Tommy The Clown, a Los Angeles icon, was previously at Lamar’s The Pop Out concert (as were a number of other folks mentioned below). Here, he kicks off the video by asking Lamar for a password and hitting play on the song.
Whitney Alford and children
This one is perhaps the video’s most notable guest: Alford is Lamar’s fiancée and their two children also appear, with the four of them dancing to the song. These cameos are presumably a clap-back at Drake: On “Family Matters,” he alleged that Dave Free is actually the father of one of Alford and Lamar’s kids. Speaking of Free…
Dave Free
…he’s in the video, too. He co-directed it, actually, indicating that there is no bad blood between him and Kendrick.
DeMar DeRozan
This is a natural cameo, since the NBA star, who started his career in Drake’s hometown of Toronto before stints in San Antonio and Chicago, is mentioned in the song’s lyrics: “I’m glad DeRoz’ came home, y’all didn’t deserve him neither.”
Mustard
Another logical inclusion: Mustard produced “Not Like Us,” and he drives home the Drake diss here by rocking a Toronto Blue Jays hat in the video.
YG
YG found himself involved in the Drake beef: Drake gave YG a positive shout-out on “Family Matters,” and while some thought YG later dissed Drake on his song “Weird,” YG denied it.
Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith
After launching his career with Top Dawg Entertainment, Lamar has moved onto a new label arrangement. It appears to be all love between him and his former boss, though, as Top Dawg pops up in the new video.
Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith occupies an interesting role in the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle. His label, Top Dawg Entertainment, was put on the map thanks to the latter’s run of classic albums. When it came time for Drake to release his Lamar diss, “Push Ups,” however, he took aim at Top Dawg. He claimed the label boss took advantage of Lamar and made 50% of everything the rapper took home. “Top said drop and give me 50” is the chorus of the diss. Regardless of Drizzy’s dispersions, Top Dawg has stood with Lamar throughout the battle.
He even declared Lamar the winner on May 10. Top Dawg, who has had plenty to say about the battle on X (formerly Twitter), said that K. Dot’s victory was a victory for real hip-hop. “The battle is over,” the label boss wrote. “A win for the culture, while keeping it on wax.” He then took aim at publications and outlets for misleading fans and spreading false information. “Especially when these publications try to make it something else,” he noted. “We proved them wrong. That’s a victory within itself.”
This battle is over. A win for the culture, while keeping it all on wax. Especially when these publications try to make it something else. We proved them wrong. That’s a victory within itself. On another note, it’s time to wrap up this TDE 20yr anniversary compilation.
Kendrick Lamar left Top Dawg Entertainment in 2022. He went on to launch his own company, pgLang, which has been the epicenter for all of his recent Drake disses. Despite no longer working with the TDE crew, Lamar appears to be on good terms with all of them. Top Dawg and Terrence “Punch” Henderson have praised the rapper online, while Jay Rock clowned Drake after the release of Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” “Don’t be mad at me y’all 69 God lost,” the rapper tweeted. “Lol old a*s tweets y’all digging up and still can’t read or comprehend.”
Top Dawg is aware of the positive exposure that the Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar battle has brought to his label. He is, after all, a businessman. He wrapped up the tweet by teasing a brand new release, and a first within the TDE camp. “On another note,” he revealed. “It’s time to wrap up this TDE 20 year anniversary compilation.” TDE has never dropped an official compilation before (excluding Lamar’s leftover project untitled, unmastered), so this is a huge deal. Given how big a role Dot played in the label’s history, it’s safe to assume he will be all over the compilation.
Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, the mastermind behind Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), has left a mark on both the music industry and his neighborhood in Watts, Los Angeles. Recently, the local council paid tribute to his remarkable contributions by dedicating a street in his honor, recognizing his achievements not only in music but also in community service. Led by Council member Tim McOsker, the event was a significant milestone, underscoring the profound impact Tiffith has had on his community. McOsker took to Instagram to share the news, praising Tiffith for his instrumental role in the success of TDE and his unwavering commitment to uplifting local talent and instilling a sense of pride in Watts.
