tde Archives

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 9): Black Thought vs. Jay Rock

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 17, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Four Hip-Hop Artists Have Grammy Nominations For Album Of The Year

The 61st Grammy Awards nominations have been announced, and there is plenty to talk about for Rap and Hip-Hop fans. The affair will take place February 10, 2019, returning the event to Los Angeles, California's Staples Center after a New York City ceremony earlier this year. While Top Dawg and... Read more

December 7, 2018 News

Who Had The Best Rap Album Of 2018 (Battle 2): Jay Rock vs. Nipsey Hussle

We have our opinions on the best releases of 2018, but rather than simply tell you our pick for #1, we thought it would be more interesting to hear what you, the readers, believe is the Best Rap Album of 2018. With that in mind, we decided to make our... Read more

December 6, 2018 Best Rap Album 2018

Reason’s Video Shows The Nightmares That Come With Living A Gangsta Life

Reason re-mastered re-released his 2017 release There You Have It to make a formal introduction earlier this year. That was after he signed with TDE, whose executive team knew that it was a mixtape worth broadcasting. While 2017 is winding down, fans are still getting offerings off of the TDE... Read more

December 4, 2018 Video

Jay Rock & Tee Grizzley Rep’ Different Regions But Come From Similar Circumstances

Jay Rock's Redemption offered 13 tracks of street-certified wisdom. The Watts, California native and longstanding TDE linchpin has released videos for nine of those songs. In the midst of that championship run, Eastside Johnny is back again with new music, and a video to match. This time, Rock calls upon... Read more

November 28, 2018 Video

J.I.D. Confirms That Dreamville’s Competition With TDE Is Real

2018 has been a monumental year for J. Cole's Dreamville label. In the last 12 months, Cole released one of the front-runners for the year's best in K.O.D. That was a few months after Los Angeles, California's Cozz dropped an impressive Effected. At the end of summer, Bas released Milky Way, an... Read more

November 26, 2018 Fresh, Popular, Video

Reason Demands His Place In Rap With A New Video Freestyle

TDE's Reason formally introduced himself earlier this year with the re-release of his 2017 mixtape, There You Have It. Since its arrival through Top Dawg Entertainment, he's been on the road in support of label mate Jay Rock's Big Redemption Tour, earning himself the respect of some of Hip-Hop's most selective... Read more

November 21, 2018 Video

Jay Rock Shows The Serious Consequences Of Impulsive Decision Making (Video)

Top Dawg Entertainment’s stable of star rappers has been ruling airwaves and charts for the last couple of years. But 2018 saw one of the label’s earliest signings, Jay Rock, step much closer to getting the recognition that he deserves. Although he already had two rock-solid albums under his belt,... Read more

November 14, 2018 Video

Jay Rock & Kendrick Lamar Go Back To Basics In Their “Wow Freestyle” Video

Jay Rock may have dropped his highly praised Redemption album at the top of the summer, but he is still working on the TDE project. The “Wow Freestyle” is the eighth video he has dropped off his third full-length project, which is 13 tracks long. Artists have been saying that... Read more

October 25, 2018 Video

Reason Represents TDE With One Of This Year’s Best Cypher Verses (Video)

2018 has been the year Reason's music career has really started to take off. Beginning the year with an appearance on Top Dawg Entertainment's #1 charting Black Panther Soundtrack, Reason has since gone on to officially sign with the coveted label, re-release his debut album There You Have It with... Read more

October 16, 2018 Video

Jay Rock Recalls Top Dawg Discovering Him When He Was Just A Boy In The Hood (Video)

Currently on the Big Redemption Tour in promotion of his album, Jay Rock and tour-mate Reason recently crossed the border in to Vancouver, Canada for an interview with Nardwuar. Throughout the video, Nardwuar drops insights on Jay Rock and Reason's upbringing in Southern California, from Reason's college basketball days to... Read more

October 11, 2018 Video

Reason’s Video Shows The Regrets That Come With Infidelity

Carson, California MC Reason has had quite the big year, not just for a rapper, but for any artist at this stage of his career. After signing to Top Dawg Entertainment early last August with the likes of Kendrick Lamar and Jay Rock at the helm of CEO "Top Dawg"... Read more

October 11, 2018 Video

Lil Wayne & Kendrick Lamar Battle Over A Woman & Rap Supremacy On The Carter V (Audio)

After more than five years of anticipation, Lil Wayne has dropped Tha Carter V. He did so as part of his 36th birthday celebration. Released entirely through Young Money Records, this LP defies several trends of 2018. For starters, Wayne goes back in his bag with a project that is... Read more

September 28, 2018 Audio

Reason Describes His Journey From Hungry MC To TDE’s Next Top Dawg (Video)

