Grand National tour

DJ Akademiks Weighs In On Theories That Drake Couldn’t Pull Off A Stadium Tour

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It goes without saying that Kendrick Lamar has had a big year, and it looks like 2025 will be no different. Last week, the Compton rapper announced his co-headlining “Grand National” tour with SZA. They’ll kick things off with a performance in Minneapolis next April and go on to perform at 18 other stadiums around North America. They’re even stopping in Drake’s hometown of Toronto for not one, but two shows.

Unsurprisingly, the announcement has prompted some comparisons to Drake and has even led some to claim that he couldn’t pull off a stadium tour if he wanted to. During a recent livestream, DJ Akademiks shared his take on this theory, arguing that it couldn’t be further from the truth. According to him, Drizzy simply makes more money by performing at arenas over stadiums. For this reason, he says Drake prefers to stick to arenas, but that this doesn’t mean he’s unable to take on a stadium tour.

Read More: Charlamagne Tha God Has Another Warning For Kendrick Lamar About Toronto Tour Dates

DJ Akademiks Claims Drake Earns More Performing At Arenas

“Kendrick’s doing two dates in Toronto, do I think this makes Drake look bad? No,” he began. “I don’t think it makes Drake look bad at all […] Somebody that’s heavy in touring hit me up and told me this. They said it’s more work that Drake does four or five nights at the garden instead of one or two nights at Yankee Stadium, but he gets paid more. Drake is one of them guys, so he care about the money he don’t care about the look, I would think.”

Akademiks isn’t the only person who’s come to Drake’s defense amid this debate, however. During an episode of Joe Budden’s podcast last week, he also stuck up for the performer when his co-host claimed that he couldn’t do a stadium tour. “I’m not gonna say that Drake is not a stadium act, let’s deal with facts, he hasn’t done one yet,” Budden said at the time. That’s it.”

Read More: Pusha T Explains Why Kendrick Lamar 1000% Won The Beef Against Drake

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Charlamagne Tha God Has Another Warning For Kendrick Lamar About Toronto Tour Dates

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Last week, Kendrick Lamar announced his co-headlining “Grand National” tour with SZA. The duo will kick things off with a performance in Minneapolis next April before performing at 18 other stadiums across North America. While their fans certainly can’t wait to catch them live, not everyone expects the tour to go off without a hitch. During a recent episode of his Brilliant Idiots podcast with Andrew Schulz, for example, Charlamagne Tha God issued a warning about his scheduled stop in Drake’s hometown of Toronto.

“All jokes aside, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” he said of Kendrick performing in Toronto. “The reason I don’t think it’s a good idea, cuz Drake has proven that he is willing to let his white side flourish in ways that we can’t even understand […] The petition that he has filed against UMG proves that.” Charlamagne didn’t stop there, however. He went on, speculating that Drake and his crew could allegedly set Kendrick up to face legal issues when he gets to Canada.

Read More: Elliott Wilson & DJ Hed Discuss Andrew Schulz’s Controversial Kendrick Lamar Jokes

Charlamagne Doesn’t Think Kendrick Lamar Should Perform In Toronto

“I wouldn’t go into a country where this guy is so beloved,” he said. “It ain’t got nothing to do with no street sh*t. He the type of dude that, what I’m seeing now? They’ll put something in these guys’ luggage or some sh*t like that, or detain them for some d*mb sh*t.” This isn’t the first advice Charlamagne Tha God has had for Kendrick about the tour, as he issued a similar warning last week on The Breakfast Club.

“Do you realize Drake boosts the economy of Toronto? Do you realize he gave the city of Toronto an identity?” he asked at the time. Despite this feedback, Kendrick and SZA added a second show in Toronto last week, which will take place right before Father’s Day. Some perceived this as yet another jab at Drake’s parenting skills, though this is still unconfirmed.

Read More: Pusha T Explains Why Kendrick Lamar 1000% Won The Beef Against Drake

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Doechii Has Interesting Response To Question About Joining Kendrick Lamar & SZA On Tour

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It’s no secret that Kendrick Lamar has had a massive year. The Compton rapper went head-to-head with Drake, hosted his LA “Pop Out” show alongside several of his peers, and more. Late last month, he even dropped his new album GNX with zero notice, which has since been a huge success. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart with several songs from the album also climbing the ranks.

