Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, brought a record-breaking crowd to North Texas, setting a new U.S. attendance record for a rap concert with a sold-out performance at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
The Nov. 7 performance reportedly sold 83,132 tickets, surpassing the record Ye had set in Houston.
The milestone sets a new record for Ye, who surpassed his own attendance benchmark just seven days after his Halloween performance at Houston's NRG Stadium. That Oct. 31 show reportedly drew more than 80,000 fans, and the venue previously called it a record-setting rap concert.
The Arlington performance also brought several surprise appearances, including two notable reunions and a hometown appearance from a Dallas music icon.
Erykah Badu, Kid Cudi join Ye onstage
Dallas native Erykah
Badu joined Ye during Saturday's performance, bringing some hometown energy to the stadium, the Dallas Morning News reported. The Grammy-winning singer performed several of her songs with Ye, including "Tyrone."
Kid Cudi also made a surprise appearance, reuniting with Ye onstage to perform "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1" and "Ghost Town," among other tracks.
The appearance continued the pair's renewed relationship following a highly publicized falling-out in 2022. The two artists previously collaborated as Kids See Ghosts, releasing their self-titled joint album in 2018.
Cudi had previously joined Ye onstage during his Sept. 4 performance at Chicago's Soldier Field, marking another chapter in their reconciliation.
André Troutman also appeared during the Arlington show.
Where Ye's Dallas show ranks among rap's biggest concerts
Ye claims three of the biggest rap concert crowds in U.S. history
Ye isn't just breaking attendance records. He's repeatedly breaking his own.
The rapper now holds the top three spots among the largest reported single-show U.S. stadium crowds for rap concerts, with performances in Texas and California setting successive benchmarks.
Here's how the reported attendance figures compare:
- No. 1: Arlington, Texas — 83,132 tickets sold. Ye's Nov. 7 performance at AT&T Stadium set the latest reported U.S. rap concert attendance record.
- No. 2: Houston — 80,210 fans. His Oct. 31 Halloween performance at NRG Stadium set the previous record just seven days earlier.
- No. 3: Inglewood, California — 74,389 tickets sold. Ye's April performance at SoFi Stadium established an earlier benchmark.
- No. 4: Seattle — 60,941 tickets sold. Kendrick Lamar and SZA drew the reported crowd during their May 2025 Grand National Tour stop at Lumen Field.
- No. 5: Chicago — nearly 65,000 tickets sold. Ye's Sept. 4 Soldier Field performance drew a massive single-night crowd. The promoter reported nearly 65,000 tickets sold for each of his two Chicago shows.
The figures are based on reported ticket sales and attendance, which are not always measured the same way. Ye's two-night engagements in Inglewood and Chicago also generated larger combined totals, but those are not single-show records.
The tour is continuing, with West scheduled to perform at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Nov. 21.
Brandi D. Addison covers weather nationwide as the Weather Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network and contributes to Texas Connect coverage statewide. She can be reached at baddison@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Facebook here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ye breaks U.S. rap concert record with 83,132 fans in Texas
