The 'Pray for Me' spitter becomes the first hip-hop musician to win the award, defeating fellow nominees Michael Gilbertson and Ted Hearne.
- April 17, 2018
AceShowbiz - Kendrick Lamar is officially a Pulitzer Prize winner. The organization announced on Monday, April 16 that the rapper was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his fourth studio album "DAMN.", which was released on April 14, 2017.
It was the first win for a non-classical or jazz musician since the awards began including music 75 years ago. Lamar defeated fellow nominees Michael Gilbertson and Ted Hearne. He also received a $15,000 prize.
The Pulitzer board deemed his album "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 himself has yet to respond to the win, journalist Dana Cenedy, who made the announcement, was delighted to know that Lamar won the award. She said in an interview, "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."
Terrence Henderson, the head of Top Dawg Entertainment, also responded to his artist's big win through Twitter, writing, "Pulitzer Prize winner Kdot from Compton. I [better] not ever hear one of you n****s speak with anything less than respect in your mouth for Kendrick Lamar. #TDE."
Pulitzer Prize winner Kdot from Compton. I bet not ever hear one of you niggas speak with anything less than respect in your mouth for Kendrick Lamar. #TDE
— Punch TDE (@iamstillpunch) 16 April 2018
"DAMN." received widespread critical acclaim and topped many charts in the United States and Canada. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 603,000 units and remained at the top for three consecutive weeks. The album later was certified double platinum by the RIAA.
Thanks to the success of the album, Lamar was able to win several awards, including Album of the Year at the 2017 Bet Hip-Hop Awards and Hip-Hop Album of the Year at the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards. He also won Best Rap Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards in addition to being nominated in Album of the Year category.