He went on to announce his upcoming “Grand National” co-headlining tour with SZA earlier this week. The duo is set to kick things off in April 2025 with a performance in Minneapolis before performing at 18 other stadiums across North America. They even recently announced a second date at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, unsurprisingly resulting in some serious clowning for Drake. It looks like they may not be the only artists that lucky fans get to see on the tour, however, based on a new clip of Doechii.

Read More: Doechii Thanks MF DOOM & Solange For Inspiring Her Stephen Colbert Performance

Doechii Can’t Help But Smile When Asked About Kendrick Lamar & SZA Tour

During her recent appearance on The Breakfast Club, DJ Envy asked her about potentially joining Kendrick and SZA on the tour. She didn’t exactly give a straight answer, but her immediate grin suggested it may not be completely off the table. “I have not met Kendrick, I don’t know what Kendrick has up his sleeve,” she explained. “I don’t know what’s to come, but I know that I am prepared to receive any opportunity that comes my way… But truly, I have no idea.”

It appears as though it might be a minute before fans get any concrete answers. Regardless, this clip has gotten their hopes up. Doechii and Kendrick may not have met yet, according to her, but in October of this year, he broke his usual social media silence to praise her. He shared the cover of her Alligator Bites Never Heal mixtape, dubbing her “the hardest out.”

Read More: Ab-Soul Muses About Self-Confidence, Fame, & Expectations On Powerful Doechii Collab “I, Myself & Me”

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Kendrick Lamar Fans Literally Shed Tears Over His Astronomical Ticket Prices For SZA Tour

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Kendrick Lamar will astonish a lot of fans in attendance for his “Grand National” stadium tour with SZA across major North American cities, but the duo is going to leave a lot of people out in the process. Moreover, demand for these shows is incredibly high, and paired with Ticketmaster’s price-inflating demand policies and CashApp presale exclusivity, this makes for a situation in which tickets are now very expensive. Fans have shared their reactions online, and there’s a lot of pessimistic reality checks and literally teared-up disillusionment to talk about. We completely understand both sides, although this shouldn’t really come as much surprise all things considered.

After all, we’re right in the middle of the hype cycle for Kendrick Lamar’s new album GNX, plus whatever SZA has on the horizon with Lana. The Drake battle this year also really amped up excitement for these shows, and fans are reading perhaps too deeply into the second Toronto show that they added to the schedule. So this was always going to be an impossible tour to snag tickets for, as much as we’d love to live in a different reality.

Read More: DJ Akademiks Is Looking Compromised After His Spotify Wrapped Puts Kendrick Lamar Over Drake

Kendrick Lamar & SZA Fans Are Crying Over Their Tour Ticket Prices And We Can’t Blame Them

Still, it’s amazing to see that Mr. “Taylor Made” and the singer who Taylor Swift snubbed last year at the Grammys are garnering Swiftie levels of demand and hype. Even if Kendrick Lamar and SZA can’t really do much to make ticket-snagging easier for fans, we’re confident that they will carry themselves with this responsibility in mind on stage. In the few months we have left until the “Grand National” trek kicks off, we have a Super Bowl halftime show to witness and probably more continued success for GNX – and hopefully Lana, if it does drop before or during the tour dates.

More Reactions

Meanwhile, all this success and conversation resulted in a lot of negativity online, especially towards Kendrick Lamar. Andrew Schulz is currently reckoning with the culture’s backlash to his comments about assaulting K.Dot in reaction to his GNX diss. OVO continues to rally against Kendrick’s camp, and fans are in tears over these ticket prices. It’s all a heavy burden, but one that these artists have almost always handled with grace all things considered.

Read More: SZA Reveals Why Fame Has Made Her “Paranoid” Around Fans

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Drake Roasted After Toronto Blue Jays Promote Kendrick Lamar’s Upcoming Tour

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It’s been an undoubtedly successful year for Kendrick Lamar, and it looks like the hitmaker is not done yet. Earlier this week, he announced his “Grand National” tour, which is scheduled to begin in April of 2025. SZA will join him for the co-headlining tour, which will see them take over 19 stadiums across North America.

Of course, the big announcement has earned reactions from countless social media users, who can’t wait to catch the duo live. The official Toronto Blue Jays X account even recently shared a post about their scheduled stop at Rogers Centre next June. Unsurprisingly, other users are out in full force with jokes about Drake being betrayed by his own city. While some think this is nothing but business as usual, others are clowning Drake, and calling this something else to add to Kendrick’s already long list of wins.

