SZA honors Kendrick Lamar with raw emotion and heartfelt words on the Maryland stop of their Grand National tour. As both artists stood under the lights, side by side, the energy shifted from performance to something far more personal.
She looked out over the crowd, then turned to Kendrick. Her voice cracked slightly as she spoke, “He put me onto the biggest moment of my life. This is also the biggest moment of my life… I’m so thankful, and I’m so thankful to y’all.”
The applause didn’t wait. Before continuing with the show, the two artists shared a long, meaningful hug. It was more than just a thank you. It was a full-circle moment between two performers who started in the same label, Top Dawg Entertainment, and who now share a much deeper bond.
SZA’s rise hasn’t been without its weight. She recently opened up in an interview with Chappell Roan for Interview Magazine, revealing how deep her anxiety used to run. “Every time I had to go on stage, every time I had to get on a carpet, I’d have full-on panic attacks,” she said. “I used to not show up to something because it was like, ‘I’m never going to win. No one cares that I’m here. Why would I go?’”
That same doubt followed her into this co-headlining tour. When the Kendrick dates were announced, she had fears. Real ones. “Everybody’s going to see Kendrick,” she admitted. “I don’t even know if I have anything to show these people that’s exciting and new.”
But something changed.
She chose to stop resisting. “Now it’s just like, ‘Forget it. I don’t have anything else to do, and I want to see where this door is going to lead.’ I want to walk through the door. I want to see what happens in the uncertainty.”
The Maryland show proved she is not just walking through the door. She’s building her own stage inside it.
Shortly after that stop, the Grand National tour hit Toronto, the hometown of Drake. This marked Kendrick Lamar’s first performance in the city since the public feud between the two rappers made headlines.
Kendrick didn’t hold back. There were no edits, no apologies. Inside the Rogers Centre, he performed his now-infamous diss record Not Like Us. The crowd? Explosive. Fans sang along, word for word. By the end, they were chanting for more, calling for an encore.
Despite the controversy, what stood out wasn’t the conflict. It was the clarity.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA are two artists choosing truth, both in music and in life. For SZA, honoring Kendrick on that stage was more than gratitude. It was healing, growth, and recognition.
And for the fans who witnessed it, it was something unforgettable.
