punch

SZA Has Enough Rap Records For An EP, Says TDE’s Punch

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SZA’s sophomore effort was expected to be a success, but the reaction even took Terrence “Punch” Henderson slightly by surprise. It had been years since SZA released a new full-length album, but it was clear that the anticipation was getting to the hitmaker. For years, she repeatedly took to social media to voice her frustrations with her label. Punch took many of those hits, especially from fans who questioned him about SZA’s second project’s delay. He sat down with Rap Radar and spoke about the songbird’s release, as well as her evolution under the Top Dawg umbrella.

“I think she adjusting a lot better now,” Punch shared with the podcast in an intimate interview. “I think it’s finally starting to set in as to what’s going on and who she is. Like, for the longest, I don’t feel she connected who SZA is to Solána. But I think now, she’s starting to see it, to understand.” It’s something that even SZA acknowledged in a tweet where she claimed Punch told her she was losing herself.

SZA Crosses Genre Lines

SZA at Billboard Women In Music held at YouTube Theater on March 1, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)

A highlight of S.O.S. was the singer testing genre boundaries and stepping out of her R&B box. “She’s always bended the genre, so it wasn’t nothing new,” said Punch. “It was just going, pushing it further.” He then disclosed that it isn’t just alternative music that SZA is interested in. “Like she doing full Rap records now… She got like maybe—she got like an EP’s worth of full Rap records. Like all the way out, no singing.”

The revelation has stirred the singer’s fans, who are always in the mood for more SZA. In a profile interview with Billboard, Punch echoed his sentiments, praising his artist for her expansive reach. “SZA is a force. To go seven consecutive weeks at No. 1 is legendary,” he said of her accomplishment. “She’s a true generational artist, a cultural reset, if you will.”

“For her album S.O.S to blend so many different genres together in a cohesive frame shows her genius and versatility,” he further stated. “Then you have the voice, the words, the pain, the growth, the relapsing, the delivery, the stories, etc. … a true masterpiece.” Check out Punch’s interview with Rap Radar above.

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SZA Has Enough Actual Rap Songs For A Whole Project, According To TDE President Punch

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One of the many praises that SZA often receives as a songwriter is that she pens R&B anthems in a style as complex as her rapper labelmates on Top Dawg Entertainment (especially on her new album, SOS). And although she’s not strictly seen as a rapper, she could release a whole album of straight-up rap if she wanted to because she has enough songs to do so, according to Top Dawg president Punch.

The longsuffering label head — he’s taken plenty of abuse from SZA fans over the years for the steps he’s taken to ensure her success, although he turns out to be right more often than not — sat down with Rap Radar Podcast and gave his takes on SZA’s growth since she signed to the label almost a decade ago.

“I think she’s adjusting [to fame] a lot better now,” he said. “I think it’s finally starting to set in as to what’s going on and who she is. Like, for the longest, I don’t feel she connected who SZA is to Solána. But I think now, she’s starting to see it, to understand.”

As far as her rap-infused songwriting style, he revealed that the “genre-bending” singer could easily hold her own with the rest of TDE’s roster. “She’s always bended the genre, so it wasn’t nothing new, it was just going, pushing it further,” he noted. “Like, she doing full rap records now … That’s all her, yeah, 100 percent. She got like an EP’s worth of full rap records, like all the way out, no singing.”

Hey Punch, here me out: A tag-team joint project with Doechii. Gangbusters, fam. Thank me later.

You can watch the full episode of Punch’s interview with Rap Radar‘s Elliott Wilson and Brian Miller above.

TDE’s Punch Says He Knows ‘Exactly When’ SZA’s New Album Is Coming

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SZA Outside Lands 2022
Getty Image / Tim Mosenfelder

Fans are eager for new music from SZA. Back in May, The “Good Days” singer hinted at “a SZA summer,” and while we’ve received an expanded edition of her 2017 debut album, CTRL, as well as a remix of her labelmate Doechii’s “Persuasive,” we still have heard nary a title, release date, or even a single from her much-anticipated sophomore album.

Last month, SZA hinted at a disagreement between her Top Dawg Entertainment label head Punch, as well as RCA Records. In a recent interview with Vulture, Punch indicated that he and SZA have since reached an agreement. According to Punch, a release date is imminent.

“We know exactly when it’s coming out,” he said. “But on the internet, you only get a certain amount of characters. You don’t have time to really go into a full explanation of what’s going on like that when you’re in the moment and tweeting something.”

In the past, SZA has mentioned that her and Punch’s relationship has been tumultuous, but elsewhere in the interview, Punch insisted that there is more than meets the eye.

“I’m not going to say there’s never been contention,” he said. “There’s always contention, especially when you’re dealing with creative. Difference in opinions, it happens, but that doesn’t mean somebody is unhappy or anything. It could’ve been a conversation in the moment. Then a lot of speculation happens. I get it. We have to remember that context is important and you never get the full story through tweets.”

Top Dawg President Punch Congratulates Kendrick Lamar On His Final TDE Album, ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers’

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Kendrick Lamar 60th Annual Grammy Awards 2018
Getty Image

Today is both a joyous and sad day for Top Dawg Entertainment: Kendrick Lamar released the feverishly anticipated Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, but as he declared back in August 2021, it is his final album for the label. TDE had been his label home since the mid-2000s, back when he was releasing music as K.Dot and years before his 2011 debut Kendrick Lamar album, Section.80. Now, though, Lamar is moving on, and TDE president Terrence Louis Henderson Jr. (better known as Punch) seems to have no hard feelings about it.

This morning, Punch shared a quick social media post about the album, writing, “Shout out to Kendrick Lamar and co… congrats on the new album. Last one on TDE. We made history! Much love and continued success. [folded hands emoji].”

TDE founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith expressed a similar sentiment last summer, writing, “With this being Dot’s last album on TDE, this is more of a VICTORY LAP, a celebration. 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.”