This award validated the work as high art, transforming the "zip file" from a collection of MP3s into a digitized piece of cultural history.

Released on April 14, 2017, DAMN. wasn’t just another Kendrick Lamar album. It was a cultural earthquake. Unlike the jazz-heavy conceptual sprawl of To Pimp a Butterfly or the raw, coming-of-age grit of good kid, m.A.A.d city , DAMN. was sharp, aggressive, and sonically accessible. It produced the first non-drake, non-hip-pop track (“HUMBLE.”) to dominate radio for weeks.

Legacy

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And that’s more DAMN. satisfying than any pirate ZIP could ever be.