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When Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for music, it sent shockwaves throughout the rap landscape. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and it even had some rap legends considering what other artists could have won the award too.
In an interview with TimeOut Miami, RZA congratulated Lamar and expressed excitement over the possibilities that the future holds. He explained that skilled writers have always been an underappreciated part of hip-hop and that there are a litany of lyricists who haven’t gotten the attention they deserve. “I’m glad that in today’s society Kendrick Lamar, who has got to be considered one of the best and most poignant lyricists out there, can win that prize,” RZA said.
While on the topic of RZA went on to explain how he feels that GZA should have won a Pulitzer for his writing. “When I go back and see some of the lyrics that GZA wrote on Liquid Swords, and Beneath the Surface, some of the writing he did was well-deserving,” he said. “Take a song like ‘Fame,’ where every verse and every line is somebody’s name. Everything he did to me was at a genius level of writing.”
According to RZA, rap wasn’t as widely acknowledged back then as it is today and numerous rap albums could have been considered. “A lot of [classic] albums may have been overlooked because hip-hop wasn’t looked upon [as a valid artform],” he continued. “I’m so proud of Kendrick, and I think it’s great. I’m glad that they finally turned their eyes over to us.”
The RZA is right when he said that the GZA is deserving of praise, and considering the work that the Genius has done with NASA we might soon see another rap icon being nominated for a prestigious award.
