Kanye West, who has striven to be at the forefront of music and fashion, is taking another bold step in his career. The inventive recording artist has announced plans for a fall tour with pop music’s current It girl and overnight sensation, Lady Gaga.
West unveiled his initial tour plans and lineup pick during a recent appearance on The View. While an itinerary for the tour is still forthcoming, West did reveal, “She’s talented and so incredible that she’s not an opening act. We’re doing it together, with no opening act.”
Published reports have speculated that the co-headline tour could actually be a full-length co-performance tour, featuring the trendsetting artists on stage together for the entire night.
In the past year, both West and Lady Gaga have forayed into the realm of “pop art” music.
West’s fourth studio album, “808s & Heartbreak,” dropped in November 2008 and topped the Billboard 200, despite some critical hesitation about West’s use of Auto-Tune to patch his vocals. Likewise, Lady Gaga released her highly stylized debut “The Fame” in August 2008 and quickly gained mainstream momentum internationally with her hit singles “Just Dance” and “Poker Face.”
Lady Gaga recently completed her first headlining tour of North America, which included more than 20 dates on its spring run. She will tour Europe this summer.
West, meanwhile, toured for much of 2008 on his acclaimed Glow in the Dark Tour, which featured support by Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, N.E.R.D. and Chris Brown. The rapper will perform today, June 11, at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL, to benefit the Kanye West Foundation and its various education initiatives.