Rapper Kanye West spoke to graduates at Los Angeles Trade Technical College and dished out some hard-earned advice.
"When you're the absolute best, you get hated the most," West said on Friday night, reports mtv.com.
"It's a tough world out there.
"You're going to prepare yourself for politics, bad bosses, hating employees... Even for me as a successful musician, to make the transition (into fashion), it was really all but impossible. People really try to box you in to what they know you best for."
He continued by praising the budding designers for having followed their dreams.
"The most successful artists are as close to who they were when they were five years old or four years old or three years old, or when my daughter wakes up and decides to change her career seven times a day," he said.
"So, I feel extremely honoured to see new talent fighting for their voice that I can only imagine they've been fighting for since age three."
West reportedly sat in the front row during the students' final fashion show, and even gave them private words of encouragement backstage before hitting the podium.
