Rapper Kendrick Lamar says with him becoming the first non-jazz or classical artiste to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music, hip-hop has finally achieved the respect it deserves.
The 31-year-old rapper, who created history by bagging the prestigious honour this year for his 2017 hip-hop record 'DAMN.', said the recognition he received is not only a milestone moment for him, but also for the genre which reflects the "true stories of our lives" as rappers.
"It took a long time for people to embrace us - people outside of our community, our culture - to see this not just as vocal lyrics, but to see that this is really pain, this is really hurt, this is really true stories of our lives on wax.
"And now, for it to get the recognition that it deserves as a true art form, that's not only great for myself, but it makes me feel good about hip-hop in general," Lamar told Vanity fair.
The recording artiste said winning the Pulitzer was a bolt out of the blue as the award "was one of those things" he heard about in school.
"... But I never thought I'd be a part of it. (When I heard I got it), I thought, to be recognised in an academic world... whoa, this thing really can take me above and beyond. It's one of those things that should have happened with hip-hop a long time ago," he added.
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