Commercial and critical darling Kendrick Lamar wins Pulitzer

Rapper Kendrick Lamar's 'DAMN.' is the first non-classical or jazz work to win the award.

Kendrick Lamar's raw and powerful "DAMN." album has won the Pulitzer Prize for music. It's the first non-classical or jazz work to win the award.

Associated Press

Apr 16, 2018

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By MESFIN FEKADU, AP Music Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Kendrick Lamar’s raw and powerful “DAMN.” album has won the Pulitzer Prize for music. It’s the first non-classical or jazz work to win the award.
The announcement was made Monday.

Lamar has been praised and lauded for his deep lyrical content, remarkable live performances, and his profound mix of hip-hop, spoken word, jazz, soul, funk, poetry and African sounds.

His major-label albums — “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” ”To Pimp a Butterfly” and “DAMN.” — became works of art, with Lamar writing songs about blackness, street life, police brutality, perseverance, survival and self-worth. His piercing raps helped him become the voice of the generation, and easily ascend as the leader in hip-hop and cross over to audiences outside of rap, from rock to pop to jazz.