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Kendrick Lamar’s pen is undeniable. His 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his 2017 album DAMN. There is evidence of that. Lamar was recently named one of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters by the New York Times.
George Clinton Gives Major Salute to Kendrick Lamar
As part of the feature, funk legend George Clinton was asked his thoughts on the Grammy-winner. And he gave Lamar a major co-sign. Putting him in the ranks of Motown and The Beatles as one of the writers who have proven that they will withstand the test of time.
“I’ll put it like this: He, along with Motown, Sly Stone, the Beatles — that kind of institution is going to last,” Clinton said as caught by DJ Short on X.
“There are a lot of slick writers out here nowadays with lyrics and things, but he writes with soul. He’s a young kid, but when I met him, he sounded my age. Like a psychiatrist on record — he talks about [expletive] that most people are afraid to talk about. He’s at that point where he can move the conversation. Nobody will talk about these topics, and he talks about them so matter-of-factly that you don’t even think, You can’t say that.”
George Clinton speaks on Kendrick Lamar via the New York Times:
— dj short (@_DJShort) April 28, 2026
"I’ll put it like this: He, along with Motown, Sly Stone, the Beatles — that kind of institution is going to last. There are a lot of slick writers out here nowadays with lyrics and things, but he writes with soul.… pic.twitter.com/9G4YZ0AOph
Kendrick Lamar has remained authentic throughout his career. The gangster rap artists that came before him, such as NWA, Tupac, and Snoop Dogg, never won a competitive Grammy award. But Kendrick Lamar has taken the genre mainstream, as he has won 27 awards against 66 nominations.
