May 18, 2025

Kendrick and SZA outshine the rain & Drake at MetLife

New Jersey saw more than just drizzle and drizzy Drake last weekend. MetLife Stadium turned into the lyrical battleground of the year as Kendrick Lamar and SZA rolled in with their Grand National Tour, determined to outshine the clouds, and each other. Spoiler: the real loser was Drake, but we’ll get to that.

Kendrick Lamar

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Kendrick Lamar

Followers: 41.2M

Born on June 17, 1987, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time and in 2018, he made a groundbreaking achievement as the first non-classical or jazz artist to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Hailing from Compton, California, Lamar began sharing his music under the moniker K.Dot during his high school years. He joined Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005 and played a key role in establishing the hip hop group Black Hippy.

This content adapted from the Wikipedia page Kendrick Lamar, licensed via CC BY-SA. Content retrieved was modified to fit the context and style of this story.

Kendrick kicks things off with no-frills fire

Lamar started the night with all the flair of a man who brought one mic and a thousand grudges. "_Swimming Pools (Drank)"_ never felt so sober. By the time he got to "_Not Like Us,"_ the gloves came off, figuratively, though we wouldn’t have put it past him to wear boxing gloves for dramatic effect. He even staged a courtroom skit with a fake lawyer grilling him about Drake’s latest lyrical tantrum. Verdict: comedy gold.

Kendrick Lamar X SZA Grand National tour NY/NJ Euphoria live performance #kendricklamar #euphoria #crodie #drakediss.

SZA floats in on a dream, bugs included

Then came SZA, descending onto a stage that looked like a botanical garden had a fever dream. She danced around giant insect props like she was auditioning for a Disney villain origin story, and somehow, it worked. Her red curls bounced like they had their backup dancers. From "_Kill Bill_ to _Snooze",_ she didn’t miss a note or a chance to be effortlessly cooler than everyone watching.

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SZA

Followers: 29.8M

Solána Imani Rowe, also known as SZA, is an American singer-songwriter known for her personal and diverse blend of R&B music. Her self-released EPs See.SZA.Run and S gained her recognition, leading to a record deal with Top Dawg Entertainment and the release of her third EP, Z. Her debut album, Ctrl, received widespread acclaim and achieved commercial success, earning four Grammy nominations in 2018 and becoming the second longest-charting R&B album by a female artist on the US Billboard 200.

This content adapted from the Wikipedia page SZA, licensed via CC BY-SA. Content retrieved was modified to fit the context and style of this story.

A grand gesture in a gnx

In a moment so poetic it practically begged for a Grammy, Kendrick pulled up in his GNX, the car, not a metaphor, and opened the door for SZA. Was it chivalry? Was it symbolism? Was it both? Probably. Either way, the crowd ate it up like overpriced stadium nachos.

Hip-hop’s most theatrical duo delivers

Rain may have soaked the crowd, but Kendrick and SZA drenched the stage in charisma. The Grand National Tour isn’t just a concert, it’s a love letter to pettiness, power moves, and perfectly choreographed shade. If Beyoncé is the queen of stadium pop, consider this duo the king and queen of rainy-day rap drama. And yes, the throne is waterproof.

Shut Down!

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Wikipedia

MetLife Stadium

MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States, 5 mi west of New York City. It opened in 2010, replacing Giants Stadium,