On Tuesday night of this week, it was announced that Kendrick Lamar was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for music for his most recent album, “DAMN.” In a category traditionally dominated by classical and jazz musicians, Lamar becomes the first rapper to win the award, joining artists like Wynton Marsalis, Roger Reynolds, and John Corigliano.
This is indeed a special moment for rap music. Since the genre’s genesis in the ‘90s, rap has been the subject of much criticism and disdain. Many critics have claimed that rap glorifies violence, promotes misogyny, and celebrates criminal behavior, writing off the genre and its artists. Even in more recent years, some have tried to suggest that rap is a detriment to racial equality in the United States. Geraldo Rivera, a correspondent for Fox News, infamously said that hip-hop has done more damage to young African Americans than police brutality, pinpointing Lamar’s song “Alright” from “To Pimp a Butterfly” as an example of such. Although his remarks are especially incendiary, Rivera’s comments embody much of the negative response and the criticism rap has received over the years – that it promotes violence, that it sends the wrong message (Lamar, being the savvy, self-aware rapper that he is, incorporated a sound bite of Rivera saying this in his song “DNA” off the Pulitzer-winning “DAMN.”).
Lamar’s win runs counter to the narrative of rap being destructive and one-dimensional. His win represents an acceptance of rap as a very legitimate and serious genre of music. In fact, not only is “DAMN.” the first rap album to win the Pulitzer, it is the first non-classical or non-jazz album to receive the award. Before rock-and-roll, before folk music, before the blues, a rap album becomes the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music.
Lamar’s achievement further signifies rap’s ascendance as a genre of artistic innovation and creative expression. In a recent Pitchfork article, contributing writer Sheldon Pearce notes that “Pulitzer-winning compositions are largely awarded on their merits as compositions – musicianship as craft.” Pearce affirms the prize juror’s selection of “DAMN.” as deserving of the Pulitzer, stating “it makes sense… to find value in the mechanics of Kendrick’s storytelling, in his rapping’s technicality.” Pearce’s words reflect what Lamar’s win means for rap music as a whole. Rap is being recognized as a genre of artists who make compositions, a creative space in which an artist can experiment and produce something never seen before. This is, of course, true regardless of whether or not Kendrick’s work, or any other rapper’s, receives an award like this. However, this award, as Pearce suggests, will ultimately lead to rap’s acceptance and appreciation in more high-brow circles: “in (white, traditional) spaces.”
DAMN., by Kendrick Lamar
Recording released on April 14, 2017, a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life. (www.pulitzer.org)