Kendrick Lamar's Grand National Tour will feature LA shows just outside his native Compton
Kendrick Lamar's upcoming Grand National Tour will feature tour dates across the U.S. alongside SZA through spring of next year — with two LA shows just outside his home city of Compton.
The surprise album he dropped last month, GNX, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the rapper's fifth chart-topper since the breakout success of 2012's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, and a release that comes on the heels of his summertime hit single, "Not Like Us." The Drake-aimed diss track, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, pays homage to Lamar's roots, like much of his music, through its lyrics and a music video shot throughout the South LA-area communities of Watts and Compton.
Within days of the video's release, the owners of Tam's Burgers, where much of it was shot, had a mural of Lamar painted over the exterior of the restaurant on Rosecrans Avenue. "We're happy to have Kendrick, one of Compton's originals, here representing our store," a co-owner of Tam's said.
The rapper's newest album features SZA on two songs, "Luther" and "Gloria," and the pair previously toured together in 2018.
Tour tickets will go on sale Friday, Dec. 6 at 10 a.m. local time. But Cash App card users will be able to buy exclusive pre-sale tickets beginning Wednesday, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. local time. The tour is being presented by Top Dawg Entertainment, Live Nation and PGLang, with 21 shows beginning April 19 in Minneapolis until June 18 in Washington, D.C.
Houston, Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Las Vegas and Chicago are a few of the cities the tour will travel through, with a single show outside the U.S. in Toronto, Canada.
Shows in LA will be on May 21 and May 23 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, not far from the Compton community where Lamar grew up — a driving inspiration behind much of his music. A protégé of Dr. Dre, the West Coast rapper widely lauded for his lyrical ability has woven themes of police brutality, poverty and gang culture into his songs alongside stories of culture and pride in his roots.
In 2018, Lamar was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, adding to a growing collection of accolades and critical praise — with 17 Grammy wins along with Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for his work in songwriting.
GNX is his sixth album to date and his first release since the No. 1 Billboard debut of Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, another studio album gaining widespread critical praise. Billboard reports the newly released album's successful opening week was largely driven by streaming, with the third-biggest streaming week for any album in 2024.