Six weeks ago, the dominant Hip-Hop label of the 2010s announced that it had added a new MC to its tight-knit family. Carson, California's Reason signed to Top Dawg Entertainment. The imprint with five #1 releases, including this year's Black Panther soundtrack held no press conferences nor staged a chain-awarding... Read more

September 25, 2018 Exclusive, Interview, Video

Apple Rejects Dr. Dre’s Television Show Due To Excessive Violence

Two and a half years ago, Dr. Dre announced plans to tell his life story through a series in partnership with Apple. The show, titled Vital Signs, began pre-production less than three years after Apple's 2014 acquisition of Beats By Dre for a reported $1 billion. In addition to producing, Vital... Read more

September 24, 2018 News, TV, TV/Film

Reason Is Next Up In A Long Line Of Great West Coast MCs (Video)

Carson rapper Reason is TDE's latest signee, and he's already proving he has what it takes to join the roster. Early last month, Reason dropped video single "The Soul," a raw, hard-hitting verse delivered with a doozy of a flow above an equally triumphant instrumental. Within his first few bars,... Read more

September 15, 2018 Video

Jay Rock’s Freestyle Shows What A Migos Beat Sounds Like With Some G-Funk (Video)

Jay Rock's sound seems to be evolving. In 2018, the Watts, California MC linked with producers Boi-1da, Vinylz, and CT for "Win." Working with some technicians known for a hand in Drake's discography (along with many other chart-toppers), the move showed some new range for an MC with a raspy... Read more

September 4, 2018 Video

Reason Uses His TDE Shine To Spotlight The Mixtape That Got Him Signed (Video)

This month, Top Dawg Entertainment revealed that they had a new MC in the roster. From the same city of Carson, California as Ab-Soul, Reason followed his exceptional 2016 Free Album mixtape (embedded below) with a video single, "The Soul." The a la carte look followed an appearance on The... Read more

August 29, 2018 Video

Ab-Soul Exhales A Dope Verse In A Hot Box Collaboration With B-Real (Video)

B-Real has kept himself current over the years with his Smokebox web series and by keeping his finger on the pulse. He continues to work with young and up-and-coming artists year and year out. And as of 2017, he is in three super-groups, which include Cypress Hill, Serial Killers, and... Read more

August 17, 2018 Video

TDE Has Another Reason Why It’s The Most Dominant Hip-Hop Label Of The 2010s (Video)

Last week, Top Dawg Entertainment added another MC to its star-studded label. Reason comes from the same city of Carson, California that Ab-Soul reps. He quietly slid onto TDE's first #1 release of 2018, the Black Panther soundtrack ahead of his public welcome. However, if "Seasons" remained off your radar,... Read more

August 14, 2018 Video

TDE Adds A New MC To Its Championship Roster. Meet Reason. (Audio)

Much like the Golden State Warriors, Top Dawg Entertainment continues to add more pieces to its roster after coming off of The Championship Tour. The newest addition to one of Hip-Hop's most winningest teams comes in the form of Reason, the Carson, California MC whose signing to the label was... Read more

August 8, 2018 Audio, News

Kendrick Lamar Will Make His Acting Debut On Power

Some legendary Rap artists have launched acting careers while at the top of their music game. Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, DMX, Queen Latifah, Eminem, Ice-T, and Mos Def are just some of the examples. One of Hip-Hop's reigning kings is now taking that next step. Kendrick Lamar will make his... Read more

July 25, 2018 News, TV, TV/Film

Kendrick Lamar Speaks For The 1st Time About Why He Stopped A Fan From Using The N-Word

Kendrick Lamar made headlines earlier this year when he checked a fan at Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores, Alabama for using the N-word while rapping along to his 2012 non-single hit "M.A.A.D. City." The fan, a white woman who introduced herself as Delaney, was pulled up on-stage to help rap... Read more

June 28, 2018 Fresh

Punch Looks To Add His Name To TDE’s Champion MC Roster (Audio)

In 2004, Carson, California became the birthplace for one of the world's elite Hip-Hop ensembles, Top Dawg Entertainment. With the additions of Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SZA, Isaiah Rashad, SiR, ScHoolboy Q, and multiple Grammy Award-winning MC Kendrick Lamar to a roster supported by CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith and label... Read more

June 27, 2018 Audio

Jay Rock Opens The BET Awards & Takes A Victory Lap (Video)

Fresh on the heels of releasing his third album, Jay Rock was given center stage at the 2018 BET Awards. The Watts, California MC stood in no one's shadow as he performed "Win," the second single from Redemption. Awards host Jamie Foxx joined the Top Dawg Entertainment MC on stage... Read more

