Photo: KendrickLamar.com
Over the past five years hip-hop culture has seen some notable moments; LL Cool J earned the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor, Nas performed Illmatic with the National Symphony Orchestra and Tupac and N.W.A. were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s all well-earned, but the celebration has only just begun.
In a recent announcement, Kendrick Lamar was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in music for his album DAMN.. According to pulitzer.org, DAMN. 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.”
When DAMN. dropped just over a year ago, it certified Lamar as this generation’s most influential lyricist; the same impact Public Enemy and Rakim had on their generation. For Lamar the award has broken down numerous walls. According to the New York Times not only is he “the first rapper to win the award since the Pulitzers expanded to music in 1943, but he is also the first winner who is not a classical or jazz musician.”
This is a watershed moment for hip-hop culture. It’s long been an outlet for marginalized voices, and for DAMN. to be recognized with such a prestigious honor is a total game changer. “It shines a light on hip-hop in a completely different way,” Dana Canedy, the administrator of the prizes, said in an interview. “This is a big moment for hip-hop music and a big moment for the Pulitzers.”
The decision to consider Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. wasn’t an obvious one at first but once it was mentioned the jury considered it as it would any other notable piece of music. “That led us to put on the table the fact that this sphere of work has value on its own terms and not just as a resource for use in a field that is more broadly recognized by the institutional establishment as serious or legitimate,” said David Hajdu, one of the music jurors. “We listened to it and there was zero dissent. A lively and constructive conversation, but no dissent. It was a beautiful moment. I left the deliberations on a cloud.”
DAMN. is a lyrical masterpiece, and Kendrick Lamar has changed hip-hop forever. He is lightening in a bottle, a rap icon whose voice came at just the right time. To be honored with a Pulitzer Prize is like bringing a battering ram to a wall, an announcement that helps young lyricists worldwide realize that anything is possible.
