Kendrick Lamar has become the first hip-hop artist to win a Pulitzer Prize today for his album DAMN. On the website, DAMN 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.” In the past, the Pulitzer for music has gone to Thelonius Monk, Bob Dylan, Duke Ellington, Hank Williams, John Coltrane, George Gershwin and Wynton Marsalis. Hip-Hop has never been recognized by the Pulitzer Prize Board until now.The award comes with a $15,000 payment and a certificate that he will receive at the ceremony next month.Â