From Jay–Z to TDE, summer 2018 is shaping up to be a great season for hip–hop fans. Although tickets for many of the big name artists going on tour aren’t exactly cheap, many fans think it’s worth it to get to see their favorite artists perform live at least once. Here's what you have to look forward to:
Jay–Z and Beyonce
One of the most powerful couples in the music industry is going on tour together in Jay–Z and Beyonce’s “On The Run 2” Tour, and needless to say, people are excited. Both Jay–Z and Beyonce are legends in their respective genres, and despite their reigns at the top of hip–hop and R&B for decades, both artists have still managed to put out critically–acclaimed albums in the past couple years (Beyonce’s Lemonade in 2016 and Jay–Z’s 4:44 in 2017), reinforcing their iconic roles in hip–hop and Pop/R&B. The current cheapest tickets are going for $50–60 on Ticketmaster.
The Championship Tour
Arguably the most important record label in hip–hop right now is Top Dawg Entertainment, with a roster that includes Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Isaiah Rashad, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab–Soul, Lance Skiiwalker, Sir, and others. All of these artists (besides personal favorite Isaiah Rashad, unfortunately) will be going on tour together on “The Championship Tour,” a US and Canada–only tour that kicks off in Vancouver May 4th and continues through mid June. Most people are familiar enough with Kendrick Lamar, but equally exciting are SZA and Schoolboy Q, the former of which dropped one of the best albums of 2017 in CTRL, while the latter dropped the high–quality Blank Face LP in 2017. The cheapest tickets vary drastically from city to city—the cheapest tickets for Madison Square Garden are around $90, while in Boston, they’ll currently set you back around $45.
Childish Gambino
Childish Gambino has been everywhere the past few years, and this summer he’ll be doing his first tour since his “Deep Web Tour” in 2014, after his standout album Because the Internet (having gone to this tour, I can personally vouch that his concerts are amazing live). While Gambino’s tour is mainly in September and later, if you can get it you’ll be looking forward to it all summer, considering he’s likely to be performing songs from his incredible 2017 album “Awaken, My Love!” Gambino is joined by Rae Sremmurd, the Atlanta duo who will make an interesting pairing with Gambino’s music, considering “Awaken, My Love!” is a funk album while Rae Sremmurd is more known for energetic party anthems. Regardless, Childish Gambino putting his musical talent on display is not something that should be missed—and he’ll be in Philly on September 18th. The tickets in this tour also vary, with some cities being around $45 for the cheapest option, while others’ best offers are almost $80.
Post Malone and 21 Savage
Following up the successes of Stony and Issa Album, Post Malone and 21 Savage seem to be poised for a strong and successful summer tour. The two hip–hop artists have ascended to fame within the past couple years, with Post Malone’s “Congratulations” becoming certified 7x Platinum and 21 Savage’s “Bank Account” getting 2x Platinum certifications. Even better was 21 Savage’s collaborative album Without Warning with two fellow Atlanta natives, Offset (one of the Migos) and producer Metro Boomin. Look for 21 Savage’s standout tracks from the album like “Ghostface Killers” and “Rap Saved Me,” as well as Post Malone’s hits from the past year: “Rockstar,” featuring 21 Savage, and “Psycho,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign. No doubt you’ve heard “Rockstar” everywhere from car speakers to frat parties, so don’t be surprised if this song is the one that steals the show. Cheapest tickets are in the $75–$114 range, depending on city.
Logic
Logic is certainly a polarizing artist for many fans of hip–hop. On the one hand, he’s successfully tackled issues of depression, identity crises, and casual racism in lots of his music. On the other hand, he’s been criticized for building his entire rap persona around being biracial and not taking steps to improve his lyrical focus. But regardless of where one falls on the debate, one cannot deny the success of his most recent album, Bobby Tarantino 2. The album featuring voicemails from Elton John and cameos from the voice actors of “Rick and Morty” debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 this past week, indicating a strong showing for the sequel to the Bobby Tarantino album released in Summer 2016. Now Logic is capitalizing on the album’s success by touring this summer with artist Kyle on the “Bobby Tarantino vs. Everybody Tour,” which kicks off in Boston in early June. Yet again varying from city to city, the cheapest tickets will cost between $30 and $45.
If you are willing to front the bill, you now know where to best spend your bucks. But if you are broke like the rest of us, at least you are in the loop on what is going on in hip–hop concerts this summer.
