Kanye West Surprises Fans at Open Mic Event in Chicago

Kanye West made quite a stir on a Chicago stage Monday, and not just when he received an honorary doctorate degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

West apparently crashed an open mic event hosted by Chance the Rapper at the Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts at the University of Chicago.

Social media exploded Monday night when West surprised fans by joining fellow Chicago rapper Vic Mensa to perform Mensa's new single “U Mad,” which features West, and West's hit "All Day," which Mensa has a co-writing credit on. He, Mensa and Chance the Rapper also performed "We Don't Care" for the crowded room of Chicago-area students.

The event was the fifth “OpenMike” held in Chicago and the first to be held on the city’s South Side. Chance the Rapper has sponsored the open mic nights for local high school students in hopes of "building the next generation of cultural communities."

Earlier Monday, West received an honorary doctorate degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

“This honor is going to make your lives easier,” West said in the opening statements of his acceptance speech. “Two reasons: You don’t have to defend me as much … And, I’m going to make all of our lives easier.”

The evening performance capped off a series of Chicago appearances for West, who was also spotted attending a Chicago Bulls game Sunday and surprised fans by performing at halftime.

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