Usher has celebrated receiving his honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music with a quick remix of one of his most popular tracks.
Adding yet another accolade to his long resumé, the Confessions singer was made an honorary Doctor of Music at Boston University’s Agganis Arena on Saturday (May 13).
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Jermaine Dupri, a longtime collaborator and friend of the singer, attended commencement day with him and helped celebrate via Instagram. The producer received his own honorary doctorate from the Art Institute of Atlanta last May.
In the video, Usher sports a very dapper doctorate gown and tam with a huge smile on his face. As JD offers him some kind words, the crooner performs a quick reworked rendition of his classic track, “Nice & Slow,” which appropriately identified him as Dr. Raymond.
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The original track lyrics go: “They call me U-S, H-E-R, R-A, Y-M, O-N-D/ Now, baby, tell me what you wanna do with me?”, but for this quick remix, he changed it to: “They call me, D-O-C-T-O-R, R-A, Y-M, O-N-D.”
Usher then shared his own post on Instagram using the newly remixed lyrics in the caption. “They call me D-o-c-t-o-r R-a-y-m-o-n-d,” he wrote followed by a tam emoji and words of thanks to Berklee College of Music. “I’m so grateful for this opportunity to share a message to the next generation of artists, producers, vocalists, arrangers, dancers and more.”
“Nice & Slow” appeared on the 44-year-old singer’s second studio album, 1997’s My Way. The track scored Usher his first No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Other 2023 doctorate recipients included legendary singer Roberta Flack and Gambian vocalist and composer Sona Jobarteh. Berklee also celebrated the moment with its own post via Instagram.
Usher’s latest accolade comes at a crucial point in his career. He recently returned to Sin City for a third time for his My Way residency in honor of his sophomore album’s 25th anniversary.
His latest tour has drawn major attention for some of his over-the-top, but charming antics, which is what you’d expect from one of R&B’s biggest sex symbols.
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From serenading women with his sensual voice to serving them chocolate strawberries and flowers, he’s offering fans an experience reminiscent of the male R&B legends of the past.
This year, Usher also announced his Lovers & Friends Festival, which took place on May 6.
