Kendrick Lamar announces summertime date in Detroit

On the same day as his long-anticipated new album "Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers" hits streaming services, Kendrick Lamar has announced a new tour, which includes a summer date with Detroit. 

The Compton rapper and celebrated wordsmith will perform at Little Caesars Arena on Aug. 14, promoters announced Friday, part of his 38-city "Big Steppers" North American tour. 

Tickets for the show go on sale at 10 a.m. May 20 via Ticketmaster channels. Pre-sales for Cash App customers start at 10 a.m. May 19. 

Las Vegas rapper Baby Keem — whose March concert at Saint Andrews Hall in Detroit resulted in the venue's floor needing to be replaced — will open. 

If Aug. 14 sounds familiar on the concert calendar, that's because Metro Detroit concertgoers face a tough choice that night: it's the same date as the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Strokes will perform just a few hundred yards away at Comerica Park. Plan accordingly. 

"Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers" is the Grammy-winning (and Pulitzer Prize-winning) rapper's first album in five years, since his 2017 set "Damn." It's his fifth studio album.

The set was previewed with the release of "The Heart Part 5," the video for which saw Lamar morphing into Kanye West, Kobe Bryant and other prominent figures through the use of deepfake technology. The clip has racked up 21 million views in four days. 

The 34-year-old was a part of this year's Super Bowl Halftime extravaganza, where he performed alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and 50 Cent. 

Lamar's last area concert was a July 2018 stop at DTE Energy Music Theatre, which followed a July 2017 show at Little Caesars Arena. 

Kendrick Lamar's Big Steppers Tour North American tour dates: 

July 19 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center

July 21 – Austin, TX – Moody Center

July 22 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center

July 23 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center

July 24 – Miami, FL – Rolling Loud

July 27 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena

July 29 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center

July 30 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena

July 31 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

Aug. 2 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center

Aug. 4 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Aug. 5 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Aug. 6 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Aug. 7 – Long Island, NY – UBS Arena

Aug. 9 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

Aug. 10 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

Aug. 12 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Aug. 13 – Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena

Aug. 14 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

Aug. 16 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center

Aug. 18 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum

Aug. 19 – Chicago, IL  – United Center

Aug. 20 – Minneapolis, MN – Xcel Energy Center

Aug. 21 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center

Aug. 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

Aug. 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena

Aug. 26 – Portland, OR – Moda Center

Aug. 27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Aug. 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena

Aug. 30 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center

Aug. 31 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena

Sept. 1 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena

Sept. 6 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena at San Diego State University

Sept. 7 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center

Sept. 9 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena

Sept. 10 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center

Sept. 14 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena

Sept. 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena

agraham@detroitnews.com

@grahamorama