Kendrick Lamar becomes first rapper to win Pulitzer

California rapper Kendrick Lamar on Monday became the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize for music, one of the most prestigious arts awards in the United States.

Lamar, 30, won the Pulitzer for his 2017 album “DAMN.” and was also the first music winner in the 100-year history of the Pulitzers to come from outside of the world of classical or jazz.

Lamar’s fusion of jazz, poetry, and blues with social themes and love songs has made him one of the most innovative rappers of his generation.

The Pulitzer board on Monday hailed “DAMN.,” which was released in April 2017, 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.”

Previous Pulitzer music winners include jazz musicians Wynton Marsalis and Ornette Coleman.

you start dying when you stop dreaming.

Damn.

Source: reuters.com