The tour’s first night saw Kendrick break Eminem‘s previous record of highest-grossing rap concert.
According to Touring Data, the opening night in Minneapolis grossed over $9.1 million from more than 47,000 fans at an average price of $192.70.
This means that Kendrick can now boast that he has the single highest grossing Hip Hop concert of all time, surpassing Eminem’s record from when he played in Melbourne, Australia in 2019.
It is also the first rap concert to break the $9 million barrier.
The concert in Minneapolis was also the most attended gig for both Kendrick and SZA outside of festival performances.
The opening night of the Grand National tour was also notable for some remarks Kendrick appeared to aim at his nemesis, Drake.
Making overt reference to Drizzy’s controversial lawsuit against Universal Music Group which accuses the record giant of defamation over the release and promotion of “Not Like Us,” Kendrick mocked the 6 God for taking their beef to the courtroom.
The 20-year-old Houston native seemingly has nerves of steel when mixing it up with rhymers from all corners of the game. He also has zero qualms about creating controversy.
How Long Has N3on Been Streaming?
N3on, born Rangesh Mutama, got his start by streaming videos of himself playing video games on YouTube at 12 years old, much to the chagrin of his parents. However, by age 16, N3on earned a name for himself within the streaming community by playing popular games like NBA 2K and Fortnite. In the process, N3on became known for his often brash, explicit outbursts that only increased his viewership. He even faked his own death in 2019.
Fast-forward to 2025, and with nearly 900,000 subscribers on YouTube and over 400,000 on Kick, N3on now spends a significant amount of his time creating content with revered rappers across multiple generations. Some interactions with hip-hop artists are friendly and fun, while others can be straight-up contentious. In some cases, N3on’s streams leave fans trying to figure out what’s real and what teeters on the line of staged entertainment.
N3on’s Growing Relationship With Hip-Hop
In March of last year, N3on adamantly apologized to Harlem drill rapper DD Osama after the streamer seemingly mocked the death of DD’s brother, Notti Osama. On the flip side, while ironically appearing on a livestream with Kai Cenat in December of 2024, Kodak Black declared N3on as the streamer he “f**k with” the most.
Since then, N3on has upped the ante when it comes to rubbing elbows with rhymers. Back in February, he and Skrilla caused quite a stir on the streets of Philadelphia when police had to break up a crowd of a reported 200-plus people gathering to catch a glimpse of their livestream. When Rolling Loud hit California last month, N3on was on hand with full access to interviews with a multitude of artists such as Gelo, Cash Cobain, Ty Dolla $ign and Soulja Boy, among others.
Regardless of whether or not certain aspects of his streams are fact or fiction, N3on is most definitely tapped in with hip-hop and the artists who run the game.
Check out many of N3on’s entertaining streams with rappers below.
EnjoyTheBEATZ.com Top 10 Remix Chart (based on sales)
August 2024
Excludes free remixes.
10. Black Sabbath – Paranoid remix
9. Talking Heads – Burning Down The House remix
8. Joe feat G Unit – Ride Wit U remix
7. Slick Rick – Children’s Story remix
6. 50 Cent feat Olivia – Best Friend remix
5. LL Cool J – Hush remix
4. 50 Cent feat Mobb Deep – Outta Control remix
3. 50 Cent – P.I.M.P. remix
2. Kool & The Gang – Get Down On It remix
Swizz Beatz spilled the tea on his 15-year marriage to Alicia Keys in a recent interview, revealing the unexpected secret behind their lasting romance.
The Grammy-winning producer explained that the key to their successful union boils down to one simple yet powerful word: communication.
“Marriage is definitely a big word, but look at it like your best friend,” Swizz said during an interview with Us Weekly. “The communication is there. We’ve never had an argument. Since we’ve been together, our kids [have] never seen it; never seen us raise our voice [or] never seen us yell. Never seen us curse at each other. Why? Because of communication.”
Swizz Beatz, whose real name is Kasseem Dean, emphasized that shouting matches are pointless.
“When you yell at each other, no one is really listening anyway,” he added. “Nothing gets solved in each other’s yelling.”
He also offered a fresh perspective on relationships, cautioning against treating a partner as property.
“People think they can own people. You can’t. It’s not property that you own. There’s a whole human, right?” Swizz continued. “So, we’re very clear on that. She’s her own boss. I’m my own boss. That’s how we make magic when we come together. I think that helps because people start getting very territorial and making their partner property, and I think that’s the biggest mistake.”
