Kendrick Lamar wins Pulitzer for DAMN
In what’s being called a ‘big moment’ for hip hop, Kendrick Lamar wins a music Pulitzer for the platinum album, DAMN
Making history as not only the first rapper, but also the first non-classical and non-jazz musician to scoop the prize in its 78-year history, Kendrick Lamar has been announced as this year’s winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
Winning the vote unanimously and beating out over 100 other considered works, DAMN, which was released in April 2017, has so far sold over 3.5 million copies and featured Rihanna and U2.
Dana Canedy, the administrator of the prizes, said, “The time was right. We are very proud of this selection… the best work was award a Pulitzer Prize.” Adding, “It shines a light on hip hop in a completely different way. This is a big moment for hip hop and a big moment for the Pulitzers.”
Tackling issues such as race, faith, politics and success, DAMN was Lamar’s third album to hit the number one spot on Billboard and went platinum. He was also kept busy over the past year, curating and producing the soundtrack for the mega-grossing box office hit, Black Panther.
“I think the more people talk about it, the more it becomes fascinating, and you can have a debate about it,” Kendrick told Variety about DAMN. “It’s all healthy because it’s talking about the music. As long as I keep knowing how much to give, giving just enough, and being able to pull back and leave the audience to interpret it, I think [the music] will stay intact.”