Hip-hop royal Nas was lavishly honored with the coveted W.E.B. DuBois Medal at Harvard University Wednesday night.

The New York Daily News reports the "God's Son" artist was bestowed the award during an elaborate campus ceremony, joining the ranks of Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Shonda Rhimes and Maya Angelou in being so honored.

Named after the NAACP founder, the award was established 15 years ago to salute recipients from across the globe "for their contributions to African-American culture and the life of the mind."

Born and raised in the projects of Queensbridge as Nasir Jones, Nas was honored for his lengthy contributions to culture, human rights and the arts. The rapper's relationship with the Ivy League institution dates back two years, when the university established the Nasir Jones Fellowship, a program heralded as bringing to light "projects from scholars and artists that build on the rich and complex hip-hop tradition."

During the night, the Grammy Award-nominated rapper celebrated with fellow recipient and former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. They were also joined by the likes of Harvard professors Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Lawrence D. Bobo.

"Historic night for the rap game," Nas wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of him speaking at the event. "This is a first for the Rap Game to receive this award but, definitely not the last."

Nas also captioned another pic with Holder, Gates Jr. and Bobo, "Understand the Cipher."

Just last year, the making of the 42-year-old rapper's classic 1994 "Illmatic" album was the subject of a feature film entitled "Time is Illmatic."

In promotions for the documentary, the album was touted as an expose on the lives and times of a generation of poor black kids trying to navigate daily life growing up in New York's housing projects.