Kendrick Lamar accepted the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his album DAMN. at Columbia University in New York on May 30.

Presenting the award, President of Columbia University, Lee C Bollinger, called DAMN. a “virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African American life.”

Lamar didn’t comment while accepting the prize but briefly said in a Pulitzer Facebook Live video: “It’s an honor…I’ve been writing my whole life, so to get this type of recognition — it’s beautiful.” Credit: Danny Rodriguez via Storyful