June 24, 2018 Video

Jay Rock & J. Cole Are A Deadly Combination Lyrically And In Their New Video

With June 15's Redemption, Jay Rock released his first album since suffering a nearly fatal dirt-bike accident in 2016. The album's title and much of its content deal with themes of triumph over adversity, including singles "King's Dead," "WIN" and "The Bloodiest." With his J. Cole collabo, "OSOM (Out Of Sight,... Read more

June 20, 2018 Video

Jay Rock’s Bloodiest Video Shows That Sometimes Nothing Is What It Seems

Jay Rock's just-released album, Redemption, has fans rejoicing. It's also a reminder why Top Dawg Entertainment built its foundation off his talents as an MC. The Watts, California native's latest LP has many real-life tales, but perhaps the grimiest and most vivid come from album opener, "The Bloodiest." Now, Heads... Read more

June 16, 2018 Video

Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q & Ab-Soul Explain Jay Rock’s Importance To TDE (Video)

According to his latest video single, Jay Rock is winning. While the Watts, California MC is not one to take L's, his fans can agree that he is overdue. It was 11 years ago that the raspy-voiced MC with the pavement poetry was put on the front lines of a... Read more

June 5, 2018 Video

Jay Rock Put TDE On His Back. Now, They’ve Got His For The Win (Video)

After a strong start to the year with his highest-charting single to date ("King's Dead" from the Black Panther soundtrack), Jay Rock is back with another check mark in the "W" column. For those following the movement, Jay is the cornerstone on which the success of TDE was built. So,... Read more

May 31, 2018 Video

Jay Rock’s Third Album Is Coming In Less Than A Month

Watts, California MC Jay Rock has been quite busy in 2018. The breakout artists on Top Dawg Entertainment since the mid-2000s, Jay appeared on the chart-topping Black Panther soundtrack. Alongside Kendrick Lamar and Future, "Kings Dead" gave Rock his first Hot 100 single (#21) of his career. Moreover, the raspy-voiced... Read more

May 21, 2018 Audio, Fresh

Kendrick Lamar Checks A Fan For Saying The N-Word While Rapping His Song (Video)

Biggie Smalls would have turned 46 years old today (May 21). Back in 1994, The Notorious B.I.G. released his first Ready To Die single, "Juicy." It eventually traveled to #27 on the charts. The gold-certified solo breakthrough record remains one of the most beloved, far-reaching Rap songs of the last... Read more

May 21, 2018 Lifestyle, Video

J. Cole Explains Why He Made His 1985 Diss Record Of Lil Rappers (Video)

When J. Cole speaks, it is not to be taken lightly. In recent years, the North Carolina superstar MC/producer and Dreamville label founder has shunned the public eye, or at least many of their questions. After decidedly not allowing interviews altogether for late 2016's 4 Your Eyez Only, Cole posted... Read more

May 16, 2018 Video

TDE Has Made The Funniest Concert Promo Video Of All-Time

Top Dawg Entertainment is taking its whole show on the road the 2018 Championship Tour. In January, TDE announced cross-country US dates for May and June. At the time, Kendrick Lamar had not yet won a historic Pulitzer Prize for Musical Composition (the first ever going to an artist outside... Read more

April 17, 2018 Video

Kendrick Lamar Receives A Historic Pulitzer Prize For His Last Album

The same week it celebrates its first birthday, Kendrick Lamar's DAMN. has just won a Pulitzer Prize. The album becomes the first piece of music that is not Classical or Jazz to take home the prestigious honor that started 101 years ago in the fields of literature, journalism, and music... Read more

April 16, 2018 News

TDE’s President Makes A Compelling Argument For Why Cardi B Is Like Tupac

Cardi B released her major label debut album, Invasion Of Privacy, last Friday (April 6). Within hours, the Bronx, New York rapper achieved gold certification for the Atlantic Records LP featuring YG, Chance The Rapper, Migos, and SZA, among others. In the days ahead the music industry will see if... Read more

April 9, 2018 Fresh

SZA Takes Ctrl To Camp…But It Proves To Be No Retreat (Video)

SZA's Ctrl album was one of the most critically-acclaimed releases of 2017, and the parade of quality coming from that effort seems to continue marching. Today (March 30), TDE's First Lady dropped her visual for fourth single "Broken Clocks," and she's taking everyone to camp. Directed by TDE's regular go-to... Read more

March 30, 2018 Video

Kanye Once Said He Had 40 Songs With Kendrick. 2 Collabos Now Surface. (Audio)

Kanye West is reportedly recording an album in the mountains of Wyoming. According to various sources, Nas, Pusha T, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, and producer/musician/engineer Mike Dean are among the artists who have been in his company for the studio sessions dating back to 2017. Some, including Nas and Cudi,... Read more

March 23, 2018 Audio, News

Mozzy Fits In Nicely With Rap’s Top Dawgs. He & Jay Rock Extend Their Chemistry (Audio)

