Kendrick Lamar unveils ‘N95’ video and announces UK tour dates
The rap auteur will bring 'Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers' to British arenas
By Joe Goggins
Kendrick Lamar has released the first video from his new album, for ‘N95’ – you can see it below.
The Compton hip-hop auteur released his fifth studio album, ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’, last Friday (May 13), to unanimous critical acclaim. The 18-track opus, which was announced on April 18, dropped with little in the way of advance promotion, but now, Lamar has shared the first visuals related to the record, in a video that he co-directed with longtime collaborator Dave Free.
The ambitious clip sees Lamar floating above water, being chased down the street, driving with close collaborator Baby Keem, and descending a waterfall. It comes ahead of his debut headline performance at Glastonbury Festival next month, where he is likely to give ‘‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’ material a first UK live airing.
In related news, Lamar has announced a massive world tour in support of the album, one that will take in a clutch of British dates in November. You can see the full schedule below; he will headline arenas in Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, and London, where he will play two nights at The O2 Arena. Keem will support on all of those dates, alongside Tanna Leone; both artists contributed to ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’, with Keem chipping in on four songs; ‘N95’, ‘Die Hard’, ‘Savior (Interlude)’, and ‘Savior’.
Leone, meanwhile, is on ‘Mr. Morale’. Other collaborators on ‘Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers’ include Beth Gibbons of Portishead, who provides vocals on ‘Mother I Sober’, and ‘Sampha’, who makes a guest turn on ‘Father Time’. The album follows 2012’s ‘Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City’, 2015’s ‘To Pimp a Butterfly’ and 2017’s ‘DAMN.’ in being met with rave reviews. Amongst the record’s many fans is rap legend Eminem, who took to Twitter to let his mentor and long-time collaborator Dr. Dre know how he felt about the work.
“Yo @DrDre this Kendrick album is f****** ridiculous,” wrote the Detroit hip-hop star, real name Marshall Mathers. “I’m speechless.”
Kendrick Lamar, November 2022:
2 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
3 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
4 – Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
5 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
7 – London, The O2 Arena
8 – London, The O2 Arena
16 – Manchester, AO Arena