Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, ODESZA to Headline Bonnaroo 

Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters perform during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 31, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP)
Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters perform during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 31, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP)
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Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, ODESZA to Headline Bonnaroo 

Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters perform during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 31, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP)
Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters perform during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 31, 2021, in Cleveland. (AP)

Kendrick Lamar is returning to Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival this summer along with headliners Foo Fighters and electronic duo ODESZA. 

The Foo Fighters were supposed to headline the festival in 2021, but the festival was canceled because of flooding. The rock band returns to touring in 2023 after the sudden death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last March during a South American tour. The band canceled tour dates last year. In a social media message posted Dec. 31, the band said Hawkins would be with them in spirit every night. 

Lamar, a Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper last headlined the Tennessee music festival in 2015 and he released his new album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” last year. 

The Bonnaroo lineup was released Tuesday ahead of ticket sales starting Thursday for the annual music festival that is held in Manchester, about 60 miles southeast of Nashville. The festival runs June 15-18. 

ODESZA, the duo of Clayton Knight and Harrison Mills, will headline the Saturday night of the festival after coming off a four-year hiatus to release the dance-friendly album “The Last Goodbye” in 2022. 

The lineup also includes Paramore, Lil Nas X, Baby Keem, Tyler Childers, Vulfpeck, Marcus Mumford, My Morning Jacket, Three 6 Mafia, Korn, Pixies and more. 



Kendrick Lamar Surprises with New Album 'GNX'

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
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Kendrick Lamar Surprises with New Album 'GNX'

FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club, April 16, 2017, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

Kendrick Lamar gave music listeners an early holiday present Friday with the surprise drop of a new album.

The Grammy winner's 12-track “GNX” is his first release since 2022's “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” and his sixth studio album overall. It also comes just months after his rap battle with Drake.

Lamar first teased the album with a cover art and video snippet of “GNX,” which features multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff as a co-producer on every track except for “Peekaboo.” Other notable producers include Sounwave and DJ Mustard, who both contributed production on the hit “Not Like Us,” the ubiquitous diss track emanating from the Drake feud.

Lamar's former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate SZA appears on a couple songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn through “If This World Were Mine."
On the opening track “Wacced Out Murals,” Lamar raps about cruising in his Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental) car with listening to Anita Baker. He brings up Snoop Dogg posting Drake's AI-assisted “Taylor Made Freestyle” diss track on social media and Nas congratulating Lamar for being selected to headline February's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.
Lamar also shows admiration for Lil Wayne, who expressed his hurt feelings after being passed over as the headliner in his hometown.
Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.”
The surprise release caps a big year for Lamar, who was featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin — a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year.
Lamar is up for seven Grammys, fueled by “Not Like Us,” which earned nods for record and song of the year, rap song, music video as well as best rap performance. He has two simultaneous entries in the latter category, a career first: “Like That” is up for best rap performance and best rap song, too.