Kendrick Lamar at Bonnaroo 2015
At midnight, Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar released Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, his first full-length since 2017’s DAMN., on streaming platforms. Just a few hours later, he announced The Big Steppers Tour, a massive international trek that will kick off in Oklahoma City on July 19 and pull into Music City’s own Bridgestone Arena on July 31.
The general ticket sale via Ticketmaster begins on Friday, May 20, at noon. Prices haven’t been announced yet. Baby Keem opens all the dates and Tanna Leone joins on some of them. It’s not certain whether both will be on the bill in Nashville.
During the DAMN. Tour in 2017, Lamar brought out impressive and immersive Enter the Dragon-esque production to relate “The Legend of Kung Fu Kenny” during the show. What the new tour will bring remains to be seen. If the technologically adept and subtly provocative music video for “The Heart Part 5” — which uses deepfake technology to seamlessly replace Lamar’s face with that of other Black stars from Will Smith to the late Nipsey Hussle, who is remembered in the song — is any indication, it’ll be powerful. Check out the video below.
