Kendrick Lamar will be playing seven shows over two weeks in the land Down Under this coming July in support of his critically acclaimed, quadruple platinum-selling album DAMN.
Having previously made the trip in 2012 with his own good kid, m.A.A.d. city promotional tour, Kung Fu Kenny is definitely no stranger to touring overseas. In addition to rolling through in 2014 as part of the Rapture tour alongside Eminem and J.Cole, his most trip to Australia came in 2016 on the Byron Bay Bluesfest line up that included two stadium shows in Melbourne and Sydney.
Here’s our list of five spots Lamar should hit up while traveling the sunburnt country — that is, if he’s not experiencing the beaches or petting the local wildlife:
1. Triple J Hip-Hop Show
The first stop is Australia’s premier national Hip-Hop radio show hosted by Hau, who took over the reigns a decade ago from Maya Jupiter. The program has been an integral part of breaking foreign and local rap music to the Australian audience. Airing on Thursday nights from 10 PM until 1 AM, Australians would love to hear Kenny shoot the breeze. The audience collectively voted “HUMBLE” as the number one song in the country for 2017, so he would be a perfect fit here. Perhaps the Thursday of June 26, after his second arena performance in Sydney?
2. HQ Complex Nightclub
The perfect afterparty spot for his Adelaide show. Relocated to Hindley Street, the center of the party district, the multi-level nightclub has been home to countless international artists such as Raekwon, M.O.P., KRS-One (seen below), Jedi Mind Tricks, Mobb Deep and Cypress Hill to name a few. Afterparty on Sunday, July 15?
3. Takeaway Studios
The home studio of Australian Hip-Hop kings Hilltop Hoods. This state-of-the-art recording facility is owned and operated by audiophile and technology connoisseur DJ Debris, who’s mixed and tweaked verses by Pharoahe Monch, Black Thought of The Roots, Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 and Brother Ali, as well as vocalists Sia and Maverick Sabre within the studio’s walls. Word on the street is that the multiplatinum Australian rappers are knee-deep in a new record, and we can only imagine the results of Kendrick stopping by and taking in the flagship Australian Hip-Hop aura for a day.
4. Hardcore Classic Radio
Legendary Australian Hip-Hop radio show Hardcore Classic was established in 1996 by Sydney rap fiend Thomas Rock, and has proven through the test of time to be one of the staples of Hip-Hop in the broader Pacific region. Hardcore Classic has been on air across a number of stations in Sydney throughout the years, and now calls 2SER 107.3 home every Friday night starting at 8 PM. Set it up for Friday (July 27) if Kendrick is still in Sydney after his second and final arena show.
5. Broken Lock
Located in Melbourne, Broken Lock is the go-to custom jeweler. Having worked on pieces for rapper and personality Briggs, Indigenous record label Bad Apples and footwear stalwart Vans among others, Broken Lock offers custom chains, pendants and grills to the public. Come on down, Kenny!
Lead Image: Jeff Lombardo/Invision/AP