Independent record labels have been the lifeblood of hip-hop over the last five decades, and no other rap label is currently pushing the line like Top Dawg Entertainment.
Established in 2004 by California native Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, the imprint started with humble beginnings but quickly found its footing in the Los Angeles rap scene. Throughout the aughts, TDE signed rising talent like Jay Rock (2005), Kendrick Lamar (2005), Ab-Soul (2007) and ScHoolboy Q (2009). Each of the rappers’ debut albums saw modest success, but in 2012, the label scored its first top 10 Billboard 200 album when Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city debuted at No. 2. Then, in 2013, the label stepped into the R&B realm by scooping up then little-known R&B star SZA.
The label’s eye for talent has turned into a track record for success. In total, TDE has put out seven No .1 albums and a total of 17 top-20 projects. While Kendrick Lamar parted ways with the label in 2022, he turned into an international superstar under the tutelage of TDE and still has a close bond with his former labelmates and the executive team.
More recently, TDE’s successes have been playing out on major stages. K-Dot recently won five Grammy Awards and performed a record-breaking set at the 2025 Super Bowl with SZA in February. And there’s the whole matter of vanquishing hip-hop’s golden child, Drake, in 2024.
This past February, former XXL Freshman Doechii, who signed to TDE in 2022, won Best Rap Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Her star continues to rise, as she also earned Outstanding New Artist at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards, recently performed alongside Ms. Lauryn Hill and was honored as the Billboard Woman of the Year for 2025.
SZA has become a force to be reckoned with. Her triple-platinum sophomore album, SOS, debuted at No. 1 in 2022. The album recently tied Michael Jackson’s Thriller as the longest-running top 10 album by a Black artist in the history of the Billboard 200 chart.
She also costars alongside KeKe Palmer in the new film One of Them Days, which opened at No. 1 at the box office this year, raking in over 11 million in its opening week. SZA and Kendrick will also be embarking on the Grand National Tour later this year.
Read More: How TDE Became the Current Most Powerful Label in Hip-Hop | https://www.xxlmag.com/top-dawg-entertainment-most-powerful-label-hip-hop/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Kendrick Lamar has reached yet another milestone following his Super Bowl performance: he has become the first rap act ever to have three albums in the top 10 of the Billboard album chart at the same time.
On the Billboard 200 chart dated February 22 (which reflects sales during the week ending February 13), the outlet reported on Sunday (February 16), K.Dot’s latest, GNX, will return to the number one slot. His 2017 release DAMN will be at number nine, while 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city will be at 10.
Lamar is the first living male artist to have a trio of albums in the chart’s top 10 since Herb Alpert in 1966. The most recent artist to hit the mark was, unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift, who actually had five simultaneous albums in the top 10 in 2023. In the immediate aftermath of Prince‘s 2016 death, he had three albums in the top 10, and then five the following week.
In this most recent charting week, Kendrick’s GNX moved 236,000 equivalent album units, while DAMN moved 39,000 and good kid did 37,000.
The rapper’s post-Super Bowl wins continued when “Not Like Us” received the Saturday Night Live treatment thanks to Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer.
During the sketch comedy show’s 50th anniversary special this past weekend, Ferrell and Gasteyer reprised their classic roles as music teachers Marty and Bobbi Culp to cover a host of modern hits.
The Kia Forum played host on Thursday night (January 30) to FireAid, a star-studded benefit concert that saw performances from some of the biggest names in music including Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lil Baby and Joni Mitchell.
The surviving members of Nirvana also reunited on stage, with a number of female singers including Kim Gordon, Joan Jett, St. Vincent and Violet Grohl standing in for the late Kurt Cobain.
Anderson .Paak was one of the first performers of the night and after an introduction from Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, he dove into a typically high-energy four-song set.
Sheila E., a noted singer and percussionist who performed with Prince and has previously collaborated with .Paak, joined the Oxnard native for “Put Me Thru” and “Come Down.”
.Paak then delivered one of the night’s biggest surprises by welcoming Dr. Dre to the stage perform renditions of “Still D.R.E.” and “California Love.”
Dre also said a few words to the hometown crowd: “I want to say this is a magical moment for me. I got so much love for you guys and this summer will be the mark of 40 years that I’ve been in this business.
