Kendrick Lamar’s latest album DAMN. (2017) won him the Pulitzer Prize in music on April 16th, two days after the one year anniversary of its initial release. Historically, the Pulitzer Prize in Music has been awarded to pieces of work that haven’t garnered as much commercial success as DAMN., which received the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Rather, the winners are normally in genres like operas, concertos, and symphonies, making Lamar’s win groundbreaking as the first hip-hop artist to receive the award. The recognition of DAMN. as the winner for this award could be taken into consideration in context of this unique cultural moment, in post-Obama era. But, listeners of the hip-hop genre have acknowledged the structure and poetic intricacies before it started garnering mainstream acceptance in the late 80s. Kendrick Lamar’s historic acknowledgement by the Columbia University has sparked much needed conversation about this win, asking questions as to who is deemed “deserving” of winning the Pulitzer Prize in music? Which other hip hop artists should receive recognition with a win? As much as this win is in recognition of Kendrick Lamar, it is also of the hip hop genre.
Written by Celia Davalos