Kendrick Lamar
*On this date in 2018, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for music for his album “Damn.” It is the first time work outside of the classical and jazz genres has been recognized in that category.
In the announcement, the Pulitzer board described the album as a “virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African American life.”
While Lamar’s win is a first for any pop music genre, he is not the first non-classical or jazz musician to be recognized by the Pulitzer board. Hank Williams (2010) and Bob Dylan (2008) are among the most recent musicians to receive special awards.
