Compton rhymer Kendrick Lamar has received praise from near and far since winning the Pulitzer Prize in Music this week, becoming the first non-jazz/non-classical act to ever receive the award. But some seemingly unlikely people have been rather enthusiastic in their congrats to the rapper.
Composers Michael Gilbertson and Ted Hearne, two of the finalists in the same Pulitzer Prize category as K.Dot, heavily praised the rapper while speaking with Slate.
Hearne, who lists the DAMN. track “FEEL.” as his favorite Kendrick song, spoke on the importance of Kendrick and Hip Hop being recognized on this level.
“I don’t put too much stock in prizes, but this is a really important year because Kendrick Lamar’s music is super important to me and to a lot of people,” Hearne said. “Hip Hop as a genre has been important to me as a composer, but Kendrick’s work in particular. He is such a bold and experimental and authentic artist. He’s one of the people that is creating truly new music.”
As a classical artist, Gilbertson spoke on the shift artists like Lamar are creating in music.
“I never thought my string quartet and an album by Kendrick Lamar would be in the same category,” Gilbertson said. “This is no longer a narrow honor. It used to be classical composers competing against each other in relatively small numbers, but now we’re all competing against these major voices in music.”
The two musicians concluded their commentary on Lamar by stating that working with the rapper would be “a great honor.”
Read the full interviews here.
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Yo I can’t play an instrument can’t read or write music but I can rhyme yo so like that shit fire right thurr
In my honest opinion, people like Kendrick, Aesop Rock, Eminem and Lupe Fiasco writing complex rhymes is more impressive than learning an instrument. I also think it is more impressive to create a new melody than learn somebody else’s. this is just my opinion though.
well agree to disagree on that! saying words is never more difficult than literally laerning instruments notes, placements arrangements..not saying kedrick didnt deserve but still
Just like in those instances where someone is a truly gifted instrumentalist only so many can be truly gifted lyricists and music creators. I think the skills are equal, there is a certain point where average people wont get any better at things and the ones who do become masters of their craft.
Eminem is like Robert frost yo
Boy I’m ’bout my business on business, I drink liquor on liquor
I had women on women, yeah that’s bunk bed bitches- Kendrick lamar
Word Son that shit Pullitzer right thurr
move over Mozart we got a musician right hurr
LOL What? That was Big Sean that said those lyrics anyway.
why was my comment deleted or not published? i didn’t say anything offensive or negative at all. i was adding to the little exchange in the comment section positively
Kendrick deserve that shit. Fuck the hate. This is a win for hip hop. Dude can make experimental or commercial music, and rap in a way where you’d have to listen 2 or 3 times to gain a full concept. You can’t just take one line out of a song and say “well that line wasn’t deep” all of it fits into a narrative. I only like tpab, the rest were just average to me, but you have to acknowledge what this guy is doing as progressive. He made DAMN for those kids who don’t think beyond surface level.