English-Ghanaian Rapper Stormzy Awarded Cambridge Honorary Doctorate in Law

English-Ghanaian Rapper Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, otherwise known as  Stormzy, has been awarded an honorary degree from Cambridge University for his work helping black students get into higher education.

Stormzy, 31, was awarded a doctorate in law for his “transformative” scholarship programme, which funds black UK students to study at the institution.

Stormzy Philanthropic Efforts

The rapper launched the Stormzy Scholarship in 2018, and so far, 56 undergraduates have benefited from full tuition and maintenance support backed by his #Merky Foundation and HSBC UK.

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.”

The rapper also has 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”.

This is Stormzy’s 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”.

Other Recipients

Stormzy was among eight public figures to receive the honorary degree from Cambridge on Wednesday. Others include: 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 medalist Dame Katherine Grainger, the chair of UK Sport and incoming chair of the British Olympic Association, were also awarded a doctorate in law.