Read More: DJ Akademiks Attempts To Explain Why Kendrick Lamar Landed On His Spotify Wrapped

Social Media Users Think Drake’s Own City Betrayed Him With Kendrick Lamar Post

“Drake getting cooked by his own city,” one Instagram user writes in WorldStar‘s comments section. “Incoming lawsuit against the team,” someone else jokes. Other commenters aren’t surprised. “They are paid to promote. It’s all business,” one claims. “It’s not a shocker,” another says. This isn’t the only company to promote Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s upcoming tour recently, however. Earlier this week, Universal Music Group (UMG) also shared the tour announcement on their official Instagram account. This came shortly after Drake decided to take legal action against the company over Kendrick’s hit diss track “Not Like Us.” He accused UMG and Spotify of artificially boosting the song and alleged that they could have prevented it from being released.

UMG quickly denied these allegations in a statement. “The suggestion that UMG would do anything to undermine any of its artists is offensive and untrue,” the statement reads in part. “We employ the highest ethical practices in our marketing and promotional campaigns.”

Read More: Joe Budden Surprisingly Comes To Drake’s Defense After Co-Host Says He Couldn’t Do A Stadium Tour

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WATCH: New England Patriots Remix Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Ad to Reveal Boston Tour Date

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Someone should give a bonus to the New England Patriots and their social media team. Kendrick Lamar will be heading to Gilette Stadium next year as part of his joint tour with SZA, and the Pats celebrated the tour date by recreating Lamar’s Super Bowl Ad.

Grabbing their own Kendrick, wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, the Pats celebrated the future arrival of Lamar to the Boston area. You can see the video below.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA are joining forces for the highly anticipated Grand National Tour, set to take over 19 stadiums across North America in 2025. Presented by Live Nation, pgLang, and Top Dawg Entertainment, the tour showcases two of music’s biggest stars.

Fans can secure tickets early with the exclusive Cash App Visa Card presale, which begins Wednesday, December 4, at 10 a.m. local time and runs until Thursday, December 5, at 10 p.m. local time. Cardholders can unlock access by entering the first nine digits of their Cash App Card during the presale and completing their purchase with the same card.

In addition to early ticket access, Cash App Card users will enjoy a 20% instant discount on all official Grand National Tour merchandise purchased on-site during the tour. For more details on the presale, visit cash.app/exclusives/kendrickandsza.

General ticket sales for the Grand National Tour start on Friday, December 6, at 10 a.m. local time on grandnationaltour.com. Show dates are available below.

TOUR DATES: 

Apr 19 – Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium

Apr 23 – Houston, TX – NRG Stadium

Apr 26 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium

Apr 29 – Atlanta, GA – Mercedes Benz Stadium

May 03 – Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Stadium

May 05 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field

May 08 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

May 09 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

May 12 – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium

May 17 – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field

May 21 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium

May 23 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium

May 27 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium

May 29 – San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park

May 31 – Las Vegas, NV – Allegiant Stadium

Jun 04 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center

Jun 06 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field

Jun 10 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field

Jun 12 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre

Jun 16 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium

Jun 18 – Washington, DC – Northwest Stadium

The post WATCH: New England Patriots Remix Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Ad to Reveal Boston Tour Date appeared first on The Source Magazine.

Top5 Reacts To Kendrick Lamar Performing In Canada With An Absurd Take

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On June 12, Kendrick Lamar will be performing GNX in Toronto, Canada at the Rogers Centre with SZA alongside him. When that day eventually arrives, it’s going to be very interesting what sort of developments come out of that for obvious reasons. However, the juicy side stories are already rolling out today just hours after Lamar announced the Grand National Tour. Top5, a local Canadian rapper who’s been team Drake all the way, has recently reacted to this grand reveal. He’s made it abundantly clear how much he despises Lamar, and you could argue he might dislike him just as much as The Boy. His opinions on the Compton MC are almost always against the grain and this one is no different.

This Grand National trek is a stadium tour. Therefore, it’s going to require a lot of security, perhaps medical personnel, and other forms of support. It’s an essential thing for every concert venue to have, no matter how big or small the artist is. So, with that in mind, this take from Top5 will assuredly drive you nuts. He feels that he will start to have some respect for Kendrick Lamar if he doesn’t have any sort of protection.

