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Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kendrick Lamar & SZA Preach Love Over Hate During 1st LA Stop of Grand National Tour: 5 Best Moments
'You said you feel the love, right?' Kendrick Lamar asked SZA after performing their twinkling 2018 hit collab 'All the Stars' during the first LA tour stop of their Grand National Tour at Inglewood's SoFi Stadium Wednesday night (May 21). More from Billboard Jamie Foxx Shuts Down Conspiracy Theory That Diddy Tried to Kill Him 50 Cent Mocks 'Molotov Diddy,' Blasts Him for Allegedly Traumatizing Kid Cudi's Dog DJ Khaled Runs the Gauntlet With Viral Sensation Ashton Hall in Hilarious Album Promo Video 'I think so,' she responded breathlessly. 'You feel it?' 'I definitely feel it.' The two dove head over heels into 'Love' from his 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN., with SZA's honeyed vocals taking the track's featured artist Zacari's place. While Dot has been hailed as a generational hater for vanquishing Drake in last year's monthslong epic rap war, the stadiums he and SZA have been dominating for the last month since the tour started don't feel like battlefields. Sincere and cheeky love songs like 'Snooze' and 'Kiss Me More' share the stage with scathing and calculated diss tracks like 'Euphoria' and, of course, the five-time Grammy-winning juggernaut 'Not Like Us.' The Grand National Tour serves as a well-deserved victory lap for Lamar, who headlined the Super Bowl halftime show earlier this year, and SZA, whose 2022 blockbuster album SOS has continued breaking Billboard 200 chart records three years later. Because what's better than taking over one stadium? Taking over 32. As both superstars embarked on separate and at times intertwined trips down memory lane throughout the show, their modes of transportation were very different, yet very them. Lamar pulled up in his sleek black 1987 Buick GNX and frequently flexed his signature whip on stage, while SZA's 'ride' was a gigantic animatronic ant named Anthony (because why not) that carried her throughout 'Kitchen.' Shortly after, she sang Rihanna's 'Consideration' lyric about 'ridin' in on a pale white horse,' but that couldn't be further from the truth. One can only dream of RiRi returning to any stage for their first joint performance of the song since the 2016 Brit Awards, but SZA did surprise concertgoers with her 'best friend' Lizzo. The dynamic duo ended on a high note with the one-two punch of 'Luther' and 'Gloria,' the former of which has spent the last 13 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as of this week (chart dated May 24), and samples Luther Vandross' 1982 hit 'If This World Were Mine.' Well, if you're Kendrick Lamar and SZA, it certainly feels like it is. Here are the five best moments from the first SoFi Stadium stop during their Grand National Tour. 'We've been all around the world and back, we was on the East Coast, we was in the South for a little bit, but you know I couldn't motherf–king wait to make sure I came back home, you hear me!' he exclaimed at the base of the stage, homecoming hurrahs greeting him from every corner. 'Is Long Beach in this motherf–ker tonight? Is South Central in this motherf–ker tonight? Better yet, is Watts in this motherf–ker tonight? Is Inglewood in this motherf–ker tonight? Is Compton in this motherf–ker tonight?' After Lizzo caught a vibe at the after party for SZA's Not Beauty brand in Brooklyn earlier this month, SZA brought out her 'best friend for energy and positivity,' she announced before the pop star popped out for a precious performance of the 'Special' remix. While the 'Good as Hell' hitmaker was the only special guest for the first LA stop, her feelgood attitude and undeniable star power sufficiently filled up the stadium. Even though he brought out his younger cousin Baby Keem to perform 'Family Ties' during one of their MetLife Stadium stops earlier this month, Lamar held his own with a new verse. 'Ay, you n—as will never compare to me/ F— poppin' in, I'mma declare the streets/ My mama said 'be scared of God'/ On God, they better be scared of me/ Beverly playing, I was making a right/ Pop punani ain't making it right/ Told you, you would fight my fight/ I'm buckling up,' he rapped. Following 'Snooze,' SZA re-emerged onto the stage in a glimmering chrysalis gown with wings during 'Crybaby' and caught flight mid-song. She eventually shed the long skirt and completed her metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly before jumping into her Hot 100 top 10 hit 'Nobody Gets Me.' 'I wrote this about my ex-fiancé. He hates me,' she said matter-of-factly before encouraging her fans to sing along for him. When asked during one of the deposition video skits if she thought she would have hit songs without dysfunction in her relationships, SZA responded, 'No, so grateful. I owe everything to those terrible… interactions.' It's a poignant reminder that personal growth and prosperity don't come without its own set of challenges, but the end result make everything worth it. SZA has certainly found her sweet spot in the buddy comedy world. After fighting with her bestie/roommate (played by Keke Palmer) while facing eviction in their critically acclaimed One of Them Days film earlier this year, she took on the role of Dot's nagging little sister during one of the video sketches as the two pulled up to the gas station – in his GNX, no less – and bickered over which snacks he needs to pick up. 'What is it, chimmy chua?' he asked her, acting puzzled over the pronunciation of the sweet, salty and spicy Mexican delight. 'Chamoy,' she responds snootily. 'Your fans are Mexican. How do you… Chamoy!' As he walked away muttering his frustrations under his breath, his LA-based Mexican fanbase nearly lost theirs after having the spotlight on them. Lamar has long documented his appreciation for this demographic and recently featured mariachi singer Deyra Barrera on 'Wacced Out Murals,' 'Reincarnated' and 'Gloria' on GNX, as well as Mexican rappers Peysoh and Lefty Gunplay on the title track and 'TV Off,' respectively. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Boston Globe
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Kendrick Lamar and SZA gave a wall-to-wall showcase at Gillette
