Kendrick Lamar has been announced as one of the headliners for 2023’s Bonnaroo Music and Art festival. The 36-year-old who last performed at the festival back in 2015 is set to headline Friday’s festivities of the four-day ceremony, which goes down from June 15-18, at the Bonnaroo Farm.
Also billed to perform the same day as Kendrick is his cousin, Baby Keem who he has an unmissable chemistry with. The two have collaborated officially on four tracks, and the audience could be in for a surprise on the night. For more on Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem, check out our ranking of their best collaborations.
The festival, which made its comeback last year after a two-year unavoidable hiatus will also feature performances from the Foo Fighters, Lil Nas X, Three 6 Mafia, Sampa The Great, Portugal. The Man, Korn, J.I.D., and much more. Tickets will be available starting Thursday, January 12 at 10 am CT with early access.
After staying underground for almost five years, Kendrick Lamar resurfaced in 2022 with his his fifth album, Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers. The double-disc effort released in May marked his first album release under his creative collective PGLang, and his final project with Top Dawg Entertainment— the label that nurtured his talent. His departure from the label was shocking, but ex-label mate, and Black Hippy teammate, Ab-Soul— who just released his Herbert album— says Lamar has his full support.
“I always romanticized the idea of us staying together forever,” said Ab-Soul in a conversation with XXL. “And I say this as Kendrick obviously being my brother, you know? I like how he put it. There’s beauty in completion. And you know, I feel like he reached his space where he felt like he needed to embark on something else. I support him in whatever. He’s incredible. He’s an incredible artist and I support it. I’m behind it 100 percent.”
He continued. “[His decision to leave] just kind of went unsaid just for the sake of making sure we remember the brotherhood first. That we’re brothers first … He’s still somebody that I can call on and vice versa. And that’s the most important thing versus us tryna get to the bottom of why he would start his own label or whatever have you. Our brotherhood is more important to me personally.”
Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers was the most streamed rap album on Spotify this past year. In addition to achieving over a billion Spotify streams, the album is also nominated in eight categories at this year’s Grammy Awards, including nominations for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance, Album of the Year, Best Melodic Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Music Video.
