patiently for it in the Auditorium Theatre.

He didn’t reach out for the microphone, or interrupt anyone. Nope, Kanye, was cool, calm, and collected. What surprised graduates and their families the most about Kanye, was not only was his conduct superb and cordial, but also the honesty apparent his five-minute speech as he spoke to a young audience.

Not only did he deliver this speech on Monday, but on Sunday, he gave an hour-long lecture and Q&A session at the SAIC to a large group of students. His words were significant and insightful. The irony of this whole event, was that Kanye released an album titled The College Dropout, only a few years ago.

During his speech, he said, “I am a pop artist. So my medium is public opinion and the world is my canvas.” Some will say that Kanye didn’t work for his degree, when in fact Mr. West did go to Chicago State for a year or two before dropping out to pursue his music career. A man riddled with controversy has become a father and a husband, and is now working on his follow-up to Yeezus.

Mother’s day was just this Sunday, and his late mother Dr. Dondra West would have been extremely proud of her son. A major figure in pop culture and in Hip-Hop, Kanye is sure to make people scratch their heads and nod their heads, with his powerful lyrics and oft-incendiary public statements.