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Kendrick Lamar and SZA proved why they are the biggest names in music right now during their Grand National Tour at MetLife on Thursday, May 8, 2025. The rain couldn't stop the dynamic duo from performing in what felt like a victory lap to a groundbreaking year for the pair as they basked in their commercial success.
Lamar had a record-breaking Super Bowl performance in February, with a week shy of scoring five Grammy wins for “Not Like Us.” SZA began reaching new heights in 2025 as her acting debut alongside Keke Palmer in One Of Them Days went No. 1 at the box office. It followed the success of her record-breaking 2023 sophomore project, SOS, to which she gifted fans a deluxe edition earlier this year.
To round out the full-circle moment, Lamar brought DJ Mustard as an opener on the Grand National Tour, who produced the critically acclaimed “Not Like Us.” While gaining recognition as a Black artist has its own challenges, the support in the stands proves that it's not only industry professionals who are loving the innovative ways Lamar and SZA keep their fans excited about their art.
Kendrick Lamar's performance: Act I
About a year ago, Lamar entered a rap beef with Drake that solidified the Compton native's top spot in hip-hop. If going bar to bar with Drake wasn't enough — and coming up on top — he ended his 2024 with a surprise album, GNX. The project debuted at No. 1, which laid the foundation for what would become the Grand National Tour.
While it was dreary, cold, and wet, Jersey's unpredictable spring wavered when the stadium lights came on as fans rushed from merch lines and concession stands to catch the opening of the show. Fans were immediately transported into Lamar's oasis as his Buick Grand National Experimental began rising from the center stage.
Lamar commanded attention with not only the presence of his smooth vocals elegantly rapping the GNX opening track, “Wacced Out Murals,” which opens his Grand National Tour setlist each night, but in the way that he paces himself in the delivery. The crowd erupted when the car door opened to reveal the man of the hour as he made his way to center stage, closing out the “Wacced Out Murals” and heading into the first half of “Squabble Up.”
After the transition to “Squabble Up,” fans stayed afoot to the gyrating beat going bar for bar with K. Dot. He closed out his first set with “King Kuta,” “ELEMENT.,” and “TV Off” before SZA graced the stage for the first time so they could perform “30 for 30” off of her SOS deluxe album.
SZA's performance: Act II
“Am I home or what?” said SZA at the beginning of the evening as it was her turn to shine in her home state. The Maplewood native began her solo stint into Act II of the night with “What Do I Do” before going into her nostalgic hits like “Love Galore,” “Broken Clocks,” and “The Weekend.”
While Lamar's stage was more of an homage to old-school hip-hop with the black-and-white aesthetic, SZA portrayed an ethereal setting as she committed to her nature-loving era. Her flowing curls — dyed red this time — have become a signature look for SZA since she started in the industry with her groundbreaking debut CTRL in 2017.
She finds power in her femininity and vulnerability as fans get a deeper look into her onstage presence while you share a deeper understanding of the lyrics that you've been reciting for almost a decade. SZA shares her softness with her voice and sexual prowess in her dance moves as she owns her superpower, forcing fans to beg for more.
Kendrick honors his day ones
New fans were fed with songs from GNX like “Peekaboo,” “Dodger Blue,” and “Hey Now,” but songs from the Drake beef like “Euphoria,” “Meet The Grahams,” “Like That,” and Grammy-winning “Not Like Us” also were heavy-hitters that the crowd thoroughly enjoyed. With infernos lighting the stage, impeccable dancing by Lamar's “angels” and additional background dancers, everywhere you looked on the stage you felt in the moment of one of the biggest rap battles.
It continued with a skit that was running throughout the show where Lamar was being held in a deposition. The “lawyer” asked Lamar where he was on May 4, 2024, and February 9, 2025 — when the Compton rapper released “Not Like Us” and his historical Super Bowl halftime performance.
Dot answered, “I don’t keep up with dates.”
The lawyer then asked if he recalled what Drake said to him at the end of “Family Matters” — the song Drizzy released before Lamar's “Not Like Us.” In the song, Drake raps “You're dead” multiple times.
“Does this ring a bell? Drop, drop, drop,” the lawyer asked before Lamar's, “I see dead people” needle drop brings the crowd into a frenzy, marking the beginning of the Mustard-produced “Not Like Us.”
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What Lamar did very well was save space for his older fans, who have been rocking with him since he was called K. Dot. With performances of “Backseat Freestyle,” “HUMBLE.” “Swimming Pools (Drank),” and with “m.A.A.d city” getting a twist as he performed behind Anita Baker's “Sweet Love,” and several more staples in Lamar's exemplary discography, the rapper transported fans back in time.
SZA had a different approach as she began her solo presence on stage with throwbacks. Her set catered to newer fans with performances from the original SOS and deluxe with: “Low,” “F2F,” “Scorsese Baby Daddy,” “Kitchen,” “Blind,” and Grammy-winning “Snooze.” During the fourth and sixth acts, where SZA performed solo, it was all songs that were post-CTRL age as she fully embraced her new period in her career.
Kendrick and SZA's chemistry
What sets Lamar and SZA apart from other artists in the industry is how they were able to transform their audible masterpieces into visual representations of their art.
One memorable part of the show was the skit between Lamar and SZA as the rapper drives in his GNX to a gas station and asks the singer what she would want for a snack. SZA gets offended because Lamar can't remember her snack order, even though she always remembers his.
Both audibly and physically frustrated, Lamar gets out of the car and goes into the store to get their snacks, as you see little indicators of the singer through one of her critters at the store. This little moment showed how well their working relationship transitions outside of the studio.
On stage, Lamar and SZA showed the crowd why they are able to make memorable moments in music, such as the Oscar-nominated “All The Stars,” where a star-shaped light beamed from center stage as the artists were propelled upwards on different sides of the stadium.
The pair also performed “Doves in the Wind” and “LOVE.” during their first break together before ending the night with the No. 1 song in the country “Luther” as well as Lamar's “favorite” track “Gloria.” The way they are able to honor one another through performance and glide around each other as they complement each other's unique stage presence is a masterclass in chemistry.
Their closing remarks
Rappers aren't usually the top of most music lovers list when you think of high-energy performances, as standing and walking back and forth across the stage is usually their MO. However, what sets Lamar apart from his peers and many rising rappers of this generation is the intention he gives to his set design, masterfully crafted lyricism performed at the highest level, and still feeling a personal connection to the crowd.
SZA has been a staple in furthering the popularity of R&B but also keeping genre-bending elements in her music such as the occasional rap intro, pop beat, or rock-esque guitar rift into her projects. But, what keeps SZA separated from her R&B — and ALT R&B — peers is her authenticity and relatability, which has made her a leading lady in the future of R&B.
The chemistry that Lamar and SZA have is unparalleled, and the main reason why they had nearly sold-out crowds during both nights of their Grand National Tour stops at MetLife Stadium. They are products of not faking your influence.
