Kendrick Lamar becomes first rapper to win Pulitzer Prize
Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for music Monday, making history as the
first non-classical or jazz artist to win the prestigious prize.
The revered rapper is also the most commercially successful musician to
receive the award, usually reserved for critically acclaimed classical acts who
don't live on the pop charts.
The 30-year-old won the prize for "DAMN.," his raw and powerful
Grammy-winning album. The Pulitzer board said Monday 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 will win $15,000.
Lamar has been lauded for his deep lyrical content, politically charged live
performances, and his profound mix of hip-hop, spoken word, jazz, soul, funk,
poetry and African sounds. Since emerging on the music scene with the 2011 album
"Section.80," he has achieved the perfect mix of commercial appeal and critical
respect.
The Pulitzer board has awarded special honors to Bob Dylan, Duke Ellington,
George Gershwin, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Hank Williams, but a popular
figure like Lamar has never won the prize for music. In 1997, Wynton Marsalis
became the first jazz act to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.
That makes Lamar's win that much more important: His platinum-selling
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 and
sharp 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. He's also been a dominator on the charts, having achieved two dozen
Top 40 hits, including a No. 1 success with "Humble," and he has even
collaborated with the likes of U2, Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons, Rihanna and
Beyonce.
His music, with songs like "Alright" and "The Blacker the Berry," have become
anthems in the wake of high-profile police shootings of minorities as the
conversation about race relations dominates news headlines. He brought of dose
of seriousness to the 2015 BET Awards, rapping on top of a police car with a
large American flag waving behind him. At the 2016 Grammys, during his
visual-stunning, show-stopping performance, he appeared beaten, in handcuffs,
with chains around his hands and bruises on his eyes as he delivered powerful
lyrics to the audience.
Lamar's musical success helped him win 12 Grammy Awards, though all three of his
major-label albums have lost in the top category — album of the year. Each loss
has been criticized by the music community, launching the conversation about how
the Recording Academy might be out of touch. "DAMN." lost album of the year to
Bruno Mars' "24K Magic" in January.
The rapper, born in Compton, California, was hand-picked by "Black Panther"
director Ryan Coogler to curate an album to accompany the ubiquitously
successful film, giving Lamar yet again another No. 1 effort and highly praised
project.
"DAMN.," released on April 14, 2017, won five Grammys, including best rap
album, and the album topped several year-end lists by critics, including NPR,
Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, BBC News, Complex and Vulture.
Finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in music were Michael Gilbertson's
"Quartet," which debuted last February at Carnegie Hall, and Ted Hearne's "Sound
from the Bench," a 35-minute cantata released last March.
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