Jay Rock has been waiting in the wings, releasing music in small spoonfuls sporadically. Keeping it clean, the Watts rapper’s latest material infers that he may have an album of the year candidate tucked away; a track called “Pay For It,” featuring Kendrick Lamar and Chantal says the same.

The sparse instrumentation is a departure from the gritty, West Coast sound that Rock often fancies, but he adapts with no problem. Waxing thoughtful poetics alongside his TDE partner in rhyme, the duo’s verses are accentuated my powerful vocals from singer Chantal.

Fans can find “Pay For It” on iTunes. Press play to hear the song below.

—

Photo: Instagram

The post Jay Rock ft. Kendrick Lamar & Chantal – “Pay For It” [LISTEN] appeared first on Hip-Hop Wired.

The biggest night in music has passed, but not without a few raised eyebrows and some celebratory wins to boot.

Focusing on the rap categories (because that’s what we’re all here for, right?), Kendrick Lamar finally earned praises from the GRAMMYS following numerous snubs in 2014. His uplifting, Isley Brothers-sampling record “i” earned the Best Rap Performance — defeating Eminem, Drake, and Childish Gambino in the process. The MC also nabbed the Best Rap Song award.

As MTV noted, it appears that Lamar and his TDE brethren, including fellow GRAMMY nominee ScHoolboy Q, boycotted this year’s awards show.

It’s unclear if TDE officially boycotted this year’s GRAMMYS, though a recent tweet from ScHoolboy reveals why he’s been quiet as of late. “Been in my cave gettin tHis album ready…….. Jus relax, da grooviest crip workin….. Bye,”

Singer-songwriter Sam Smith also had a major night, picking up four awards, which was more than any nominee of the night.

Beck also surprised most viewers, winning the coveted Album of the Year award over the likes of Beyoncé, Pharrell, Ed Sheeran, and Sam Smith.

That, of course, didn’t register well with Kanye West. Queen Bey and her hubby Jay Z did nab Best R&B Songs and Best R&B Performance awards, and a the former scored a Best Surround Sound Album award for Beyoncé.

Eminem and Pharrell made the rap cypher complete, winning the Best Rap Album and Best Urban Contemporary Album awards, respectively.

—

Photo: YouTube

The post Kendrick Lamar’s “i” Wins Big At 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards appeared first on Hip-Hop Wired.

Ab-Soul’s gift for being a cerebral wordsmith will likely never be questioned again, even after his underappreciated last effort, These Days...

In a new manuever that could allegedly “get him dropped [from Top Dawg Entertainment],” the rogue Black Hippy member released a new freestyle titled “47 Bars” which doesn’t spare in any suspense with the innuendos.

The track is best described as Soulo recapping the rap landscape’s current events, and one particular set of lyrics has surely been raising eyebrows.

“I hate to address it but n****s wearin’ dresses now? Hey, it do cost a lot to live this here lifestyle/Cash Money talk/Bullshit walk a million miles/And I don’t even write, where am I supposed to draw the line?”

Of course, the dress reference combined with the Cash Money drop equals an easy Young Thug assumption. Albeit the aforementioned line was an easy highlight, the man with the Dash coupled his thoughts with plenty of ill lines, including the opening dedication to Pro Era’s Capital STEEZ, which inspired this tweet:

@FLYestintheeERA hahaha #47KGOLDSOUL

— Ab-Soul (@abdashsoul) February 28, 2015

Absorb Ab-Soul’s “47 Bars” down below. Take it how you will.

I might get dropped from the label for this 1, but fuck it lol… https://t.co/2DDINBGAR3

— Ab-Soul (@abdashsoul) February 28, 2015

Perception is everything.

— Ab-Soul (@abdashsoul) March 2, 2015

Just have some fun yall

— Ab-Soul (@abdashsoul) March 2, 2015

—
Photo: Instagram / Ab-Soul

The post Ab-Soul Sends Stray Shot At Young Thug On “47 Bars” Record? [LISTEN] appeared first on Hip-Hop Wired.

The glory from the 2012 classic good kid, m.A.A.d city was Kendrick Lamar’s but you’ll find plenty of fans and critics who will argue that his TDE labelmate Jay Rock had the verse. On the song “Money Trees,” the two MCs traded cleverly worded bars while specifically touching on how the root of evil leads not only to bad decisions in the hood, it also challenges close-knit friendships; even when blood ties are involved.

