TDE

Top Dawg Teases Black Hippy Reunion In 2023: “They Owe Y’all An Album”

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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. 

Black Hippy & TDE Plans

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?

Top Dawg Tweets

Doechii Is On “No Scrubs” Vibes With “What It Is (Block Boy)” Ft. Kodak Black

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Doechii is plotting on the summer with her first drop of 2023 alongside Kodak Black. The TDE signee just came through with her new single, “What It Is (Block Boy)” featuring the Florida star, which could very well have the airwaves dominated for the months to come. The song exudes classic 90s R&B-Rap crossover vibes based on the sheer chemistry between the two artists. However, the iconic sample of TLC’s “No Scrubs” and Trimville’s “Some Cut” further emphasizes their dynamic on wax.

Doechii’s sugary hook and lustful verses lay down the tone with infectious lyrics, as she details an ideal relationship. Kodak Black provides the male perspective on the record with his own needs from his love interest. Though the pairing is unexpected, Yak continues to prove that, beyond his controversies, his talents are undeniable, even if his attempts to reach Drake-level Billboard records seem like a far-reach.

Doechii Collides With Kodak Black On Their New Collab

The song undoubtedly showcases Doechii’s versatility. We’ve heard her take on different routes but “What It Is (Block Boy)” ft. Kodak Black feels like it could be the record that truly has her dominating summer 2023. “This song is a fusion of nostalgia and pop vibes,” Doechii said. “I feel like I’m showing off a side of my vocal range with this one that my fans haven’t really seen yet. I love using the old samples of [TLC’s] ‘No Scrubs’ and [Trimville’s] ‘Some Cut’ to mix in some playful energy as well.”

Hopefully, this single leads  the campaign for her follow-up to she / her / black b*tch, which produced singles like “Persuasive” ft. fellow TDE labelmate, SZA, and the Rico Nasty-assisted, “Swamp B**ches.” So far, she hasn’t made any major announcement on album plans but if “What it Is” succeeds the way it’s supposed to, we might not be too far away from a release date.

Quotable Lyrics
In the studio dosin’, I’m rockin’ kick before we sleep
I hate that for you niggas ain’t got no bread, tryna beef
Bein’ Black in America, is the hardest thing to be (Baby, tell me, yeah)
And a thug need a lil’ love too, baby, how ‘bout me?

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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Rich The Kid Was Once Signed To Top Dawg Entertainment

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Rich The Kid’s autobiography will have stories for days. The “Plug Talk” rapper had a storied career, even before he had a major label deal or a break-out single. He went through the motions of the average up-and-coming artist and the hard work ultimately paid off. When he released The World Is Yours, he became champion by the rap community, including a few elite MCs.

Though Rich The Kid is far from being a top-tier lyricist, that was never his point. His infectious energy and quotable bars ultimately landed him a verse from Kendrick Lamar on his breakout hit, “No Freezer.” It was an unsuspected collaboration but one that took the world by storm. It became one of the biggest records of 2017 and felt inescapable upon its release. The song later reached platinum status and the two performed the record at the BRIT Awards in 2018 where they smashed a Lamborghini.

Rich The Kid Signed To TDE

Though we were previously aware that A$AP Ferg initially had a verse on “New Freezer,” Rich The Kid provided a far more in-depth response to how he landed a K. Dot verse. In an interview with Bootleg Kev, Rich The Kid said he penned a deal with Top Dawg Entertainment. ​​“I did sign to Interscope through TDE,” he said, confirming the long-standing rumor that emerged prior to the release of “New Freezer.” At the time, he was recording his album while Kendrick worked on DAMN. and SZA recorded CTRL.

He explained that he wasn’t even aware that Kendrick or SZA were working in the same studio complex. However, he recalled the day Kendrick came in the room to hear what he was working on. “I played him ‘New Freezer’ and he was like, ‘Yeah, I need that.’ I was waiting for the verse for like a month ’cause he was on the road doing shows and shit,” he said. The collab earned him a spot within TDE’s tightknit circle but, due to his contractual agreements with 300 Ent. and Quality Control, he had to buy his way out of both deals. Check his interview with Bootleg Kev above. 

SZA Explains Frustrations With TDE Early In Her Career

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As S.O.S. continues to break records, SZA is the new cover girl for Billboard. The outlet named the singer their Woman of the Year, and she caught up with them to pose in a stunning photoshoot and speak on the album and the evolution of her career. In 2013, SZA’s life changed when she signed a deal with Top Dawg Entertainment. The Carson, California-based label was making waves with their Rap-heavy roster, but the songbird caught their attention. Soon, she was the First Lady of TDE.

“I didn’t mind the lack of female artists. I just felt like I was always the first to do something, and that was frustrating. It was me telling y’all I need hair and makeup because I’m super hands-on, on top of being a woman. I’m making PowerPoints trying to explain why I want to be in this type of publication versus that type of publication.”

SZA Remembers Early Days With TDE

The climb to the top wasn’t easy for SZA. “It was tough,” she recalled. “But by the same token, I think all of us grew together at the same time. They never had to do anything like this before, and we were all being so randomly innovative together by trying to figure out what makes sense. And I also liked that they weren’t trying to clean me up and look like anybody else.”

It was important for the singer to have certain levels of creative freedom. It seems that TDE let her express herself as is. “They were just taking me as I was,” she further shared. “That was really priceless, just to express myself visually how I wanted to and without the judgment of “Let’s make her pretty or sparkly and shiny and sterile.”

SZA Reveals S.O.S. Deluxe Will Arrive Soon

With S.O.S. taking over playlists and charts, a deluxe version is only fitting. SZA shared that the updated installment of her sophomore record is on the horizon, and it will host an impressive 10 extra tracks. “After I do the deluxe, I’m hoping to be able to accept that this chapter is done,” said SZA. “I’m looking forward to actually feeling proud of myself and not just smiling and nodding at accolades but really feeling it internally and knowing that I’m good enough.”