TDE has risen to prominence, boasting Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning artists among its roster. Tiffith’s journey from humble beginnings in Watts to becoming a powerhouse in the music industry serves as a testament to his resilience and unwavering determination. Moreover, despite his meteoric rise to fame, Tiffith has remained deeply rooted in his community, tirelessly working to give back and inspire others to pursue their dreams. His dedication to uplifting Watts and providing opportunities for local talent has been a driving force behind his success.
Moreover, the renaming of the street in honor of Tiffith is a fitting tribute to his extraordinary contributions and serves as a reminder of the profound impact he has had on his community. It is a testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of giving back to those who have supported you along the way. The images shared by McOsker captured a poignant moment, showcasing the significance of honoring individuals like Tiffith who have made a tangible difference in their communities.
McOsker paid tribute to Top Dawg’s success on Instagram. He wrote, “As the founder of TDE, Top Dawg has had a transformative impact on our beloved community of Watts. Raised in the Nickerson Gardens housing development, his commitment to uplifting local talent and fostering a sense of pride within our beloved Watts has been a beacon of hope.” Furthermore, the dedication of the street in his honor is not only a celebration of his achievements but also a symbol of hope and inspiration for future generations. Moreover, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith’s story is one of resilience, determination, and community. His street in Watts stands as a testament to his legacy, serving as a reminder that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible.
Top Dawg Entertainment remains a force in the music world. Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers was the Compton rapper’s last album for TDE, signifying an end to a special era in their journey together in the industry. However, TDE still sports artists such as Isaiah Rashad, SZA, Schoolboy Q, and more. The aforementioned artists continue to label’s legacy with SZA’s SOS taking over the R&B world. In addition, we’re still expecting a new project from Schoolboy Q sooner rather than later. Even without the star power of Kendrick Lamar, there’s still a bright future ahead for TDE.
Top Dawg Entertainment’s rise to the top of hip-hop helped further impose the genre’s dominance on a global scale. Sculpted around the edges of Los Angeles, the label was founded by Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. His vision emphasized the importance of artistic integrity in the hip-hop industry. Before TDE, artistic integrity and commercial success were often managed as mutually exclusive aspects of the music industry. However, hip-hop’s most important independent label changed that with Tiffith’s leadership.
TDE’s Artists Went from Compton to the Worldwide Stage
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 05: Anthony Tiffith (L) and Kendrick Lamar attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on April 5, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noel Vasquez/GC Images)
Of course, the centerpiece of this initiative was a hungry Compton kid Kendrick Lamar. In reference to TDE, Lamar stated, “It was all ours – an independent deal from the jump. I came in at 16 years old, so it’s all I know. It’s a family type of environment. It’s not just all about making money every day.” The sentiment is a stark contrast to other record labels, who give up on an artist after an underwhelming release. Starting all the way back in 2004, TDE was created with the intention to invest in artists rather than buy them out, a move that would pay its dividends a decade later.
Kendrick Lamar’s success arrived with his debut studio album, Section 80. Riding off of the hype of “A.D.H.D” and “Rigamortus,” Section 80 would launch Lamar into a music-defining decade for hip-hop. From good kid, m.A.A.d city to DAMN., Top Dawg Entertainment expanded beyond the eccentric collection of California rappers to the most in-demand hip-hop label out. In the midst of their meteoric rise, artists such as SZA and Isaiah Rashad landed on TDE’s radar. TDE had gone from audacious aspirations to a worldwide phenomenon.
Kendrick Lamar As TDE’s Main Act
AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 13: Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy-Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul of Black Hippy attend Fader Fort presented by Converse during SXSW on March 13, 2013 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Roger Kisby/Getty Images)
Of course, it wasn’t just the uber-success of Kendrick Lamar. Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q were all doing their thing. From Q’s flamboyant bars on Habits & Contradictions and Oxymoron to Jay Rock’s Follow Me Home and 90059, the label was becoming a consistent factory for the West Coast rap scene. Together, they formed the rap supergroup Black Hippy. With the unlimited amount of time that Tiffith provided the group in the studio, the family-like atmosphere between the members was cultivated.
There was also the underlying drive of desperation that oozed throughout the group’s beginnings. With many of its members still surrounded by the bleak reality of the Los Angeles streets, hip-hop was the only out for Tiffith and his artists. In the same Billboard interview, Lamar expanded on this, stating, “I was too hungry, man. The summer I came over here, everyone was getting murdered and shit. There was a real war with my section and, like, two neighborhoods down the block. Compton is small, so n***as be warring on corners. By the grace of God, we found the studio.”
