On April 16, the studio album DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, making it the first rap album to win the title. The win has set a precedent for future Pulitzer Prizes to possibly include a wider range of genres in its music category.

DAMN. is Lamar’s fourth studio album featured singles “Humble,”  “Loyalty,” and “Love” and production contributions from Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, Ricci Riera, James Blake, Steve Lacy, The Alchemist, and others. DAMN. can now add the Pulitzer Prize to its other awards, including Grammy for Best Rap Album, American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album, and BET Album of the Year.

However, its win was met with much criticism from regular Pulitzer observers and mainly rock, jazz, or classical music fans.

During the presentation, Dana Canedy, Administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes from Columbia University, described Lamar’s album 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.”