Kendrick Lamar has been stacking records on top of each other like Jenga blocks following his explosive Drake battle. In the aftermath, the new album GNX, some more number one tracks, and the "Grand National" tour have dominantly sustained this momentum.
Specifically, for the SZA and Mustard-assisted trek, the Compton lyricist now lays claim to a staggering achievement. Per HipHopDX and @touringdata on Twitter, he now has the highest-grossing concert by a Black man as a headliner or co-headliner. The Arlington, Texas tour stop at the AT$T Stadium on April 26 reportedly raked in $11.8 million.
The previous record holder for this was The Weeknd at $9.8 million. This was for a 2022 concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Kendrick Lamar broke the hip-hop-equivalent record for the highest-grossing concert twice with his April 19 and 23 stops in Minneapolis and Houston, respectively.
With 16 more North American shows left on the "Grand National" tour, we wouldn't be surprised if the trio breaks these records yet again. Also, there's a whole European leg later this summer, which should also generate a lot of cash.
Is Kendrick Lamar Dropping New Music?
Elsewhere, the pgLang creative is finding even more reasons to take a break and coast off his incredible run. Kendrick Lamar led the 2025 BET Award nominations, receiving ten nods. These include Album of the Year, Best Male Hip-Hop Artist, Viewer's Choice Award, Video Director of the Year, Best Collaboration, and Video of the Year.
So it seems like the "Grand National" tour still has a lot of new storylines and developments to capitalize on. It's been a few months now since GNX and SOS Deluxe: LANA came out, but he and SZA remain on top of the world.
Still, any great artist can't fully take a break for too long before the voice in the back of their head comes back. Fortunately for fans of The Boogeyman, we possibly just witnessed that. When Kendrick Lamar seemingly hit up a studio in New York City, die-hards immediately built excitement for new music.
Sadly, no official announcement is in our hands. But the "Grand National" tour's success might just get a cherry on top... If fans' theories pan out.