A New Era Is On The Way for TDE
WASHINGTON, DC – February 27th, 2023 – SZA performs at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. during her SOS Tour. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
As Top Dawg Entertainment has meandered its way onto the mainstage, the industry politics have seeped into the sense of family that was established in their early days. Ab-Soul and SZA have previously taken to social media to voice their displeasure over their respective projects facing delays. SZA, specifically, threatened retirement after TDE pushed back the release of S.O.S. However, those arguments have always been more like family disagreements than full-on threats to leave the label.
Kendrick Lamar’s public announcement that Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers would be his last album with the label signifies a new era for Top Dawg Entertainment. However, Lamar leaving can be a great thing for both parties. As for Lamar, he entered a new chapter with the launch of pgLang alongside Dave Free. So far, he’s inked artists like Baby Keem and Tanna Leone, who served as the opening acts on The Big Steppers tour. TDE has already positioned itself for post-Kendrick Lamar life, signing newcomers such as Doechii, Reason, and Ray Vaughn. Top Dawg Entertainment’s rise to hip-hop stardom is a stark reminder for other record labels to invest in their artists. Graduating from the Compton era, it’s very possible that the best has yet to come.
Top Dawg Entertainment has come a long way since 2012 when the above photo was taken at SXSW. Kendrick Lamar has since won a few Grammys and a Pulitzer Prize, Schoolboy Q has taken up golf, Ab-Soul has survived depression and anxiety, and Jay Rock… is still Jay Rock, I guess. He keeps to himself a lot.
But collectively, there’s one thing we never really got from Black Hippy: A full group project. That may change soon, despite their vocal reticence throughout the years, if the man who started their label has his way. Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith teased a potential project from them during a Twitter Q&A session with fans.
When one fan asked whether the group would ever do a remix of “Vice City,” Top’s favorite Black Hippy track per a previous answer, the label head went one step further. “I think they will…” he replied. “They owe y’all an album or EP.”
Now, whether such a thing will come to fruition remains to be seen. As mentioned above, it seems very much like at least two (maybe three) members of the collective are halfway retired as it is, Kendrick is busy with PgLang and his cousin Baby Keem’s career, and three-quarters of the group have kids — which can really change the calculus for album release strategies. Hopefully, they can carve out some time to get into the studio together, though, because as a group, their chemistry was always unmatched and extremely enjoyable.
Despite Kendrick Lamar’s departure from Top Dawg Entertainment, the label’s roster continues to hold significant weight. However, the hopes for a Black Hippy album died when Kendrick left the label. Still, it seems like there’s a bit of hope left, at least, that’s what Top Dawg suggested on Twitter. During a Q&A, he said that a Black Hippy project could come at some point this year. “I think they we will….. they owe y’all an album or Ep,” he tweeted.
The original Top Dawg Entertainment roster, Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock, emerged in 2008 as the label began to form. In the following years, they’d deliver posse cuts, jump on each other’s record, and continue to tease an album from the supergroup, though those plans were ultimately sidelined when Kendrick and ScHoolboy Q began reaching commercial success. Q, specifically, made it clear that tthe possibilities were “slim.” Still, they linked up on records like Jay Rock’s “Vice City” remix and ScHoolboy Q’s “THat Part,” which further fanned the flames among their dedicated fanbase.
Along with the possibility of a Black Hippy reunion, Top Dawg confirmed that the majority of the label would drop this year, including ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock. After a fan asked how many TDE projects we’d see this year, Top Dawg replied, “Reason , rayvaughn , doechii , Q , jay rock , zac and a compilation,” he wrote. “if everybody do their part … when they turn them in I will release em ..” Hopefully, we won’t be waiting too long for any of those projects, especially Jay Rock, who hasn’t released a project since 2018’s Redemption.
Though Ab-Soul was missing from the list of TDE projects, Top Dawg said that the Carson-born artist has even more music in the cut that he’s preparing to unleash. “Deluxe and hopefully a new album in December,” he wrote before confirming that an Ab-Soul tour is also on the horizon. We’ll keep you posted on any further updates surrounding the potential Black Hippy reunion and upcoming releases from Top Dawg Entertainment. Who are you looking forward to dropping this year?
