In late September, Kendrick Lamar surprised everyone by releasing his new album GNX without any warning. As expected, the album has been a huge hit, earning praise from both fans and fellow artists. It sold an impressive 319,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, according to HITS Daily Double, and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. This is the fifth time he has reached the top spot, marking the sixth-best debut week for an album in 2024. Popular tracks like "squabble up," "tv off," and "luther" are also climbing the charts.
Now, GNX has achieved another significant milestone; it has gone gold, selling over 500,000 album-equivalent units in the U.S., as reported by Chart Data on X. The outlet added that if Kendrick's popular Drake diss track "Not Like Us" had been included, it would have already gone platinum, exceeding 1 million units sold. This adds to Kendrick's impressive achievements this year, which keep piling up. Earlier this week, he announced his upcoming "Grand National" tour with SZA, starting in April next year in Minneapolis before heading to 18 other stadiums across North America. They recently added a second show in Toronto, Drake's hometown, and there are rumors that Doechii might join them, though this is not confirmed.
In addition to the tour, Kendrick will also headline the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in February. The event will take place in New Orleans and has drawn some criticism from Lil Wayne fans, a topic Kendrick addressed in his song "wacced out murals."
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