California spitter Mozzy has been making quite a name for himself as of late. The Oak Park, Sacramento native appeared on Black Panther: The Album's cut "Seasons" (alongside Sjava and Reason) and has already received praise from members of Top Dawg Entertainment, including Kendrick Lamar and his Grammy award reception... Read more

February 22, 2018 Audio

Ab-Soul Reminds His Pen Is Still Sharp Enough To Draw Blood (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let AFH fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to go back and listen... Read more

February 12, 2018 Audio

Q-Tip & Kendrick Lamar Link On A Song That Sounds Like Vintage ATCQ (Audio)

It’s no secret that Kendrick Lamar is heavily influenced by A Tribe Called Quest. During his To Pimp A Butterfly Tour, Lamar made 18,000 concertgoers in Sydney, Australia pay homage to Phife Dawg the day Tribe's co-founder passed away back in 2016. Later that year, fans heard Phife and Lamar... Read more

February 10, 2018 Audio

Black Panther’s Director Reveals How He Got Kendrick Lamar To Curate The Soundtrack

In less than 48 hours, The Black Panther soundtrack will be released (February 9). The TDE/Interscope Records soundtrack tracklist boasts new music from label acts Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, SZA, and Ab-Soul, as well as other popular acts including Future, 2 Chainz, Travi$ Scott, Vince Staples, and Anderson .Paak. Perhaps... Read more

February 7, 2018 Fresh, TV/Film

Kendrick Lamar & The Weeknd’s Collabo Is Fit For A Superhero Journey (Audio)

One week from today (February 9), The Black Panther soundtrack will release on TDE/Interscope Records. With Kendrick Lamar and Top Dawg at the helm, the compilation album has already witnessed strong showings from K-Dot, SZA, and Jay Rock. With the tracklist made available earlier this week, Lamar releases his latest... Read more

February 2, 2018 Audio

Kendrick Lamar Opens The Grammys With Dave Chappelle & A BANG (Video)

Kendrick Lamar opened the 60th Grammy Awards with a performance. Ahead of tonight's live televised event, the Compton, California MC was already awarded three trophies for "Best Music Video," "Best Rap Song," and "Best Rap Performance." In all three categories, it was DAMN. single "HUMBLE" that scored the win. When... Read more

January 28, 2018 Video

Why Jay Rock Is The Unsung Hero Of Top Dawg Entertainment (Video)

In Hip-Hop, the first is not always the biggest. Just as football has its linemen fighting for every inch, Rap music often has its figures that blaze a trail, light a path, or move the boulders for another artist to shoot the resulting gap. This week, TDE announced its Championship... Read more

January 23, 2018 Food for Thought

TDE’s Roster Is Full Of Champions. The Label Announces A 2018 Award Tour

Just 22 days into 2018 TDE appears sending a message about their top dog status in the music industry. With a Kendrick Lamar and SZA-heavy Grammy Awards airing in less than a week (January 28), and a Black Panther soundtrack to follow on February 9, Top Dawg Entertainment has now announced... Read more

January 22, 2018 Fresh

TDE’s SiR Leaves Inglewood For A Snowy & Seductive Getaway (Video)

In less than 24 hours, SiR will release his November album. Slated for January 19, this LP marks TDE's first album release of 2018. The Black Panther soundtrack will soon follow on February 9, before Jay Rock's third (presently untitled) album is expected to arrive. Throughout the decade, TDE has... Read more

January 18, 2018 Video

SiR & 1 Of Kendrick’s Favorite Singers Team With Drumhedz For A Job Well Done (Audio)

The drummer, Chris “Daddy” Dave has kept time on many major projects in his prolific career, but until now, had yet to release his own project. Chris Dave & The Drumhedz is set to drop on January 26 and will feature Anderson .Paak, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Phonte, Elzhi and more.... Read more

January 12, 2018 Audio

Jay Rock & Kendrick Lamar Go Off Again In Their Latest Collaboration (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let AFH fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to go back... Read more

January 12, 2018 Audio

Lupe Fiasco Says Kendrick Lamar Is Not A Top Tier Lyricist

In the eyes of many Hip-Hop fans, Chicago's Lupe Fiasco was an exciting addition to the music and culture during the mid-2000s. In his first two albums, a slew of mixtapes, and a la carte songs, the Chicago, Illinois native won over the masses and represented a new guard of... Read more

January 8, 2018 News

Kendrick Lamar & Big K.R.I.T. Are Battling For Best Rap Album Of 2017 & It Is CLOSE

For more than two weeks, Ambrosia For Heads has asked readers and fans to determine the "Best Rap Album Of 2017." With AFH's Top 15 provided, readers were offered a Wild Card option to vote in an album pick that may have been overlooked. With the resulting "Sweet 16" in place,... Read more

January 2, 2018 Best Rap Album 2017