Kendrick Lamar has won the Pulitzer Prize for music for his 2017 album Damn.
He joins a roll call of former winners who include Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland, but no rock, pop or rap artists – until now.
“The time was right,” said Pulitzer Prize Administrator Dana Canedy, speaking after the winners were announced. “We are very proud of this selection. It shines a light on hip-hop in a completely different way. This is a big moment for hip-hop music and a big moment for the Pulitzers.”
The Pulitzer board called Damn “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”