Topically, it was music worth treasuring and to jumpstart the campaign for his long-awaited sophomore album, Jay Rock rocks dolo on its sequel, “Money Trees Deuce.” Although duets (especially with K. Dot are always appreciated) the original Top Dawg gatekeeper has three verses worth of calculative rhymes to get off his chest and the record becomes its own man outside of the aforementioned song’s shadow. Producers Flippa and J Proof help put Rock’s poetry in motion with a serene instrumental that accented with light horns and a slow-moving drum cadence.

Listen to Jay Rock’s “Money Trees Deuce” and be sure to tell Top how you like it on Twitter.

—
Photo: Instagram/Jay Rock

The post Jay Rock Breaks Bread On “Money Trees Deuce” [LISTEN] appeared first on Hip-Hop Wired.

The announcement of Kendrick Lamar‘s gang-unifying Reebok Ventilator sneakers was met with a little curiosity over its red and blue colorways in representing the Blood and Crip gangs. Two gang members from the Bloods and Crips respectively sat down with Top Dawg Entertainment and discussed Lamar’s aim with the shoes.

Blood/Piru gang member G Weed and Crip member Jigga appeared together in a video interview spliced with images of their culture and backed with some of Lamar’s tunes, including “King Kunta” and “Alright.”

Both G Weed and Jigga spoke from similar places, remarking on how Lamar’s message of unity goes far beyond settling down the violence in his beloved city of Compton.

“The message behind the new Kendrick Lamar shoe is uniting red and blue, where we all can exist and respect each other and love one another,” said G Weed.

“The message is about a whole lot of peace and unity.Kendrick is just really giving us a reason and giving us an understanding of why we should have unity, or why we should really wanna do this,” added Jigga.

Check out the clip of Piru member G Weed and Crip member Jigga discussing Kendrick Lamar’s Reebok Ventilators in the clip below.

—

Photo: YouTube

The post Bloods & Crips Gang Members Discuss Kendrick Lamar’s Reebok Shoe [VIDEO] appeared first on Hip-Hop Wired.

Jay Rock probably should have appeared on Dr. Dre’s Compton but the orignal MVP of Top Dawg Entertainment has his own hood to rep.

It has approximately been four years, ten days and fourteen hours since Rock has released his debut–and only–studio album, Follow Me Home, but thankfully that is about to change. His newly released single, “90059,” is an ode to the Los Angeles zip code that molded his gangsta and it also doubles of the name of his long-delayed album.

“Follow Me Home was released July 26, 2011. 1st dawg off the leash for the camp,” Rock, 29, tweeted. “Sh*t always comes back around. The album title is 90059.

In an interview with Hip-Hop Wired last summer, the underrated rhymer expressed how rushing a project was the furthest thing from the agenda and more than a year later, his words remain rooted in fact.

Although the album has no concrete release date, the aggressive “90059” features Lance Skiiiwalker and is produced by TDE in-houser Tae Beast, as is currently available on iTunes.

Listen to it below.

—
Photo: Instagram/Jay Rock

The post Jay Rock Announces New Album, 90059 appeared first on Hip-Hop Wired.

Kendrick Lamar hasn’t even had an opportunity to enjoy a monster Grammy night and he’s already being slapped with lawsuits because of his celebrity.

Or in actuality, it is the so-called actions of the people around him.

According to a disgruntled fan, K. Dot’s longtime manager Dave Free ruined her chances to meet her rapping hero and now he most fork over a cool million dollars.

Via TMZ:

A die-hard Kendrick Lamar fan paid $350 for a backstage meeting, but got banned from the concert after Kendrick’s manager tried to bamboozle her for $10,000 … according to a lawsuit.

Whitney Larkins says she emailed Lamar’s manager, Dave Free, asking for 3 minutes of one-on-one time with Lamar … on top of the $350 VIP meet and greet package she’d purchased. In a lawsuit she filed on her own, Larkins says Free replied she could get the 3 minutes for a “cash payment of $10,000.”

The figure didn’t scare her off because Larkins says she repeatedly tried to get more info from Lamar’s team, which apparently ticked off someone. Larkins says she got an email the night before the concert saying she was banned, and would get her $350 refunded.

Larkins isn’t pissed at Lamar, in fact she calls him “one of the greatest rappers alive of all time who is on par with Tupac.” But she says Free crushed her dreams and left her with “deep sadness” — and wants more than $1 million to make it go away.

And the best lawsuit line ever — she calls Free an “arrogant, snotty and an all-around bad dude from the rooter to the tooter!”

We reached out to Free for comment. No word back.