Lamar and SZA already proved they could handle stadium-sized crowds in February, when the pair headlined the Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Stadium shows can be a bit of a trade-off, with spectacle and sonic clarity often seeming at odds, but on Monday, each headliner's lyrics reverberated throughout the hulking stadium, even as pyrotechnics blazed and dancers in praying-mantis getups romped. Advertisement Lamar, who won a Pulitzer Prize in music for his high-concept 2017 album 'DAMN.,' fills his offerings with wordplay and knowledge, his moral clarity amping up the bravado that animates incendiary cuts like the storming 'HUMBLE.' and adds weight to introspective offerings like the restless 'Count Me Out.' SZA, whose songs, like the agitated 'Kill Bill,' possess the intimacy of bedroom pop and the vitality of show-stopping arias, grounds her withering observations on romance and womanhood in hard-won wisdom, as well as the occasional cathartic guitar solo. ('I owe everything to those terrible interactions,' she deadpanned during one of the show's interstitial videos that was set in a hostile-on-both-sides deposition.) Each set by the headliners highlighted these qualities in arresting fashion; as they paced and strode across the stage and its catwalks, whether accompanied by kinetic dance troupes or solo, they reveled in the crowd's energy and their own mastery of their chosen forms. The generous pyrotechnics only added to the lively atmosphere, whether it was the fireworks punctuating SZA's most flirtatious moments from the fizzy 'Kiss Me More' or the flames shooting up out of the stage as Lamar recounted the most vicious lines of his acid-tipped mini-epic 'euphoria.' That track was one of a few moments that recalled Lamar's 2024-defining battle with the Canadian rapper Drake, which reached its peak a little more than a year ago when Lamar released the giddy romp 'Not Like Us.' The back-and-forth between the two rappers reached its final inflection point with that relentlessly uptempo cut, which packed lessons about the slave trade and heinous accusations into a party jam. Lamar had already been a pop force, but 'Not Like Us' came to define a certain mood of 2024, and when it capped Lamar's final solo set on Monday, Gillette Stadium came unglued as the crowd attempted to keep up with Lamar's intricate, rancorous rhymes. Advertisement SZA returned to the stage for the night's final two songs, both of which appeared on Lamar's surprise-released 2024 album, 'GNX.' The gently grooving 'luther,' which notched its non-consecutive 12th week atop the American singles chart on Monday, was first, its well-deployed sample of the R&B legend Luther Vandross setting up its longing, which is romantic in the best sense: 'I just wanna see you win,' the chorus goes. The 'GNX' closer 'gloria' followed, and while SZA's microphone seemed to short out at times, Lamar's extended metaphor on his winding, still-evolving relationship with his craft served as a fitting closer to a night that plainly showed why these two artists are firmly implanted, yet hardly resting on their laurels, at American music's pinnacle. KENDRICK LAMAR AND SZA: GRAND NATIONAL TOUR With Mustard At Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Monday
USA Today
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Who's performing in Super Bowl halftime show? What to know about Kendrick Lamar
To be chosen as a performer at the Super Bowl halftime show can be a gift to those who accept the invitation from the NFL. With an expected audience of over 100 million people watching the Super Bowl, the exposure can boost record sales and bring a whole new audience to a genre of music that some may not be familiar with. This year's Super Bowl halftime performer is award-winning hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar. Lamar has performed at a previous Super Bowl as he was a co-headliner with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, and Mary J. Blige at Super Bowl 56 in Inglewood, California. That performance won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special (Live). What to know about Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth was born on June 17, 1987, in Compton, California. NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more. He was first signed to Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records and released his first album, "Section.80", in 2011. His next release catapulted him into the mainstream with 2012's "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City," which has spent more than 12 years on the Billboard 200 album charts. His albums have sold nearly 8 million copies in the United States, with four hitting No. 1 on the charts. Kendrick Lamar awards Kendrick Lamar is one of the most decorated hip-hop artists in history, winning 17 Grammy awards, including wins for Best Rap Album, DAMN. (2018) and for Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2023) This year, he has been nominated for seven Grammy awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, twice for Best Rap Performance, twice for Best Rap Song, and Best Music Video. Lamar has also won 37 BET Hip Hop Awards and seven Billboard Music Awards, but what has set him apart is winning the 2018 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Music for his album DAMN., becoming the first non-classical or jazz artist to be awarded. The Pulitzer Board said that DAMN. was "a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life." Beef with Drake Rap beefs are part of hip-hop culture as the music itself and the latest war of words between top-selling artists have involved hurt feelings, internet chatter, and numerous lawsuits. The beginning of the Lamar-Drake beef seems to be the 2024 release of "Like That" by Lamar, Future, and Metro Boomin. Lamar then released "Euphoria" and "6:16 in LA," and Drake hit back with "Family Matters." Lamar then returned with "Not Like Us," a No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit that is nominated for five Grammy awards this year and has been streamed more than one billion times. In the song, Lamar accuses Drake of being a pedophile. In January 2025, Drake sued Universal Music Group in federal court for defamation and harassment over 'Not Like Us," saying that the record label released the song even though pedophilia allegations against him are false. "The lawsuit is not about the artist who created 'Not Like Us,'" the lawsuit said. "It is, instead, entirely about UMG, the music company that decided to publish, promote, exploit, and monetize allegations that it understood were not only false, but dangerous." Previous Super Bowl halftime performers Last year, R&B artist Usher thrilled the crowd at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. To view the history of the Super Bowl halftime performance, click here.
