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people & arts Wednesday 18 april 2018

Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer win hailed as ‘big for music’

By MARK KENNEDY “Everyone expects that now?’”
AP Entertainment Writer there would have been The Pulitzers have lately ex-
NEW YORK (AP) — The de- some form of resistance. panded their inclusion of
cision to award rapper There was none,” said Grif- popular music, including
Kendrick Lamar the Pulitzer fin. “It was just welcomed honoring Bob Dylan’s lyrics
Prize for music represents a by everyone as an op- with the prize for literature
historic moment not just for portunity to have a serious and giving Lin-Manuel Mi-
hip-hop and American mu- conversation about the art, randa’s hip-hop-inspired
sic but also for the usually about Mr. Lamar’s work, score for “Hamilton” the
stuffy Pulitzer process itself, but also about what con- Pulitzer for drama.
says one of the music ju- stitutes what kind of music The Lamar news stunned
rors who picked the album that should be eligible for many and was cheered
“DAMN.” as a finalist. this.” The final decision was by the rappers’ fans, in-
“It’s big for hip-hop. I think made by the Pulitzer board, cluding celebrities like Ellen
it’s big for our country. It’s which hailed Lamar’s CD as DeGeneres and Anthony
big for music. But it’s big for “a virtuosic song collection Bourdain, who wrote: “The
the Pulitzers, too. Institutions unified by its vernacular album was brilliant and de-
are not stuck in time, either. authenticity and rhythmic serves every accolade.”
Institutions can change,” dynamism that offers af- Leon W. Russell, chairman
said Farah Jasmine Griffin, fecting vignettes capturing of the NAACP, wrote on
a Columbia professor. the complexity of modern Twitter that the win con-
Lamar’s win on Monday African-American life.” ferred a literary legitimacy
made history as the first This cover image released by Interscope Records shows The Pulitzers have been but that Lamar had al-
non-classical or non-jazz “Damn.” by Kendrick Lamar. accused of past mistakes ready gotten “street cred-
artist to win the prestigious Associated Press when it comes to African- ibility and artistic authority.”
prize since the Pulitzers in- history by Jetro Da Silva, a ed music critic David Haj- American contributions to Rapper Charlamagne Tha
cluded music in 1943. Just professor at the prestigious du, violinist Regina Carter, music. In 1965, jurors rec- God noted that Lamar
having a rapper nominated Berklee College of Music Paul Cremo from the Met- ommended awarding a joined African-American lu-
for the prize is considered a who teaches a class on ropolitan Opera and the special citation to Duke El- minaries such as playwright
stunning development for hip-hop writing and pro- composer David Lang. lington, but were rejected. August Wilson, writers Alex
awards that usually honor duction. The five-member music jury And it was not until 1997 Haley and Toni Morrison,
musicians of European “We are at a time in his- listened to about 180 piec- that the Pulitzer for music and musician John Col-
classical background. tory here perhaps there is a es of music and after delib- even went to a jazz work. trane as Pulitzer winners.
“I knew that there would new way to analyze what erating for a few days then “All of us sitting at that table “Congrats to that brother!
be some anger and some is considered a contribu- submitted to the final board were fully aware of Duke I’m inspired!” he wrote.
resentment and some tion to music. Critical think- three works — Lamar’s al- Ellington in 1965 being Griffin, a professor of Eng-
people who wouldn’t like ers are asking what it really bum along with Michael passed over for the Pulitzer lish and African-American
the idea, but surprisingly means to be a composer Gilbertson’s “Quartet” and a jazz artist not winning studies who has written
enough, I haven’t heard a and what is a composition,” and Ted Hearne’s “Sound for some time,” said Griffin. about Billie Holiday, Miles
lot of that,” Griffin said. he said. “The sky’s the limit.” from the Bench.” Adding “We all brought a history Davis and John Coltrane,
The decision was hailed In addition to Griffin, the “DAMN.” was a unanimous to the table and thought, was a rookie on the Pulitzer
as a turning point in music music jury this year includ- decision by all five. ‘Why not?’ and ‘Why not jury this year.q

Review: Sting and Shaggy collaborate on sunny reggae album

By MARK KENNEDY Sting’s liberal use of reg- he defended the nation.
AP Entertainment Writer gae rhythms as part of The That adds weight to his
The fact that Shaggy and Police. It turns out there’s statement: “I await the
Sting are teaming up on real chemistry between day when we will all inhab-
a CD does, admittedly, Shaggy, whose deep, it a better America.”
sound like a gimmick. Why thick cadences made Sting, for his part, seems
are these two very differ- “Boombastic” and “It fed up with Britain: “The
ent artists together? Be- Wasn’t Me” such beloved politics of this country are
cause they happen to be hits, and Sting’s flexible, getting to me,” he sings
known by a single name? honeyed voice. in one song. Then in the
Why not keep going and The first, title song smartly slinky standout “Waiting
add Shakira, Sia, Slash and honors Bob Marley — for the Break of Day,” he
Seal? Maybe one day, but Sting says Marley’s ghost hits again: “You see some
put the snarkiness aside “haunts me to this day/ politicians/ You hear the
and enjoy this warm bro- There’s a spiritual truth in things they say/ You hear
mance between the Ja- the words of his song” — the falseness in their posi-
maican dancehall king as a way of inoculating tions.” Branford Marsalis
and the cool, intellectual everyone for this quirky of- stops by to play sax and
Englishman. fering. Then it’s off to more Robbie Shakespeare helps
“44/876” — the title is trop-hop on this sunny Ca- on bass. Sting’s daughter,
a combo of the phone ribbean jaunt. There’s the Eliot Sumner, gets a writing
country codes for Sting’s pro-immigrant, Motown- credit and sings on “Night
native England and Shag- inflected “Dreaming in the Shift.” Others featured on This cover image released by A&M/Interscope Records shows
gy’s Jamaica — makes U.S.A.” where Shaggy, a the CD are Eliot Sumner “44/876,” a release by Sting and Shaggy.
sense as soon as you recall former U.S. Marine, notes and Morgan Heritage.q Associated Press