New York, NY – Kendrick Lamar closed out a monumental two-night run at New York’s MetLife Stadium by paying tribute to rap music.
Before performing his 2012 hit collaboration with Jay Rock, “Money Trees,” Lamar paused to reflect on the moment. A Hip Hop tour had just sold out a major stadium in New York for two consecutive nights — a rare achievement in the genre.
“This is no pop shit. This some rap shit tonight,” Kendrick told the crowd, receiving loud applause.
Lamar and fellow artist SZA have seen massive success with their joint Grand National Tour. Every show has sold out, drawing tens of thousands of fans. Earlier in the tour, Kendrick made history by hosting the highest-grossing concert ever by a Black male headliner or co-headliner.
That record-setting event took place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 26. The concert generated $11.822 million in ticket sales in a single night. The previous record was held by The Weeknd, who earned $9.8 million at his 2022 show at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
This tour marks a series of milestones for Lamar. When the Grand National Tour opened in Minneapolis last month, it broke the record for the highest-grossing rap concert in history. According to Touring Data, the show grossed over $9.1 million and drew more than 47,000 fans. The average ticket price was $192.70.
With this performance, Lamar surpassed Eminem’s previous record for the top-grossing Hip Hop concert, set in Melbourne, Australia, in 2019. It also became the first rap concert ever to break the $9 million mark.
The success of the tour extends beyond the stage. Kendrick and SZA’s single “Luther” has dominated the Billboard Hot 100, spending 11 consecutive weeks at No. 1. This ties the record held by Diddy and Faith Evans’ 1997 tribute to The Notorious B.I.G., “I’ll Be Missing You,” for the most weeks at No. 1 for a duet between co-billed male and female solo artists.
Their albums — Kendrick’s GNX and SZA’s SOS — also remain in the top five on the Billboard 200, showing strong ongoing fan interest as the tour continues.
Lamar’s Grand National Tour not only celebrates rap music but also sets new benchmarks in the music industry.
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