Kendrick Lamar has made history once again, surpassing Eminem to claim the title of the rapper with the highest-grossing hip-hop concert. The 22-time Grammy winner set the new record during the opening night of his Grand National Tour on April 19 in Minneapolis. The first show of the tour grossed an estimated $9 million, breaking the previous record held by Eminem from his 2019 concert in Melbourne, Australia.
The Minneapolis performance saw 47,000 fans attend the U.S. Bank Stadium, with tickets averaging $192.70. It also became Lamar’s most-attended show, with 47,354 tickets sold. The concert featured special appearances from SZA and Mustard. The Grand National Tour supports Lamar’s latest album, GNX, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in November 2024 and sold 319,000 copies in its first week. Two tracks from the album, “Squabble Up” and “Luther,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Luther” staying at the top for nine weeks.
Earlier this year, Lamar also made history with the most-watched halftime performance in Super Bowl history, bringing in 133.5 million viewers, surpassing Michael Jackson’s 1993 record.
Despite the performance’s success, it received some backlash, with the Federal Communications Commission receiving 125 complaints, particularly about Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us,” which includes controversial lyrics about Drake.
