Two decades after releasing her seminal debut album, Keyshia Cole, aka the “Princess of Hip-Hop and R&B,” has officially announced “The Way It Is 20th Anniversary Tour.”
Beginning on July 1, the North American leg of the tour begins at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore before hitting numerous cities such as Atlanta, Brooklyn, New Orleans, Detroit, Houston, and more.
Following performances in the US & Canada, Cole will hit the road in Europe to perform at the Adidas Arena on September 19 in Paris. She will also be performing in Amsterdam, London, Manchester, and wrapping up on September 26 in Birmingham, UK.
Along with Cole, Wale, Tink, Fridayy, and Jeremih (on select dates) are hitting the road with the “Heaven Sent” singer. Also, hip-hop icon Lil’ Kim will appear with Cole for the show in Lincoln, CA, and on all UK & Europe dates. Brooklyn, NY, and Greensboro, NC, will feature fellow legends Jadakiss & T-Pain as special guests, respectively.
Taking to Instagram, Cole shared her excitement about the tour with her followers.
“Celebrating 20 YEARS of THE WAY IT IS!! 🎉💋 You know we had to go BIG with this one!!! Taking this party on the road and bringing @official__tink @wale @lilkimthequeenbee @fridayy @jeremih with special guests @tpain @officialswv @jadakiss and more!! Tickets on sale Friday, April 25 at 10 am local at thewayitis20.com,” her post read.
“I’m so grateful to be celebrating The Way It Is 20 years later with the fans who have been with me since day one,” Cole added in a statement. “This album changed my life, and being able to take it on the road — from city to city, country to country — is truly a full circle moment, and blessing.”
Along with the tour, The Way It Is will be released on vinyl for the first time since its 2005 release as a 20th anniversary edition double LP on black vinyl and a limited edition Rose Garden Pink Translucent color vinyl via A&M/UMe on June 20, a day before the album’s 20th anniversary. The limited edition color version also features a gatefold sleeve with photos from the release and an extremely rare “Love (Acapella)” as a bonus track.
Check below for a full list of concert dates:
July 1 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena – (SWV and Wale only)
July 2 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center – (Tink and Wale only)
July 5 – Chicago, IL – United Center – (Tink and Wale only)
July 6 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena – (Tink and Wale only)
July 9 – Toronto, ON – Coca-Cola Coliseum – (Tink and Wale only)
July 10 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena – (Tink and Wale only)
July 12 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center – (Tink and Wale only)
July 13 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center – (Tink and Wale only)
July 16 – Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum – (Tink and Wale only)
July 17 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena at the BJCC – (Tink and Wale only)
July 19 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena – (Tink and Wale only)
July 20 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live – (Tink and Wale only)
July 22 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena (Tink and Wale only)
July 23 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center – (Tink and Wale only)
July 25 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center – Tink and Wale only)
July 26 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena – (Tink and Wale only)
July 31 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena – (Fridayy and Jeremih only)
Aug. 1 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena – (Fridayy and Jeremih only)
Aug. 2 – Lincoln, CA – The Venue at Thunder Valley – (Fridayy and Lil Kim only)
Aug. 8 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena – (Wale only)
Sept. 19 – Paris, FR – Adidas Arena – (Lil Kim only)
Sept. 21 – Amsterdam, NL – AFAS Live – (Lil Kim only)
Sept. 23 – London, UK – The O2 – (Lil Kim only)
Sept. 25 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena – (Lil Kim only)
Sept. 26 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena Birmingham – (Lil Kim only)