Kota the Friend is keeping his 2026 run in motion with back-to-back Northeast dates, bringing the “Just Happy To Be Here” tour through New York City and Asbury Park.
Brooklyn independent rapper Kota the Friend brought the “Just Happy To Be Here” tour to New York’s Mercury Lounge on August 25, continuing a U.S. itinerary built around his latest chapter. His official tour page lists the New York stop followed immediately by a Wednesday, August 26 performance at House of Independents in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
The Asbury Park date keeps the momentum going without much downtime between stages. House of Independents lists doors for 7 p.m. and the all-ages show for 8 p.m., while local event listings also name Eddie D and Jake Nash on the August 26 bill.
The two-night New York and New Jersey stretch arrives as Kota continues supporting his 2026 album “JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE!” The project followed “Local Art Dealer, Vol. 1,” which 24-Hip-Hop covered in March as another release centered on his long-running independent approach to music and creative control.
Kota’s latest road schedule extends well beyond the Northeast. After Asbury Park, his official itinerary includes Denver on August 29, Salt Lake City on August 30 and Chattanooga on September 10, with additional dates carrying the run deeper into the fall.
The New York appearance also puts Kota back in familiar territory after a run of hometown-area performances over the past year. In late 2025, he closed his “No Rap on Sunday” tour in Brooklyn and later brought a live-band setup to the Blue Note Jazz Club, highlighting the musicianship that has increasingly become part of his stage presentation.
For Kota the Friend, the “Just Happy To Be Here” tour represents another busy live chapter in a career built largely outside the traditional major-label system. With New York now in the books and Asbury Park up next, the tour continues through a schedule that currently stretches into December, including stops in Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, Boston, Vancouver, Honolulu and Jacksonville.
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