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Kendrick Lamar just became the first rapper to win a Pulitzer Prize for Music

By John Lynch
kendrick lamar damn
Kendrick Lamar's "DAMN." Interscope
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  • Rapper Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for Music on Monday for his critically acclaimed 2017 album, "DAMN."
  • Lamar is the first non-classical or jazz artist to ever win the award.

Rapper Kendrick Lamar won the Pulitzer Prize for Music on Monday for his critically acclaimed 2017 album "DAMN.," making him the first non-classical or jazz artist to ever win the award.

Last year's prize in the category went to composer Dun Yu's album "Angel's Bone," and the past several decades of awards in the category have largely gone to instrumental LPs.

Lamar's "DAMN.," Billboard's best-selling album of 2017, lost out in the album of the year category at the 2018 Grammy Awards to Bruno Mars' "24k Magic."

The Pulitzer website described Lamar's work with the following entry:

"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."

Listen to "DAMN." below:

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John Lynch
John Lynch was a senior editor at Business Insider, where he oversaw mobile coverage for the Reviews team, including topics like smartphones, tablets, wearables, and cell carriers.A consumer tech expert, John has more than five years of experience in service journalism and nearly a decade in digital journalism. ExperienceIn 2019, John founded Business Insider's Tech Reference vertical, which published a trusted catalog of thousands of explanatory guides to consumer tech products and services.He started at BI as a media and entertainment reporter and had interviewed dozens of prominent names for the site, including Morgan Freeman, Oliver Stone, and Ken Burns. CNN, NBC, ESPN, and other publishers cited his work. Why you can trust JohnJohn's experience building Business Insider's expansive Tech Reference vertical gave him an expert-level, wide-angle view of consumer tech, with a focus on the topics he edited and oversaw for the Reviews team. His product testing methodologies are grounded in having edited hundreds of how-to and troubleshooting articles on smartphones, tablets, and wearables from myriad brands, along with explainers and news coverage on a broad range of tech products and features. He has a keen sense of the relative worth and function of tech products from half a decade of hands-on experience covering the ins and outs of the latest tech. For the Reviews team, John also has years of practice reading the fine print of cell carrier plans to assess their value for the average consumer and hunting for and recommending worthwhile tech deals. ExpertiseHis expertise includes: 
  • Phones, including the iPhone, Android phones, and accompanying accessories
  • Tablets and wearables, including the iPad, Apple Watch, and Android tablets and wearables 
  • Cell carriers, including MVNOs and major carriers
  • Deals and discounts on phones and tech accessories
Education John holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan and was the managing editor of The Michigan Daily's Arts section. 
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