Read More: Best Comments On HotNewHipHop From The Drake & Kendrick Lamar Saga

Top5 Gets Roasted Over An Open Flame For His Kendrick Lamar Tweet

Writing on an Instagram Story post, he says, “I’ll respect him if he comes with no police escort… 🤐” The internet has been quick to point out how asinine that request is. “Bro it’s not a small show it’s a f***ing stadium🤣🤣🤣 people are so ret****d,” one X user replies. “Meanwhile drake got the Canadian military at his house😂” another points out.

At this point, it’s a little difficult to take what Top5 says seriously, especially with how much he backs Drake. Kendrick supporters also made that a point of observation in their roast session. “DIS MF AINT GON DO S*** 😭😭 & HE KNOW DRAKE NEVER GON FEAT. HIM ON A ALBUM LIKE KENDRICK DID TO HIS HOMIES.” It’s going to be a major talking point next summer and this tour date couldn’t come any sooner.

Read More: Kendrick Lamar “GNX” Review

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Kendrick Lamar Announces 2025 “Grand National” Tour With SZA: Tickets, Dates & More

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“All I ever wanted was a black Grand National/ Fuck being rational, give ’em what they ask for,” Kendrick Lamar raps “tv off” from his new album, GNX. Arriving with little to no announcement, the “Not Like Us” rapper’s highly anticipated sixth studio album has easily met and even surpassed our expectations for his follow-up to Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Equipped with plenty of West Coast bounce, and a pair of cameos from SZA, Kendrick went above and beyond with GNX. 

It’s not surprising, especially since he’s a little over two months away from his upcoming Super Bowl Halftime performance in New Orleans. While there is speculation surrounding a follow-up album, it has yet to be confirmed by Kendrick himself. However, he will be hitting the road after the Super Bowl for the Grand National Tour, alongside SZA. The Compton rapper will be hitting a series of stadiums–not arenas–across North America, including a stop in Toronto, the hometown of his archnemesis. With tickets set to go on sale this week, here’s everything you need to know about Kendrick Lamar’s Grand National tour. 

Read More: The Biggest Hip Hop Tours Of All Time

Exclusive Ticket Presale & General On-Sale Dates

Tickets for the “Grand National Tour” will be available through an exclusive presale for Cash App Visa Cardholders starting Wednesday, December 4th at 10 AM local time and running through Thursday, December 5th at 10 PM local time. To access the presale, customers can use the first nine digits of their Cash App Card and complete their purchase using the same card. General tickets will go on sale starting Friday, December 6th at 10 AM local time on grandnationaltour.com. Cash App Card users can also score a 20% discount on official tour merchandise purchased on-site during the tour.

Who Will Be Opening For Kendrick Lamar? 

SZA will be joining Kendrick Lamar on the forthcoming Grand National tour. SZA appears twice on Kendrick’s new album on the songs, “luther,” which debuted at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, and “gloria.” Although it’s been nearly two years since the release of S.O.S., the Grand National tour might be an indication that she has a new album coming soon. In fact, there is a good chance that she could be sliding through before the end of the year with a new project. Lana perhaps? During her appearance on Kai Cenat’s Mafiathon 2, she confirmed that her next album would be released by the end of 2024. 

Read More: Kendrick Lamar Wants To Change A Woman’s Life For The Better On SZA-Assisted “Luther”

What To Expect From The Tour?

As usual, Kendrick keeps a tight ship, thus making it practically impossible to predict what he might have up his sleeve on the upcoming tour. The Big Steppers tour was a highly theatrical outing that saw Kendrick and Baby Keem perform globally. The tour also earned a total revenue of $111 million across 73 shows. It became the highest-grossing hip-hop tour of all time. However, it was later dethroned by Drake and then, Travis Scott’s Circus Maximus tour. 

Tour Dates

Minneapolis – April 19 – U.S. Bank Stadium
Houston – April 23 – NRG Stadium
Arlington – April 26 – AT&T Stadium
Atlanta – April 29 – Mercedes Benz Stadium
Charlotte – May 3 – Bank of America Stadium
Philadelphia – May 5 – Lincoln Financial Field
East Rutherford – May 8 – MetLife Stadium
East Rutherford – May 9 – MetLife Stadium
Foxborough – May 12 – Gillette Stadium
Seattle – May 17 – Lumen Field
Los Angeles – May 21 – SoFi Stadium
Los Angeles – May 23 – SoFi Stadium
Glendale – May 27 – State Farm Stadium
San Francisco – May 29 – Oracle Park
Las Vegas – May 31 – Allegiant Stadium
St. Louis – June 4 – The Dome at America’s Center
Chicago – June 6 – Soldier Field
Detroit – June 10 – Ford Field
Toronto – June 12 – Rogers Centre
Hershey – June 16 – Hersheypark Stadium
Washington, DC – June 18 – Northwest Stadium

The post Kendrick Lamar Announces 2025 “Grand National” Tour With SZA: Tickets, Dates & More appeared first on HotNewHipHop.

