Drake’s Australian Tour Coincides with Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance

Drake’s upcoming Australian tour, his first since 2017, is scheduled to commence concurrently with Kendrick Lamar’s performance at the Super Bowl half-time show. The prominent rivalry between the two artists has been a significant focus within the hip-hop community this year, marked by an exchange of numerous diss tracks. Kendrick Lamar, who released his unexpected new album GNX on Friday, is slated to headline the NFL championship final in New Orleans on 9 February, a performance considered among the most prestigious in the music industry. Drake announced the start date of his Australian tour during a Sunday night appearance with streamer xQc. The Canadian artist offered no further specifics beyond confirming stops in Melbourne, Sydney, and the Gold Coast. The tour, titled Anita Max Wynn, refers to Drake’s alter ego and is a linguistic twist on the gambling expression “I need a max win.” He stated that these performances would be exclusive to Australia and also mentioned that his forthcoming album collaboration with singer and producer PARTYNEXTDOOR is “75% done.” During the same stream, Drake seemingly alluded to allegations leveled against him by Kendrick, stating to xQc: “You need facts to take me out. Fairytales won’t do it.” This tour announcement followed closely on the heels of Kendrick’s release of GNX, which marks his first album since 2022’s Mr Morale & The Big Steppers. While Drake is not explicitly named on the new record, Kendrick does criticize individuals who have shown support for his rival, including Snoop Dogg. The rivalry between Drake and Kendrick has existed for several years but intensified approximately a year ago after Kendrick responded to being categorized as one of hip hop’s “big three” alongside Drake and J Cole. Their respective diss tracks have featured progressively aggressive attacks targeting each other’s families, physical appearance, and lyrical abilities. The upcoming February Super Bowl will mark Kendrick’s inaugural solo headlining performance, despite some objections suggesting the slot should have been given to New Orleans native Lil Wayne. Kendrick appeared to address this contention on GNX, delivering the lines on Wacced Out Murals: “I think my hard work let Lil Wayne down / Won the Super Bowl and Nas the only one congratulate me.”