“And I appreciate all the love that you guys have been giving me, and the reason that we’re here, I appreciate all the first responders and firemen that put their lives on the line and I appreciate all that love. It’s all about love for me tonight.”
While the wildfires have now largely subsided with help from some recent rainfall, devastating damage has been left behind.
Billions of dollars in estimated damages have been caused by the blazes, which burned throughout January and killed at least 29 people, while also causing tens of thousands of people to lose their homes.
A number of local rappers have been doing their part to help with the relief efforts, most notably The Game and Snoop Dogg.
On Tuesday (Jan. 21), Ye shared a post on Instagram, which provides an update on the album his 11-year-old daughter North announced last year. The post, which can be seen below, shows a black-and-white image of North sitting in a chair next to a keyboard.
“This little girl made me love music again,” Ye captioned the candid photo. “She asked me to make beats for her I got back on the ASR Chopped up beats for her album and chopped every beats with my bare hand for BULLY.”
North West Preps Elementary School Dropout Album
North made her rapping debut on the Vultures 1 track “Talking / Once Again.” She first announced she would be following in her father’s footsteps and releasing a rap album almost a year ago during a Vultures 2 listening event at the Footprint Center in Phoenix last March. “I’ve been working on an album,” North told concertgoers. “And it’s called Elementary School Dropout.”
The title of the new album is obviously a callback to Ye debut LP The College Dropout, which was released in 2004.
Ye is currently working on his own solo album titled Bully. He has been teasing the project since last September. The project, which Ye has been working on in Tokyo, Japan, will reportedly be an entirely solo LP with Ye handling all production duties. It will be the first officially released solo album from Ye since 2021’s Donda. There has been no release date given for the forthcoming album but it appears to be coming sooner than later.
Recorded between 2013 and 2014, the 14-track project, released Friday (January 16), follows 2020’s Circles.
SZA, who features on “DJ’s Chord Organ,” took to social media shortly after Balloonerism dropped to pay tribute to Mac Miller.
“I love my friend I miss my friend,” she wrote. “Grateful he saw something in me before most and treated me w love from day 1 . Wish he could see how right ab everything he truly was . Please go stream Balloonerism RIGHT NOW.”
The album dropped alongside an animated short film directed by Samuel Jerome Mason. The film was screened at selected cinemas before the project’s release and is also available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Mac Miller’s estate announced Balloonerism last November. They note the album is, a “project that was of great importance to Malcolm – to the extent that he commissioned artwork for it and discussions concerning when it should be released were had regularly, though ultimately ‘GO:OD AM’ [2015] and subsequent albums ended up taking precedence.”
They continued: “We believe the project showcases both the breadth of his musical talents and fearlessness as an artist. Given that unofficial versions of the album have circulated online for years and that releasing ‘Balloonerism’ was something that Malcolm frequently expressed being important to him, we felt it most appropriate to present an official version of the project to the world.”
Balloonerism is already receiving rave reviews on social media and began trending No.1 on X (Twitter) shortly after it dropped. Stream the album below and check out some of the reactions at the end of the page.
The Weeknd is planning to retire his stage name after the release of his forthcoming album Hurry Up Tomorrow, but fear not – he will still continue to make music.
In a new interview with Variety published on Friday (January 10), the superstar singer admitted that ‘The Weeknd’ is more of a persona that he no longer identifies with.
“[I am closing the chapter] on my existence as the Weeknd,” he said. “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for. I feel like it comes with so much… You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it.”
He noted that the 2022 moment when he lost his voice at his Los Angeles concert and had to reschedule just moments after the show began also played a role.
“Part of me actually was thinking, ‘You lost your voice because it’s done; you said what you had to say. Don’t overstay at the party — you can end it now and live a happy life.’ You know? Put the bow on it: ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’? Now we’re here. When is the right time to leave, if not at your peak? Once you understand who I am too much, then it’s time to pivot.”
He’s clear that he’s not quitting music, though.
“I don’t think I can stop doing that,” he added. “But everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, The Weeknd, whatever that is, it’s been mastered. No one’s gonna do The Weeknd better than me, and I’m not gonna do it better than what it is right now. I think I’ve overcome every challenge as this persona, and that’s why I’m really excited about this film, because I love this challenge.
“But I just want to know what comes after,” he concluded. “I want to know what tomorrow looks like.”
The singer has been hinting at the name retirement for some time.
