Kendrick Lamar has made history as the first rapper to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music for his album “DAMN.”
NPR reported that the Compton, California, rapper's critically-acclaimed 2017 album took home the prize "for distinguished musical composition by an American that has had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year," according to the Pulitzer Prize website.
The album is described as "a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life" on the Prize winners page.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the finalists in the category this year were selected by a five-person jury. Lamar's album beat classical albums "Quartet" by Michael Gilbertson and "Sound From the Bench" by Ted Hearne.
Lamar’s win also marks the first time a non-jazz or non-classical artist took home the prize.
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