The struggle writes itself sometimes. Good luck with this one, sister.

—
Photo: Instagram / Dave Free

The post Kendrick Lamar’s Manager Dave Free Sued $1M By Angry Fan appeared first on Hip-Hop Wired.

Top Dawg Entertainment recording artist Jay Rock is said to be recovering from a motorcycle accident after being involved in a crash Monday (Feb. 15) evening. Although there has not been an official report of the Watts rapper’s specific injuries, it appears he will pull through.

The news of Jay Rock’s accident was delivered by Top Dawg Entertainment’s CEO, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith via Twitter. Although Top Dawg didn’t elaborate, he gave fans a slight bone by following his initial cryptic tweet with a timely update.

“Pray 4 @jayrock he had a bad accident on his motorcycle.. He’s hurt pretty bad… #TDE,” tweeted Top Dawg.

He later added, “Jayrock is not in a coma or near death…a lot of broken bones,” much to the delight of fans.

Jay Rock released his acclaimed sophomore album, 90059, last September.

Our thoughts are with the entire TDE camp.

Jayrock is not in a coma or near death…a lot of broken bones…

— dangeroo kipawaa TDE (@dangerookipawaa) February 16, 2016

—

Photo: Instagram

The post Jay Rock Recovering From “Bad Accident” Says TDE’S Top Dawg appeared first on Hip-Hop Wired.

SZA, the sultry songstress and lone woman on the West Coast Top Dawg Entertainment label, tweeted Monday evening that she’s leaving the label. TDE’s co-president Terrence “Punch” Henderson replied to the tweet, apparently finding humor in the singer’s quip.

In a now deleted tweet, SZA aired out some frustrations surrounding her proper TDE debut not surfacing and told her 248,000 followers that she was moving on and that Punch can do what he wants with her release.

“Actually I quit. @iamstillpunch can release my album if he ever feels like it. Y’all be blessed,” tweeted the singer.

Punch replied with a photo of Heath Ledger’s incarnation of The Joker laughing and captioned with “Lol.”

Hopefully, the two aired out their differences behind the scenes and are formalizing a plan to put out the project. Just sounds like good old fashioned artist frustration to us.

In 2013, SZA said signing with Top Dawg was a “blessing.”

See Punch’s cold-blooded reaction on the flip.

—

Photo: EIX/WENN

The post SZA Tweets That She’s Leaving TDE, Label Co-Chief Finds It Funny appeared first on Hip-Hop Wired.

TDE has made a few cosmetic changes in recent weeks, beginning with the signing of songstress, SZA. We caught up with her at the 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards to discuss how it felt to join the West Coast label, her upcoming project, Z, and more.

“Honestly [it’s] a blessing. Like it’s literally the craziest thing that could ever happen to me,” SZA said. Not quite sure if the New Jersey by way of St. Louis native can be categorized as strictly R&B, but she definitely lacks the hubris of certain female counterparts.

Instead, she shies away from the spotlight and lets her music do the talking. And while the songbird is currently a stranger to most, she revealed that her next body of work is complete. “Z is done — the next project is done — and I’m working on some cool features that I wish I could say.”

And so it seems that SZA’s career will see a jolt in upward mobility much like her Top Dawg brothers.

As we anxiously await Z, get an early look at a face you’ll see for a long time below.

Photo: Hip-Hop Wired

TDE‘s first lady, SZA, returns with a visual for her new single “Teen Spirit,” produced by Wondagurl. Premiered by Vogue, this will likely be many people’s formal introduction to the 23-year-old.

The songbird is from New Jersey by way of St. Louis, but traits of neither city are recognizable in the dark treatment. SZA sings tales of peer pressure and other things one experiences during their adolescence inside of a large, deserted house.

And to top it off, she co-directed the treatment with APLUSFILMZ. “I wanted to live and die by my own decisions,” said SZA on her decision to man the camera. “From color correction to set choice to dressing myself in dirty T-shirts and random Marni pieces and refusing a stylist and makeup artist…I figured if I was going to fail, I’d do it on my own terms.”

Judge “Teen Spirit” for yourself below and share your opinions in the comments.

—

Photo: YouTube

After last night’s 2013 BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher, Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul are undoubtedly the topics of conversation. And today, XXL magazine announced that the Black Hippy collective will cover the October/November issue.

The cover story details the rise of TDE, each artists’ respective career, and the recent acquisitions of MC Isaiah Rashad and singer SZA.