Kendrick Lamar and SZA Announce ‘Grand National’ Tour Across 19 North American Stadiums

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Kendrick Lamar and SZA are joining forces for the highly anticipated Grand National Tour, set to take over 19 stadiums across North America in 2025. Presented by Live Nation, pgLang, and Top Dawg Entertainment, the tour showcases two of music’s biggest stars.

Fans can secure tickets early with the exclusive Cash App Visa Card presale, which begins Wednesday, December 4, at 10 a.m. local time and runs until Thursday, December 5, at 10 p.m. local time. Cardholders can unlock access by entering the first nine digits of their Cash App Card during the presale and completing their purchase with the same card.

In addition to early ticket access, Cash App Card users will enjoy a 20% instant discount on all official Grand National Tour merchandise purchased on-site during the tour. For more details on the presale, visit cash.app/exclusives/kendrickandsza.

General ticket sales for the Grand National Tour start on Friday, December 6, at 10 a.m. local time on grandnationaltour.com. Show dates are available below.

TOUR DATES: 

Apr 19 – Minneapolis, MN – U.S. Bank Stadium

Apr 23 – Houston, TX – NRG Stadium

Apr 26 – Arlington, TX – AT&T Stadium

Apr 29 – Atlanta, GA – Mercedes Benz Stadium

May 03 – Charlotte, NC – Bank of America Stadium

May 05 – Philadelphia, PA – Lincoln Financial Field

May 08 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

May 09 – East Rutherford, NJ – MetLife Stadium

May 12 – Foxborough, MA – Gillette Stadium

May 17 – Seattle, WA – Lumen Field

May 21 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium

May 23 – Los Angeles, CA – SoFi Stadium

May 27 – Glendale, AZ – State Farm Stadium

May 29 – San Francisco, CA – Oracle Park

May 31 – Las Vegas, NV – Allegiant Stadium

Jun 04 – St. Louis, MO – The Dome at America’s Center

Jun 06 – Chicago, IL – Soldier Field

Jun 10 – Detroit, MI – Ford Field

Jun 12 – Toronto, ON – Rogers Centre

Jun 16 – Hershey, PA – Hersheypark Stadium

Jun 18 – Washington, DC – Northwest Stadium

The post Kendrick Lamar and SZA Announce ‘Grand National’ Tour Across 19 North American Stadiums appeared first on The Source Magazine.

Kendrick Lamar And SZA Are Going On A ‘Grand National Tour’ Of Stadiums Together In 2025

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Kendrick Lamar and SZA are going on tour.

Following the release of Lamar’s GNX (one of the best albums of 2024) and SZA’s forthcoming follow-up to SOS (which will be one of the best albums of the year… in whichever year it actually comes out), the pair are hitting up 19 stadiums across North America on the Grand National Tour. The first show is in April 2025, and the trek continues until June.

Pre-sale tickets for the Grand National Tour will be available for Cash App Card customers beginning Wednesday, December 4, at 10 a.m. local time. That’s followed by general on sale on Friday, December 6, at 10 a.m. local time. You can find more information here.

Below, check out the tour dates and poster for the Grand National Tour.

Kendrick Lamar And SZA’s 2025 Tour Dates: Grand National Tour

04/19/2025 — Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium
04/23/2025 — Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
04/26/2025 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
04/29/2025 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes Benz Stadium
05/03/2025 — Charlotte, NC @ Bank of America Stadium
05/05/2025 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
05/08/2025 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
05/09/2025 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
05/12/2025 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
05/17/2025 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
05/21/2025 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
05/23/2025 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium
05/27/2025 — Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
05/29/2025 — San Francisco, CA @ Oracle Park
05/31/2025 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
06/04/2025 — St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center
06/06/2025 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
06/10/2025 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
06/12/2025 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
06/16/2025 — Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
06/18/2025 — Washington, DC @ Northwest Stadium

Kendrick Lamar And SZA’s Grand National Tour Poster

Andre D. Wagner