Kendrick Lamar‘s run of success was interrupted at the American Music Awards. Although he secured the award for Favorite Hip Hop Song with “Not Like Us,” he did not win in his five other nominated categories, including Artist of the Year, which went to Billie Eilish. Eilish also claimed victories over Lamar in both Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
In the Hip Hop categories, Eminem was awarded both Favorite Hip Hop Artist and Favorite Hip Hop Album, surpassing Lamar. A nomination for Collaboration of the Year featuring Lamar and SZA was lost to Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga for their track “Die With A Smile.” The same song also defeated “Not Like Us” in the Favorite Music Video category.
Despite these losses at the AMAs, Lamar achieved multiple milestones over the past year. A Grand National Tour performance in Seattle with SZA grossed $14.8 million, making Lamar the first rapper to exceed $14 million from a single concert. The event was attended by nearly 61,000 fans.
He previously set a personal record at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, where a concert brought in $11.822 million in one night. This accomplishment established him as the highest grossing Black man for a single live performance, surpassing The Weeknd’s $9.8 million concert in 2022 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The tour’s opening night in Minneapolis also broke records, generating over $9.1 million from an audience of more than 47,000 at an average ticket price of $192.70.
Lamar’s impact extended to chart achievements as well. “Not Like Us” became the first rap song in history to remain on the Billboard Hot 100 for an entire year.
