Kendrick Lamar’s ‘modern-day masterpiece’ ‘HUMBLE’ has won Triple J’s Hottest 100 Countdown for 2018.
The 30-year-old American rapper beat-out local rockers Gang Of Youths to claim the top spot in the annual listener-voted countdown.
The result was announced live on-air Saturday, the first time the decades old countdown has not been broadcast on Australia Day in 20-years.
‘Modern-day masterpiece’: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘HUMBLE’ wins Triple J’s Hottest 100… after the network decided not to air the event on Australia Day for the first time in 20-years
With his victory, Kendrick becomes the first African American artist to win the annual poll – an event that’s been running since 1989.
Back in November, Triple J ended months of speculation to confirm they would be moving the Hottest 100 from its traditional Australia Day.
The network said they did not move the date to take a stance on the debate as to whether celebrating Australia Day on the 26th is insensitive to indigenous people.
Firsts: It was a year of first, with Kendrick becoming the first African American to ever win the countdown, in what was the first time in 20-years the event was not held on Australia Day
‘In recent years the Hottest 100 has become a symbol in the debate about Australia Day. The Hottest 100 wasn’t created as an Australia Day celebration.’ the network said in a statement.
‘It was created to celebrate your favourite songs of the past year. It should be an event that can enjoy together.’
‘We’ve learnt all the way through that this is a complex issue and there have been a lot of different perspectives on what triple j should do.’
The government-owned broadcaster cited a survey they ran among listeners as a key reason in changing the date to the 27th.
‘We learnt that the majority of you (60%) were in favour of moving the Hottest 100 to a different date,’ they announced in November.