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

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

Discovering The Easter Eggs In SZA’s Dreamy ‘S.O.S Tour’

Thursday night (March 23), I went to the first evening of SZA’s sold-out Los Angeles tour dates at the Kia Forum where she performed songs from her No. 1 hit album SOS and her critically acclaimed debut album Ctrl. It was truly an ethereal experience filled with oceanic splashes of glowing reds, yellows, oranges, soft purples, and pretty pinks, intertwined with bright sparkling lights.

While many were in attendance to simply watch Solana perform “Kill Bill” or her soon-to-be-hit-record “Snooze,” I wanted to see how all the Easter eggs she’d been placing into her music videos since 2014’s “Babylon” video aligned with her show. Puzzles are my thing, what can I say?

This particular puzzle started on December 8, 2022, the day SOS was released. It was a full moon, which is said to be the perfect time to set intentions of releasing things that no longer serve you. That had to mean something, right?

The day she shared her tour dates, I immediately noticed that it was set to take place right in the bosom of Pisces season on February 21 while the new moon was in Pisces (her moon sign) and wrapping on March 19. The original final date of the tour was March 22, during the Aries full moon. The full moon is said to be the best time to manifest fresh intentions. From there I got lost in a rabbit hole of discovery.

Aware of these connections, I was better able to understand her tour performance — which could be seen as something like a Broadway play where SZA is acting out the journey of saving herself with help from the stars. When the show began, SZA sat on the ledge of a board, mimicking her cover art, as she rapped the unreleased “PSA.” Then, she took a dive into the ocean.

That moment reminded me of the “Babylon” video when she fully immersed herself in a lake, leaving behind $7 (a number that is significant for many reasons) and a note that read, “Gone fishin’,” an idiom for checking out of reality. Fishing for what? Wisdom.

sza babylon video
YouTube

As she got into “Seek & Destroy,” “Notice Me,’ “Love Galore,” and “Broken Clocks,” I noticed her performing on a boat dock.

It’s reminiscent of her “Broken Clocks” video where the kids from Camp SZA are shown running to a lake to hang out. TDE’s own Jay Rock is there too and he holds a lifesaver.

sza broken clocks video
YouTube

When she spit the words to her title track “SOS,” it looked like she was on the side of a ship or a submarine. Then she eased into, “Blind,” a song about discovering that everything you need to be great is already inside of you. ”It’s so embarrassing / All of the things I need living inside of me / I can’t see it,” she crooned. “It’s so embarrassing / All of the love I seek living inside of me/ I can’t see, I’m blind.”

Although there’s no music video, I peeped that the lighthouse she was singing in front of was from her Saturday Night Live performance. Lighthouses guide ships safely to the harbor, especially when the weather is difficult and dangerous.

Next up was the Darkchild-produced banger “Shirt,” a song that was well worth the wait — as was the live performance for it. Now, at the end of the “Broken Clocks” video, she gets beat up at a strip club, causing her nose to leak and putting a bloodstain on her shirt, while her friend yells “Sis! Wake up!” Jay Rock’s music plays in the background. In the “Shirt” video, she tells LaKeith Stanfield, “Color is light, light is energy, everything is energy.” Also, while she dissociates n another part of the video, we witness SZA attempting to grab a fish.

sza broken clocks and shirt video
YouTube

Following “Shirt,” she got into “Smoking On My Ex Pack” while impressively doing a full-on costume change. Then, boarded a ship named SOS, and on the back, it read “Ctrl Fishing Co.” Appearing in a flowy black outfit, a beautiful performance of “All The Stars” took place along with Ctrl goodie “Garden (Say It Like Dat).” So far, the ride on her ship appeared to be pretty tranquil even as she rocked out to “F2F” alongside her glorious, stand-out guitarist.

Suddenly the ocean wave patterns became turbulent with rain pouring down as she performed the choreography to “Low” upon the deck of her ship. After wowing us all with the splits, SZA disappears into a sea of darkness.

Then, a bright light circulated the stadium, and to my left, a lighthouse resurrected in the middle of the audience. My eyes followed the light until it landed on SZA, who was adorned in a fairy-like yellow dress and floating in an orange lifeboat while singing “Supermodel.” Fans below were blessed with a rain of flowers sprinkled over their heads. With each song she performed, the closer to the lighthouse she got.

Once she returned to the stage for performances of “Kiss Me More” and “Love Language,” however, she was underwater with fish and a large anchor. Then, a large red shipping crate appeared to emerge from the ocean at the beginning of her “Kill Bill” performance and into “I Hate U,” where streams of water cascaded behind her. According to an interview with Rolling Stone, SZA originally envisioned herself sitting atop a shipping crate for her cover art.

SZA wrapped with “Good Days.” Back into her golden fairy-like dress, she was peacefully seated on the same board from the start of the show but instead, she glowed with the sun. “Half of us chasin’ fountains of youth and it’s in the present now,” she sang as a final reminder to the thousands of supporters who came out in the rain to see her.

SZA’s SOS Tour was indeed an immersive experience based on the Easter egg hunt alone (and I didn’t even detail all of the eggs!). At the end of the show, she teased the visual for “Low” which is expected to drop “soon.” The way SZA utilized her power to steer herself into a massively successful album that has touched people across the globe coupled with holding down the No. 1 spot for 10 weeks straight and a sold-out tour is absolutely inspiring. And if my intuition is correct, SOS could be making a return to No. 1.

SZA Explains Frustrations With TDE Early In Her Career

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.”

SZA Revealed She Wanted To Join A Different Hip-Hop Collective Before Signing To Top Dawg

As Top Dawg Entertainment’s leading lady, SZA has shown herself to be one of the label’s most promising acts. But this almost didn’t come to be. In a recent profile for New York Times, the “Nobody Gets Me” hitmaker revealed she initially wanted to join a different hip-hop collective.

In the weeks leading up to the release of SOS, SZA reflected on releasing her debut mixtape, See.SZA.Run. independently 10 years prior. The bulk of the mixtape was Brandun DeShay, a former member of Odd Future.

Odd Future was comprised of several acclaimed rappers and singers, including Syd, Frank Ocean, and Tyler The Creator. At the time, SZA found herself wanting to be part of the group too.

“Quiet as it’s kept, I wanted to be with like, Odd Future,” she said. “I felt more like a Clancy girl.” Christian Clancy and his wife, Kelly Clancy, are the founders of 4 Strikes Management, which has worked with Tyler, as well as Ocean.

Before she got signed, she recalled spending days with her Top Dawg associates in the home of Mac Miller.

She eventually signed with TDE in 2013, reasoning, “Punch believed in me.”

This week, SOS sits at the top of the Billboard 200 for the seventh week. It’s safe to say signing with TDE paid off.