Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Schoolboy Q, and a Top-Notch Top Dawg Crew Bring West Coast Flair to Raleigh

Top Dawg Entertainment’s aptly titled Championship Tour, which stops in Raleigh this weekend, features a rare reunion of much of the label’s roster of contemporary hip-hop luminaries. Bringing their West Coast flair, the championship team includes Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and more. The leading star is Lamar, who recently made history by becoming the first hip-hop artist to win a Pulitzer Prize. Lamar’s 2017 album, DAMN., was “a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism,” in the words of the prize committee. Schoolboy Q, Lamar’s frequent collaborator, has two well-received albums under his belt with 2014’s Oxymoron and 2016’s Blank Face. SZA, who brings high-gloss R&B to the lineup, had a breakout year in 2017; her critically acclaimed debut, CTRL, earned five Grammy nominations and platinum certification. With Jay Rock, Ab Soul, SiR, and Lance Skiiiwalker.