Nas joined U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and iconic boxer Muhammad Ali in receiving Harvard's prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal last night, an award that honors "individuals in recognition of extraordinary contributions to African American culture and the 'life of the mind,'" according to The Crimson. During his acceptance speech, Nas reportedly touched on the impact of the award. "These are the things the kids need to see," he said. "The real things. This is a light I want on me. I hope that I can be a great role model for those kids...you can be more than the typical image of rap."
The Crimson also reported that Holder joked about gleaning some cool points by taking photographs with the Illmatic rapper. "I took some pictures with Nas before I came up here," he said. "My level of coolness must have gone up 1,000 percent."
As Nas pointed out on Instagram, this year marked the first time the award was given to a rapper.
Check out some of Nas' pictures from the ceremony below.
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