Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr., better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, he signed to the local independent label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2005. Through the label, he secured a major label record 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 record label Strange Music, in a joint venture deal with TDE in 2011.
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 (EP) 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 May 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."
Herbert Anthony Stevens IV, better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American rapper. Raised in Carson, California, he signed to indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2007, where he eventually formed West Coast hip hop group Black Hippy, alongside fellow California-based rappers Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. He is perhaps most known for his introspective lyrics and his five independent albums under TDE, Longterm Mentality, Control System, These Days..., Do What Thou Wilt., and Herbert, which were all released to positive reviews and commercial success.
Oxymoron is the third studio album by American rapper Schoolboy Q. It was released on February 25, 2014, through Top Dawg Entertainment and distributed by Interscope Records. Oxymoron was his first album released under a major record label to music retailers, whereas his previous albums were released independently to digital retailers only.
Digi+Phonics is an African American hip hop production team, composed of California-based record producers Tae Beast, Sounwave, Dave Free and Willie B. They currently serve as the main in-house producers for Carson-based record label, Top Dawg Entertainment. Digi+Phonics work significantly on projects from all the members of hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, who are also signed to Top Dawg and is composed of rappers Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul. Their best known productions include "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe" by Kendrick Lamar, "There He Go" by Schoolboy Q, and "Terrorist Threats" by Ab-Soul. They frequently co-produce songs together and put the finishing touches on the projects released by Top Dawg Entertainment.
"Collard Greens" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Schoolboy Q, released on June 11, 2013 as the lead single from his third studio album Oxymoron (2014). The song, produced by production team THC and co-produced by Gwen Bunn, features a guest appearance from his Black Hippy cohort, Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate, and fellow American rapper Kendrick Lamar. The song has since peaked at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 36 on the UK R&B Chart. It was met with generally positive reviews from music critics.
Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain is an American rapper. His mainstream breakthrough followed after his performances on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour alongside rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based hip hop collective The House along with fellow Chattanooga rappers YGTUT, Michael Da Vinci (MikeyD), Chris P, and Brian Brown.
"Break the Bank" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Schoolboy Q, released on January 21, 2014, by Top Dawg Entertainment and Interscope Records, as a promotional single from his major label debut studio album Oxymoron (2014). The song was recorded in 2012 and was produced by The Alchemist. The song has since peaked at number 32 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Solána Imani Rowe, known professionally as SZA, is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained recognition through her self-released extended plays (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 US Independent Albums chart.
Z is the third extended play (EP) by American R&B singer SZA. It was released on April 8, 2014, by Top Dawg Entertainment. 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 EP took place in Carson, California during the summer of 2013 with the help of her Top Dawg 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.
Derrick Hutchins, Jr., better known as his stage name Skhye Hutch, is an American hip hop record producer from Los Angeles, California. The two-time Grammy nominee attended Pacific Palisades High School and graduated from the Musicians Institution in 2004.
Introverted Intuition is the debut studio album by American singer and rapper Lance Skiiiwalker, released on October 18, 2016, through Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). It features guest appearances from Schoolboy Q and Michael Anthony. Skiiiwalker, who produced the album under the pseudonym Rocket, worked alongside Dave Free, Sounwave, Tae Beast, DJ Dahi, and Frank Dukes for a majority of the album's production.
Ctrl is the debut studio album by American singer SZA. It was released through Top Dawg Entertainment and RCA Records on June 9, 2017. 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 Platinum or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Zacari Moses Pacaldo I, known mononymously as Zacari, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist. He is signed to Top Dawg Entertainment and released his EP Run Wild Run Free on March 15, 2019.
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.
Robert Lee Gill Jr., better known by his stage name Reason, is an American rapper and songwriter. He is signed to hip hop record label Top Dawg Entertainment, where he started to gain recognition. His TDE debut, There You Have It, was released on September 28, 2018, a re-release of an album from 2017. His major label debut album New Beginnings was released on October 9, 2020.
Herbert is the fifth studio album by American rapper Ab-Soul. It was released on December 16, 2022 by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). It features guest appearances by Ambré, Alemeda, Big Sean, Fre$h, Jhené Aiko, Joey Badass, Lance Skiiiwalker, Punch, Russ, SiR and Zacari. It includes notable productions by Boi-1da, DJ Dahi, DJ Premier, Hit-Boy, Jahaan Sweet, James Blake and Sounwave, among others. Titled after Ab-Soul’s birth name, Herbert Anthony Stevens IV, the album marks his return to music after a six-year absence following Do What Thou Wilt. in December 2016.
