Following a five year-long gap, Kendrick Lamar will take to the stage for a tour this fall to support his freshly released album Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. Baby Keem — American rapper-songwriter-producer and Lamar’s cousin — and Tanna Leone — hip hop and trap artist — will support Lamar’s tour. Baby Keem will perform and open each show, while Leone will appear on select dates. 

Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers follows Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning album DAMN.; some may say this is the most anticipated album of the year. The album was announced on April 18, 2022, just one month before its release date, on May 13, 2022. 

It boasts a whopping 18-song tracklist, and Lamar began the releasing process just three days before the album drop, on May 10, 2022. He first put out “The Heart Part 5” and an accompanying video, both of which went viral. The video shows Lamar’s face morphing into the faces of famous (or infamous) Black men, from O.J. Simpson to Kanye West to Kobe Bryant. 

Lamar invites a host of artists to feature on the album with him, though he seldom mentioned or even hinted at the arrival of the album and others’ involvement. Among those featured are Blxs, Amanda Reifer, Sampha, Taylour Paige, Summer Walker, Ghostface Killah, Kodak Black, Baby Keem, Sam Dew, Tanna Leone and Beth Gibbons. 

Mxdwn writer Alexandra Kozicki covered Beth Gibbon’s featured song “Mother I Sober.” Describing the song as “an emotional ballad,” Kozicki says that the song deals with the “generational problem of sexual abuse.” 

Lamar doesn’t shy away from difficult topics and will continue to facilitate discussions as people listen to the new album and attend the upcoming tour. 

“The Big Steppers” Tour 2022

07/19 Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center

07/21 Austin, TX @ Moody Center

07/22 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center

07/23 Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

07/24 Miami, FL @ Rolling Loud

07/27 Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena

07/29 New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center

07/30 Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena

07/31 Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena

08/02 Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center

08/04 Washington, D.C. @ Capital One Arena

08/05 Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center

08/06 Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center

08/07 Long Island, NY @ UBS Arena

08/09 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center

08/10 Boston, MA @ TD Garden

08/12 Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Arena

08/13 Toronto, Ontario @ Scotiabank Arena

08/14 Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

08/16 Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center

08/18 Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum

08/19 Chicago, IL @ United Center

08/20 Saint Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center

08/21 Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center

08/23 Denver, CO @ Ball Arena

08/24 Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena

08/26 Portland, OR @ Moda Center

08/27 Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

08/28 Vancouver, British Columbia @ Rogers Arena

08/30 Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center

08/31 Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena

09/01 Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena

09/06 San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena at San Diego State University

09/07 Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center

09/09 Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena

09/10 Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center

09/14 Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

09/15 Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

10/07 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Ziggo Dome

10/10 Prague, Czech Republic @ O2 Arena

10/11 Berlin, Germany @ Mercedes-Benz Arena

10/13 Hamburg, Germany @ Barclays Arena

10/15 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal Arena

10/17 Stockholm, Sweden @ Avicii Arena

10/19 Oslo, Norway @ Telenor Arena

10/21 Paris, France @ Accor Arena

10/24 Stuttgart, Germany @ Scheleyerhalle

10/25 Zurich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion

10/26 Lausanne, Switzerland @ Vaudoise Aréna

10/28 Antwerp, Belgium @ Sportpaleis

10/30 Cologne, Germany @ Lanxess Arena

10/31 Frankfurt, Germany @ Festhalle

11/02 Glasgow, Scotland @ OVO Hydro

11/03 Leeds, England @ First Direct Arena

11/04 Newcastle upon Tyne, England @ Utilita Arena

11/05 Birmingham, England @ Utilita Arena

11/07 London, England @ The O2

11/08 London, England @ The O2

11/13 Dublin, Ireland @ 3Arena

11/16 Manchester, England @ AO Arena

12/01 Perth, Australia @ RAC Arena

12/04 Melbourne, Australia @ Rod Laver Arena

12/08 Sydney, Australia @ Qudos Bank Arena

12/12 Brisbane, Australia @ Entertainment Center

12/16 Auckland, New Zealand @ Spark Arena

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna