Meet Dr. West! Kanye can't hide his joy as he receives honorary doctorate in Chicago.....

Meet Dr. Kanye West.

On Monday, the 37-year-old rapper - whose debut album was titled The College Dropout - received an honorary doctoral degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, at its annual commencement.

Kanye couldn't hid his joy as he took to the podium at the university - known as one of the most prestigious schools for art in the country - but hilariously wiped the smile off his face when he posed backstage. 

The College Drop Out no more: On Monday, Kanye West, 37, received an honorary doctoral degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, at its annual commencement

Couldn't help himself:  Even the normally scowling rapper just had to go with the moment and he beamed with delight at his new credential

The moment clearly met a great deal to Kanye, whose late mother Dr. Donda West was a Professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, later becoming the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University.

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Now officially known as Dr. West, Kanye began his speech by saying: 'I am a pop artist, so my medium is public opinion, and the world is my canvas,'

He then made the audience laugh as he poked fun at his unapologetic behavior (that has seen him storm the stage at two different award ceremonies, defending the singer Beyoncé over the years).