Reason , rayvaughn , doechii , Q , jay rock , zac and a compilation .. if everybody do their part … when they turn them in I will release em .. https://t.co/JBMo3KvG8J
The news about Shawn Kemp has earned a reaction from just about everyone, including 50 Cent. Following Kemp’s Wednesday night arrest and the footage that emerged afterward, the Internet erupted with opinions, memes, and general reactions. However, 50 Cent’s response to the arrest of Shawn Kemp was less humorous. The Power EP shared a headline surrounding Kemp’s felony arrest, urging people not to jump to conclusions. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but don’t judge this brother till all the facts come out,” 50 Cent wrote on Instagram.
Fif’s post earned a few reactions from his peers in the rap world. Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment, shared a flurry of laughing emojis. “@50cent the NBA got some real shooters out there,” he wrote. Meanwhile, Fat Joe left five laughing emojis at the bottom of the page. Many fans also left comments comparing Kemp’s situation to Ja Morant, who the Grizzlies confirmed would be away from the team for at least four more games following his Instagram Live debacle.
Police booked Shawn Kemp on Wednesday afternoon around 2 p.m. after reports of gunfire at the Tacoma Mall. The former Sonics player was taken into the Pierce County jail on a felony drive-by charge and no bail has been set yet. Police said they responded to a call after gunshots were fired between the occupants of two different vehicles. They said one individual, who they initially described as a 53-year-old, fired shots at the other vehicle before the alleged victims fled the scene. Police also recovered a gun on the scene.
Around the time of his arrest, footage of the altercation emerged online. A man in a red jacket appears to be arguing with a man in the video. At this point, the individual in the red jacket tries to pull away from them. Another video appeared to show a man raising his arm before alleged gunshots rang out. We’ll keep you posted on any more updates surrounding Kemp’s case. Check out 50 Cent’s comments on Kemp’s situation above and sound off in the comments with your thoughts.
Illustrious members of the music industry including executives, A&Rs, marketing experts, managers, producers, DJs, publicists and some select veteran artists have been picked for the XXL Awards Board and they will be determining the awards winners. Continue reading…
In the years since the release of Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 album DAMN., hip-hop fans have been on tenterhooks, awaiting its follow-up. The intervening years have been light on new releases from the elusive Comptonite, leaving his supporters completely in the dark as to his next project’s creative direction or release date. However, this week, we did learn one new thing: Whatever the next album is called or whatever it’s about, it’ll be his last album released by Top Dawg Entertainment, marking the end of an era.
With Kendrick’s announcement, fans couldn’t help speculating whether there had been a falling out between K. Dot and the gang over at TDE — one Isaiah Rashad tweet was misinterpreted as a shot at the departing vanguard, while Top Dawg himself pre-empted much of the conjecture with a respectful salute to his longtime business partner. In all likelihood, it’s much more realistic that Kendrick simply signed a deal with the label for a set number of projects and will fulfill that obligation soon. But what I find more interesting — and you should too — is looking back on how that partnership shook up the rap game for a decade, and how each partner might move forward in the future.
The roots of that partnership go back even further than Kendrick signing to TDE. He detailed the “only in California”-style connection between his father and Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith on the song “Duckworth” from DAMN. Kenny’s father, Ducky, worked at a chicken spot that Top decided to rob; Ducky’s habit of sliding Top extra chicken on the low prompted Top to spare him, leading to a funny full-circle moment when Kendrick “introduced” the two after being signed to Top’s label some 20 years later. When Kendrick signed to Top Dawg in the mid-2000s, though, neither of the two probably had any idea the profound effect they’d eventually have on the music industry.
Coming of age in the so-called “blog era,” one of Kendrick and Top’s first major accomplishments was leveraging the success of K. Dot’s mixtapes into independent sales of his retail projects Overly Dedicated and Section.80. While Kendrick’s peers like Big Sean, Drake, J. Cole, and Wale were signing to major labels — and detailing their struggles with securing release dates, clearing samples, negotiating reasonable marketing budgets, and getting their records under shipped — Kendrick went directly to his fan base via then-new digital retailers like iTunes, ensuring creative control and max profits for his independent label. By the time Kendrick was dubbed “New King of the West Coast” by Dr. Dre, The Game, and Snoop Dogg, he had more leverage than nearly any other indie artist that came before him.
