On Monday, April 16, Kendrick Lamar made history when he won the Pulitzer Prize in music for his album Damn, becoming the first non-classical or jazz artist to do so. I believe that Kendrick’s receiving of this award reveals a lot about the changing climate of music in America today, stemming from “millennial music” like hip-hop finally being regarded in the same esteem as any other genre of music would.

In the past, older generations looked down at hip-hop as being overly grotesque, too simplistic, and overall not worth listening too. However, there are two factors that have elevated hip-hop as not only a respected genre of music but as a form of art.

Firstly, the generation that first grew up listening to hip-hop in the 1970s and later is now much older and has begun modernizing older institutions like the Pulitzer Prize to recognize achievements beyond music that nobody older than 65 listens to anymore.

Secondly, hip-hop is now the most popular genre of music in the United States (and is only getting more popular), so stereotypes that used to define the genre are clearly no longer relevant as people of all ages are listening and realizing that there is some fantastic hip-hop music being made right now.

Looking at Kendrick’s win, I personally believe that Damn, although a fantastic album, was not as profound as Kendrick’s previous two major studio albums, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and To Pimp a Butterfly, which were much more cohesive and thematic listening experiences. Despite this, I am not going to complain about this album being the first of its kind to win the award; it is about time that Kendrick’s music, and hip-hop music general, is recognized for the artistic experiences it creates.

When people look back in 20 years on the most profound artists of this generation, Kendrick is going to be right on top of the conversation because his albums depict race relations, black life in America, and an assortment of other important topics better than any form of art could, as well as just being incredibly enjoyable to listen too as well.

For these reasons, I think that this win has discredited any argument against hip-hop being “real” music, and I am excited to see what boundaries are going to be broken for the genre in the next few years. Hip-hop is on the top right now, and it is not going anywhere for a very long time.