April 18, 2018
edition
CAREERS special
Page 11
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
Rapper First to Win Pulitzer
Kendrick Lamar makes history with latest work
(AP) - Kendrick Lamar has
won the Pulitzer Prize for mu-
sic, making history as the first
non-classical or jazz artist to win
the prestigious prize.
The 30-year-old won the prize
for “DAMN,” his raw and power-
ful Grammy-winning album. The
Pulitzer board said Monday the
album is a “virtuosic song col-
lection” and said it captures “the
modern African American life.”
Lamar has been lauded for his
deep lyrical content, politically
charged live performances, and
his profound mix of hip-hop, spo-
ken word, jazz, soul, funk, poetry
and African sounds. Since emerg-
ing on the music scene with the
2011 album “Section.80,” he has
achieved the perfect mix of com-
mercial appeal and critical respect.
The Pulitzer board has awarded
special honors to Bob Dylan, Duke
Ellington, George Gershwin, The-
lonious Monk, John Coltrane and
Hank Williams, but a popular fig-
ure like Lamar has never won the
prize for music. In 1997, Wynton
Marsalis became the first jazz act
to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.
That makes Lamar’s win that
much more important: His plati-
num-selling major-label albums
- “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” ‘’To
Pimp a Butterfly” and “DAMN.”
- became works of art, with Lamar
Kendrick Lamar has won the Pulitzer Prize for music for his album
“DAMN.” which also won the Grammy for Best Rap Album this year.
writing songs about blackness, ings of minorities as the conversa-
street life, police brutality, perse- tion about race relations dominates
verance, survival and self-worth. news headlines. He brought of dose
His piercing and sharp raps of seriousness to the 2015 BET
helped him become the voice of Awards, rapping on top of a po-
the generation, and easily ascend lice car with a large American flag
as the leader in hip-hop and cross waving behind him. At the 2016
over to audiences outside of rap, Grammys, during his visual-stun-
from rock to pop to jazz. He’s also ning, show-stopping performance,
been a dominator on the charts, he appeared beaten, in handcuffs,
having achieved two dozen Top with chains around his hands and
40 hits, including a No. 1 success bruises on his eyes as he delivered
with “Humble,” and he has even powerful lyrics to the audience.
collaborated with the likes of U2,
The rapper, born in Compton,
Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons, Calif., was hand-picked by “Black
Rihanna and Beyonce.
Panther” director Ryan Coogler to
His music, with songs like “Al- curate an album to accompany the
right” and “The Blacker the Ber- ubiquitously successful film, giv-
ry,” have become anthems in the ing Lamar yet again another No. 1
wake of high-profile police shoot- effort and highly praised project.
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