While his “debut” album Good Kid, MAAD City brought unprecedented attention back to the West Coast, spotlighting the shortcomings of the Grammy Awards for the first time during the social media era, and racking up rave reviews, its follow-up, To Pimp A Butterfly, turned the rap game on its ear. Thanks to the unprecedented support of Top Dawg Entertainment, Kendrick was able to overcome the so-called “sophomore jinx” that had plagued previous “chosen ones” in hip-hop like Jay-Z and Nas by blowing out the production process with contributions from LA’s burgeoning jazz revival scene. Those collaborations led to artists like Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, and Thundercat becoming household names in their own rights, which might not have been possible on a standard major-label deal.
Alongside TDE, Kendrick executive produced the soundtrack to Marvel’s Black Panther movie, and the negotiation leverage afforded to Kenny and Top by their independent successes allowed them to finagle unheard-of publishing deals that allowed them to maintain control over the rights to the music and ask for mind-boggling amounts on eyebrow-raising timelines. While normally, publishing deals can last longer than rap artists’ entire careers, Kendrick and TDE have been able to wrangle more short-term agreements that favor them while also satisfying partners who know that Kendrick’s catalog is one of the most sought-after in the game. And now that Kendrick is leaving TDE, presumably to release music under his own label, PgLang, he’ll likely be able to carry that leverage into any future negotiations to distribute and manage his music on terms many artists would envy.
Meanwhile, TDE is already positioning itself for its post-Kendrick phase of business, which could find them reverting back to the template that started it all. It’s inarguable that Kendrick was TDE’s most profitable and marketable signee, the tentpole that generated the revenue allowing artists like Isaiah Rashad, Jay Rock, and SZA to take their time on their own releases. With that said, even without him, TDE still has the aforementioned artists (along with Schoolboy Q and SiR), who generate plenty of profit on their own. In addition, the label has signed newcomers like Doechii, Reason, and most recently, Long Beach rapper Ray Vaughn to its stable, and immediately set about dropping music from them through digital channels. While they may not have the attention of a more established artist and are definitely fighting a more crowded marketplace, the lessons in digital distribution that TDE gleaned from its work with Kendrick will undoubtedly apply and serve them in good stead.
The future, for both Kendrick and TDE, looks bright. Top Dawg’s new artists will have the opportunity to develop and grow their careers based on the experience that the label has built up over the past decade, while Kendrick can take the same experience and apply it to the PgLang agency’s endeavors. Since the partners parted on good terms, there’s also no real reason they couldn’t continue to find ways to work together in the future, whether on new music or other business ventures. Ultimately, Kendrick leaving TDE can turn out to be a good thing for both; after all, every bird has to leave its nest eventually, striking out to build a home of its own. Wherever Kendrick ends up, he’s been set up for success and blazed a trail that TDE’s future artists can follow to their own.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Earlier today, Kendrick Lamar announced that his next album will be his last on Top Dawg Entertainment after working with the label for nearly 15 years. Shortly after his announcement, the label’s founder and CEO, Anthony Tiffith — aka, the titular “Top Dawg” of TDE — released his own statement to social media reflecting on their partnership’s impact and looking ahead to the label’s future, calling it “an honor and privilege for TDE to bless the world with the GOAT.”
“The whole goal when we started this thing was to make music, make money, and make history,” he wrote. “We did those things 10 times over and then some. TDE and its artists have provided a way to end generational curses that we were all personally born into over the last 17 years in this business.” K. Dot previously addressed this sentiment on his DAMN. track “Duckworth,” which examined the incidental connection between his own father and Top Dawg before Kendrick was even born.
“With this being Dot’s last album on TDE, this is more of a VICTORY LAP, a celebration,” Top asserted, wishing his label’s best-selling artist success in his future endeavors. “I know he will be successful in whatever it is he decides to do and will have our FULL support. As for Top Dawg Entertainment, we will continue to grow, develop, and give artists the platform to expand into whatever way they choose. Heart, honor, respect.”
