Since the Pulitzers expanded to include music in the 1940s, the award has only ever been given to classical or jazz composers and artists. This year the selection board broke that tradition and awarded the Pulitzer Prize to rapper Kendrick Lamar for his hip hop masterpiece, DAMN calling it “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”

“The time was right,” the administrator of the prizes said, “We are very proud of this selection. It means that the jury and the board judging system worked as it’s supposed to — the best work was awarded a Pulitzer Prize… This is a big moment for hip-hop music and a big moment for the Pulitzers.”