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30-year-old Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar just added another award to his shining résumé. His fourth studio album DAMN received the Pulitzer Prize for music, a nod to his highly-political lyrics tackling social issues. The Pulitzer board wrote that the album is “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.” He also made history for the award, being the first non-jazz or classical musician and the first rapper to win the award. Previously, DAMN also gave Lamar five GRAMMY Awards back in January.
BREAKING: Kendrick Lamar has won the Pulitzer Prize for music for "DAMN" the first non-classical or jazz artist to win the award.
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 16, 2018
Dana Caney, the administrator for the award, states that they wanted to award an influential hip-hop artist, and there was no better choice than Kendrick Lamar. Lamar has long been known as one of the best lyricists in the music industry. His previous albums To Pimp a Butterfly; good kid, M.A.A.D city; and Section.80 were all successful projects, and they experiment with similar themes to DAMN. Recently, Kendrick Lamar was responsible for the soundtrack for the blockbuster superhero movie “Black Panther”. According to an analysis by Quartz, Kendrick’s albums are practically immune to criticism, making him the most critically acclaimed artist of the 21st century. Every track on DAMN is completely capitalized, and the title indicates the topic that the song explores. Check out the tracklist:
The Pulitzer Prize is named after journalist Joseph Pulitzer. The award was established in 1917; it introduced an award in the music category in 1943. Before 1997, every winner was a classical musician. The most prestigious prize is awarded for journalism, celebrating accurate, significant and fast reporting. You can check out the complete list of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists here.
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