NEWS
Kendrick Lamar's Grand National Tour does more than break stadium records, he is gifting fans up-close-and-personal moments backstage as well. The rap star took a moment to provide a woman, who goes by @obenewow on Tiktok, with a viral "bestie" moment behind-the-scenes after he noticed her energy during the show. The woman captioned the clip of her and Lamar as "besties now."
Kendrick Lamar could be seen posing for a photo. After the woman informed him it was a video, the rap star relaxed and complimented the woman on her energy during the show while saying what's up everyone watching the clip. "You did your stuff, you were rocking out there," Kendrick said to the fan as he exited the frame.
The woman captioned the clip, "POV: Kendrick notices you from the crowd. 2. Lets you come backstage to get this video. 3. Tells you 'you did your stuff'. 4. You are now besties."
The comments ranged from hilarious requests for a collaboration between the fan and rap star to complimenting the fan's energy. "So basically yall got a track together on the next album now," commented a Tiktok user.
Congratulating the lucky fan, a user commented, "Congratulations *tyrese voice* ! I wouldn’t have been able to hold the camera still lol this is my fan fiction dream lol. Omg were you in the pit or somewhere else?"
The U.S. leg of the Grand National Tour concluded on Wednesday (June 18) in Washington D.C. at the Northwest Stadium. Ari Lennox, a frequent collaborator of SZA, was in attendance.
The tour goes international in July after announcing an Australian leg of the tour last month. Kendrick and company will head to Germany, Scotland, U.K., Italy, and more. It will in on August 9 in Stockholm, Sweden. The tour is expected to achieve more milestones overseas.
Kendrick Lamar’s GNX has become a unstoppable in 2025, stacking accolades and breaking records across every major platform. At the 2025 BET Awards, the album earned Album of the Year, contributing to Lamar’s five wins, including Best Male Hip Hop Artist, Best Collaboration for “Luther” with SZA, Music Video of the Year, and Video Director of the Year.
June 19 marks the one-year anniversary of Kendrick Lamar's legendary Pop Out concert in Los Angeles. The lineup featured all L.A. rapper. Tyler the Creator, Roddy Ricch, and DJ Mustard were among the performers.
NEWS
A$AP Rocky has revealed that it took years of persistence before Tim Burton agreed to create the cover artwork for his upcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb. The rapper reflected on how the unlikely collaboration finally came together during a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday.
Going into detail about the process, Rocky confessed that he “basically had to stalk and harass him for a few years” before things clicked. He explained, “I reached out and told him I would love to hang out, play him some vibes and just connect. I ended up going to Malibu while he was on a break, and he was feeling it. I played him an early version of the album and he really liked it. That’s when I asked, ‘Do you think you might want to do the illustration for this?’ He was open to it, but then suddenly he had Wednesday and Beetlejuice 2 going on. I realized this was going to take a lot longer than I thought.”
A$AP Rocky went on to describe a moment that really stuck with him during that visit. “While I was there, I noticed a sketch sitting on the table and asked if he drew it,” he said. “He told me that every morning he and his daughter work on drawings together. He starts one, then she comes in and finishes it or changes it. It’s something they practice daily. I saw it as their bond, and to me, that felt priceless.”
On Tuesday, A$AP Rocky also released a double music video for his tracks “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO.” Tim Burton appears in the visual and contributed multiple illustrations that tie into the project.
Alongside the release of the “WHISKEY” and “BLACK DEMARCO” video, Rocky officially unveiled the Don’t Be Dumb World Tour. The run will include 42 dates across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, with shows scheduled throughout 2026.
