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| Top Dawg Entertainment | |
|---|---|
| File:Top Dawg Entertainment.png | |
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Founder | Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith Terrence "Punch" Henderson |
| Distributor(s) | Interscope Records |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Carson, California |
| Official website | topdawgmusic |
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American record label founded in 1997 by CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith and President Terrence "Punch" Henderson. Distributed through Interscope Records since 2012. There are currently six artists signed to the label including the flagship artists, Black Hippy members Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul. The label also houses a production division that includes Digi+Phonics, THC and King Blue.
History
In 1997, in a home studio, Anthony Tiffith began producing beats for rappers such as Game and Juvenile, among others. In 2003, Tiffith found a then 16 year old Kendrick Lamar, a Compton native who at the time was known as K-Dot and had just released his first mixtape. Tiffith saw so much potential in the young rapper, he signed Lamar off the strength of his first mixtape. It wasn't until 2005 that TDE started to gain success with another California local, Watts' own Jay Rock. but after working with Warner Bros., and later Asylum Records following a merger, the label began planning the exit strategy. This led them to one of the top indie labels in the game, Strange Music, home to the infamous Tech N9ne.
In 2007, Carson-based rapper Ab-Soul, was added to the Top Dawg roster. On May 10, 2008 the label released a compilation mixtape titled, Do It Nigga Squad which featured songs by the members of the label, among other appearances by Schoolboy Q, Lil Wayne, Will.i.am and Punch. In 2009, Los Angeles rapper Schoolboy Q signed after being affiliated since 2006. In 2009, once they were all signed all four artists formed hip hop supergroup Black Hippy.
In March 2012, MTV announced that Top Dawg Entertainment closed a joint venture deal with Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment. Under the new deal, Kendrick Lamar's debut studio album, good kid, m.A.A.d city was to be jointly released via Top Dawg, Interscope and Aftermath, while releases from the rest of Black Hippy would be released by Top Dawg and Interscope, respectively. In August 2012, Top Dawg Entertainment wanted to show appreciation to their fans. Doing what they called "TDEFamAppreciationWeek", they released solo tracks from each of the Black Hippy members and a video of Lamar and Q acting out on the tour bus.
Kendrick Lamar was the first to release his major label debut, with good kid, m.A.A.d city being highly acclaimed and becoming certified Platinum by the RIAA. Schoolboy Q is set to follow with the release of Oxymoron, scheduled for a 2013 release. In June 2013, Top Dawg announced they were planning to sign two more artists, with the first being announced as Tennessee native, Isaiah Rashad. On July 14, 2013, it was revealed Top Dawg had signed an upcoming female singer named SZA to the label.
Artists
| Act | Year signed |
Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| Kendrick Lamar | 2004 | 3 |
| Jay Rock | 2005 | 2 |
| Ab-Soul | 2007 | 2 |
| Schoolboy Q | 2009 | 2 |
| Black Hippy | 1 | |
| Isaiah Rashad | 2013 | — |
| SZA | — |
In-house producers
Top Dawg Entertainment houses a production team named Digi+Phonics, composed of music producers Dave Free, Willie B, Tae Beast and Sounwave. They have formed the majority of the production on the majority of TDE releases.
King Blue, former half of the musical duo Sore Losers, is also signed to Top Dawg as a producer, producing songs such as Kendrick Lamar’s "P&P", Schoolboy Q’s "To tha Beat (F’d Up)", Mac Miller’s "Down the Rabbit Hole" and most recently, Ab-Soul’s "Mixed Emotions". As is production team THC, a trio of producers who have produced several songs by members of Black Hippy, including Kendrick Lamar's "Cartoon & Cereal" and "m.A.A.d City", as well as Schoolboy Q's "Collard Greens", among other tracks.
Discography
| Artist | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Rap |
Top Indie | AUS | CAN | FRA | IRL | NZ | SWI | UK | |||||||||||
| Kendrick Lamar |
|
— | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Jay Rock |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Schoolboy Q |
|
100 | 25 | 12 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Ab-Soul |
|
— | 73 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Kendrick Lamar |
|
113 | 21 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Jay Rock |
|
83 | 18 | 10 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Schoolboy Q |
|
111 | 25 | 16 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Ab-Soul |
|
91 | 12 | 9 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Kendrick Lamar |
|
2 | 1 | 1 | — | 23 | 2 | 57 | 26 | 7 | 38 | 16 |
| ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||||||||
Upcoming releases
| Artist | Album details |
|---|---|
| ScHoolboy Q |
|
| Ab-Soul |
|
References
- ^ Graham, Nadine. (2011-01-06) Kendrick Lamar: The West Coast Got Somethin' To Say | Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop. HipHop DX. Retrieved on 2011-05-03.
- http://hiphopmoneymagazine.com/top-dawg-entertainment-making-its-mark-tde/
- ^ Ahmed, Insanu (July 10, 2012). "Who Is Ab-Soul? – Joining TDE". Complex. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
- http://www.datpiff.com/Jay-Rock-Do-It-Nigga-Squad-mixtape.14554.html
- ^ Insanu Ahmed (February 3, 2012). "Who Is Schoolboy Q? - Joining Top Dawg Entertainment". Complex. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
- ^ Insanu Ahmed (February 3, 2012). "Who Is Schoolboy Q? - His group, Black Hippy". Complex. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
- Nadeska Alexis (March 8, 2012). "Kendrick Lamar, Black Hippy Ink Deals With Interscope And Aftermath". MTV. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
- http://www.2dopeboyz.com/2012/08/19/tdefamappreciationweek/
- ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.24176/title.tde-reportedly-signs-chattanooga-tennessee-rapper-isaiah-rashad
- http://www.complex.com/music/2013/06/kendrick-lamar-confirms-theres-a-new-artist-joining-tde
- http://thesource.com/2013/08/14/presenting-tdes-new-songstress-listen-to-szas-new-song-teen-spirit/
- http://thesource.com/2013/08/14/presenting-tdes-new-songstress-listen-to-szas-new-song-teen-spirit/
- COMPLEX MAG (November 12, 2012). "25 New Producers To Watch Out For". Complex. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- Marrack, Peter (June 28, 2012). "TDE PRODUCER KING BLUE AIMS HIGH DESPITE PAST LOWS". RESPECT. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- http://thesource.com/2013/07/09/schoolboy-q-reveals-raekwon-collab-j-cole-production-for-oxymoron/
- "American certifications – Lamar, Kendrick". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
External links
| Jay Rock | |
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| Discography | |
| Studio albums |
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| Mixtapes |
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| Singles | |
| Promotional singles | |
| Other songs |
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| Related articles | |
| Kendrick Lamar | |
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| Studio albums |
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| Compilation albums |
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| Soundtrack albums |
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| Extended plays |
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| Mixtapes |
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| Concert tours | |
| Specials | |
| Films | |
| Family |
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| Related topics | |
| Schoolboy Q | |
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| Studio albums |
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| Singles |
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| Featured singles |
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| Other songs | |
| Related articles | |