Kendrick Lamar and SZA are teaming up to co-headlining their Grand National Tour, following the release of new music from both artists. Fans were taken by surprise when Lamar dropped his sixth studio album, GNX, without any announcements on November 22, 2024. Shortly after, SZA and Lamar took to Instagram to announce their Grand National Tour spanning across North America on December 3, 2024, and tickets went on sale the next day. To add to the excitement, SZA released SOS Deluxe: Lana containing 15 new songs in addition to the songs from her 2022 album SOS, on December 20, 2024.
GNX contains 12 songs. One of his collaborations on this album with SZA is “luther” and is currently the top performer of the bunch. The other song with SZA is “gloria.” I loved the mix of songs and emotions that Lamar captured throughout the album as it felt similar style-wise to DAMN. his previous album. My favorite song from the album is “dodger blue” featuring Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, and Roddy Ricch because of its more lighthearted and bright tone. Overall, I would give this album a 9/10.
He did a great job at mixing elements of jazz and R&B in his songs and talked a lot about his feelings about the music industry and the struggles of the black community. Other than SZA, Lamar worked to feature less well-known artists on his album such as YoungThreat and Hitta J3. When released, the album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard 200 and was 2024’s sixth largest debut and now is at the fifth spot. Before starting his album tour with SZA, Lamar will be performing at this year’s Super Bowl halftime show, so viewers can expect to get a little preview of what to expect from his concerts.
Following Lamar, SZA came out with SOS Deluxe: Lana which she had been teasing for a while. The release has 14 new songs and also includes “Saturn” a song she released earlier in 2024. With the new version and new songs, SOS has jumped back up to the top spot on the Billboard 200. Recently on December 30, 2024, she mentioned on X that there are a few updates to be released to SOS Deluxe: Lana said “Just got word all updated Mixes and new songs will be added Jan 6th when the label comes back from holiday.” Many parts of her songs are also now trending on social media.
Out of the 14 new songs, “BMF” currently has the most streams with “30 for 30” featuring Lamar coming in close behind. Lamar is the sole feature on the new tracks, appearing on just that one song. She continues to incorporate the same style of music that was in SOS which was great to hear because I really enjoyed the original version of the album. With so many new songs, my favorite is definitely “Crybaby” where she talks about getting yourself stuck in cycles that end up doing more harm than good. I loved the simplicity of the song, especially in contrast to “My Turn” which comes right before it. Overall, I would give her new songs a 10/10.
To showcase and celebrate all of this amazing music, SZA and Lamar are going on their Grand National Tour in 2025. It is set to start on April 19, 2025, in Minneapolis and conclude on June 18, 2025, in Washington D.C. with a total of 23 shows and 19 different cities. If you would like to see Lamar and SZA perform live, tickets are still available on many sites for their concert at Gillette Stadium on May 12, 2025. I highly recommend for anyone to explore the latest music from both artists; it’s definitely worth your time.
