Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr., better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. Rock signed with local independent label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005. He secured a major label joint venture deal with Warner Bros. Records and Asylum Records to release his 2008 debut single, "All My Life ". Failing to chart, the mergers fell through and Rock departed from both of the latter labels shortly after. He then signed with Missouri rapper Tech N9ne's label Strange Music in a joint venture deal with TDE in 2011.
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper. Regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop artists of his generation, and one of the greatest rappers of all time, he is known for his technical artistry and complex songwriting. He was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to receive the honor.
Black Hippy was an American hip hop supergroup from South Los Angeles, California, formed in 2008. The group consisted of West Coast rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and ScHoolboy Q. Black Hippy was constructed after all of its members had signed to Carson-based indie record label, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE).
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label. Specializing in hip hop and R&B artists, TDE is based in Carson, California. The label was founded in 2004 by record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, who is the chief executive officer. His son, Anthony "Moosa" Tiffith Jr., and Terrence "Punch" Henderson are the presidents of the label.
S is the second extended play by American singer SZA; it was self-released on April 10, 2013. After meeting members of independent label Top Dawg and releasing her debut EP See.SZA.Run (2012), SZA began working on S, beginning recording in early 2013. SZA worked with a variety of producers on the album, including Zodiac, Patrick Lukens, Brandun DeShay, WNDRBRD, Waren Vaughn and Felix Snow. S is characterized as an alt-R&B album with production that "twists and mutates."
Mark Anthony Spears, known professionally as Sounwave, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is a frequent collaborator of rapper Kendrick Lamar, having worked on all of his projects since his 2009 self-titled extended play. Sounwave has also worked with artists such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Kali Uchis, Schoolboy Q, Mac Miller, and Bleachers. He has won three Grammy Awards, including two for Best Rap Album.
David Isaac Friley, known professionally as Dave Free, is an American filmmaker and record producer. Born and raised in Inglewood, California, he is best known for his creative partnership and management with rapper Kendrick Lamar. During his tenure as co-president of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), Free directed music videos and short films with Lamar under the name the Little Homies. Following his departure from TDE in 2019, he co-founded the creative company pgLang with Lamar. Among Free's accolades are one Grammy Award and three MTV Video Music Awards.
Solána Imani Rowe, known professionally as SZA, is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition through her self-released EPs See.SZA.Run (2012) and S (2013), which helped her become the first female artist to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment. Her third EP, Z (2014), was her first project to be released to digital retailers and reached the top-ten on the U.S. Independent Albums chart.
Z is the third extended play by American R&B singer SZA. It was released on April 8, 2014, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). After amassing two self-released EPs, See.SZA.Run and S, as well as meeting with members of Top Dawg Entertainment, she subsequently signed a recording contract with the indie label. The recording of the mixtape took place in Carson, California during the summer of 2013 with the help of her TDE labelmate Isaiah Rashad, among others.
90059 is the second studio album by American rapper Jay Rock. It was released on September 11, 2015, on Apple Music and the iTunes Store; the physical editions were released on September 18, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). The album features guest appearances from Rock's TDE label-mates Kendrick Lamar, Black Hippy, Isaiah Rashad, SZA, SiR and introduces Lance Skiiiwalker, Chicago singer-producer who in 2016 would be named as a new TDE signee as well as Busta Rhymes and Macy Gray.
Ctrl is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released on June 9, 2017, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and RCA Records. The album features guest appearances from Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, James Fauntleroy, and Isaiah Rashad. Production was handled by Craig Balmoris, Frank Dukes, Carter Lang, Scum, and ThankGod4Cody, among others. The album was supported by five singles: "Drew Barrymore", "Love Galore", "The Weekend", "Broken Clocks", and "Garden ", all of which are certified Double Platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
"All the Stars" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar and American singer SZA. Written alongside Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith and producers Sounwave and Al Shux, the song was released on January 4, 2018, as the lead single to the soundtrack album of the film Black Panther. Its release coincided with Top Dawg Entertainment's announcement that Tiffith and Lamar would be producing the Black Panther soundtrack album. Marvel Studios confirmed the news and revealed that Lamar was hand-picked by Black Panther's director Ryan Coogler to produce the soundtrack album. The song appeared in the movie's end credits.
The Championship Tour was a co-headlining concert tour by the independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment. The tour featured artists Kendrick Lamar, SZA, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Sir, and Lance Skiiiwalker. The tour began in Vancouver on May 4, 2018, and concluded in Burgettstown on June 16, 2018.
American rapper Kendrick Lamar has released six studio albums, one compilation album, one extended play (EP), one soundtrack album, and five mixtapes. His records have sold more than 17.9 million album-equivalent units worldwide, 7.5 million of which are certified in the United States. Throughout his career, he has earned four number-one albums on the US Billboard 200.
PGLang is an American independent multidisciplinary creative communications company headquartered in Los Angeles. Founded and owned by Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free, it specializes in music and visual media production. The company has won six Cannes Lions Awards, including the Special Award for Independent Agency of the Year – Craft in 2023.
GNX is the sixth studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was surprise-released on November 22, 2024, through PGLang and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from SZA, Dody6, Lefty Gunplay, Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, Roddy Ricch, AzChike, Hitta J3, YoungThreat, and Peysoh. Production was primarily handled by Sounwave and Jack Antonoff, alongside Mustard, Sean Momberger, and Kamasi Washington, among others. Titled after the Buick Regal model and following his feud with Canadian musician Drake, GNX is Lamar's first album to be released after his departure from longtime labels Top Dawg Entertainment and Aftermath Entertainment.
"Squabble Up" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar from his sixth studio album, GNX, released by pgLang and Interscope Records on November 26, 2024 as the lead single from the album alongside the B-side "TV Off". Initially teased in the music video for Lamar's diss track "Not Like Us", released on July 4, 2024, a 15-second snippet of the song appeared as Lamar walked through a dark hallway. Lamar produced the song with Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, and Bridgeway, with additional production by M-Tech. The track gained additional attention after being featured in promotional material for Mercedes AMG's Formula One campaign and during an NBA broadcast, eventually going viral on TikTok.
"Luther" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar and American singer-songwriter SZA. It was released as the second single from Lamar's sixth studio album, GNX on November 29, 2024. The song was written by both Lamar and SZA, along with Atia Boggs and Sam Dew, while production was handled by Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Bridgeway, Kamasi Washington, M-Tech and Rose Lilah. The song is titled after R&B and soul singer Luther Vandross.
"Heart Pt. 6" is a song recorded by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was surprise-released under PGLang and Interscope Records as the tenth track from his sixth studio album, GNX, on November 22, 2024. It serves as the sixth installment in "The Heart" song series, and the first to not be a promotional single released prior to a project. The song was produced by Lojo and Jack Antonoff, with additional production by M-Tech and Juju. The song features uncredited vocals from R&B trio SWV, sampled from their track "Use Your Heart", written and produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, as the Neptunes. The track also features additional background vocals from American singer Sam Dew.
"30 for 30" is a song by American singer-songwriter SZA and American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released as the third track from Lana (2024), the reissue of SZA's second studio album SOS (2022) on December 20, 2024.