The photos were captured by renowned photographer Jonathan Mannion.

TDE’s next up, ScHoolboy, is set to release his major label debut, Oxymoron, sooner than later. But in the mean time, we suggest that you catch that Black Hippy cypher as soon as humanly possible.

Also catch K. Dot rhyming alongside Kanye West on the “Yeezus” tour. See what the crew’s XXL spot looks like after the jump.

—

Photo: XXL

Today (October 22), marks the first anniversary of Kendrick Lamar‘s critically acclaimed debut good kid, m.A.A.d city.

Since then, we’ve seen the West Coaster go from a promising MC to become one of the game’s undeniable superstars. If Drake is numero uno, then K. Dot is a clear second choice for the top out. And that’s merely because of his Toronto counterpart’s accomplishments.

With a platinum album — he’s one of four new artists achieve this feat in the past five years — and the bars to boot, TDE’s first to make it is on a trajectory to rise even higher.

Early adopters have been privy to the Kendrick’s talents for some time. For those who weren’t, we provide a trip down memory lane that shows some of the talented wordsmith’s dopest moment pre-good kid, m.A.A.d city. In fact, these predate both Section.80 and O(verly) D(edicated) in most cases.

Relive the good kid’s come up here.

—

Photo: TDE

Kendrick Lamar is unavoidable these days and considering he’s arguably the hottest young rap artist in the game, the high visibility makes sense. K-Dot’s latest media splash is gracing the cover of JET magazine for their Black History Month special issue, and the TDE standout shares more of his story.

JET announced the upcoming feature in a press release earlier today, and it appears that the 26-year-old Compton rapper views getting placed on the cover as a high honor

“I always seen [JET magazine] every time I walked into the house,” said Lamar in a brief chat regarding the feature.  “It was always there.  So I already knew that it had to hold some type of weight.  Being a young cat, I had to know, since this magazine is right here all the time, it must be a powerful magazine. So it’s a privilege just to be a part of it, and for Black History Month, it’s a beautiful thing.”

Lamar’s displayed more of his savvy worldview, realizing that his songs have impact beyond entertainment and how Hip-Hop music connects with Black History.

“Hip-hop plays a huge part in Black history,” said Lamar.  “It’s bigger than music.  Entertainers are actually leading a generation today as role models, whether they want to or not.”

Lamar added, “The songs aren’t for me. They are for that person who needs to hear them. People who live their lives to this music. So I take it a little further than just coming up with a clever line.”

The whole world will be watching Kendrick Lamar this coming Sunday (January 26) to see if he’ll snag one of the seven Grammy Awards he’s been nominated for.

For now, check out this preview of his feature with JET by following this link. The issue hits newstands January 27.

Hit the jump to see Kendrick Lamar’s JET magazine cover and a behind the scenes video as well.

—

Photos: JET

Although tonight has been a historic and genre-shifting night for Hip-Hop, there could only be one winner in the pantheon of independent-turned-top-40 rap stars.

As the Grammys conclude, the CBS aired program was full of oohs, ahhs and Internet slander.

It also included plenty of debate about who will take home the golden sippy cup between Kendrick Lamar versus Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. While mainstream Hip-Hop fans are familiar with both beloved indie rap juggernauts, the popular thought was argued on-and-offline with all wondering who’d take home the night’s biggest prize, Album of the Year.

With the lines of divide clearly drawn, and the results tallied, we take a look at how Twitter’s rap twitizens felt about Seattle’s MVP beating out Compton’s good kid.

Photo: Instagram/CBS

—

We start off with a guy who believes that the Top Dawg Entertainment wunderkind had his own anger therapy while on stage…

Photo: Twitter

It still looks very much to be the season of Top Dawg Entertainment, this after flagship artist Kendrick Lamar and TDE boss Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith grace the cover of the latest issue of Billboard. The magazine chose the pair for its 2017 Hip-Hop Power Players issue for obvious reasons.

Inside the cover story, K-Dot breaks down his deep allegiance to TDE, explaining he’s been with the label since 16 years of age. But for Lamar, it’s not about money or fame as working with the label has forged a bond beyond record sales and fame.

From Billboard:

“The thing with TDE,” says Lamar, “is it was all ours — an independent deal from the jump. I came in at 16 years old, so it’s all I know.” TDE patiently grooms all of its artists, building their careers until they have their pick of major labels to help take them to the next level. Lamar released five mixtapes and one independent album, 2011’s Section.80, before cutting a deal with Aftermath/Interscope, and SZA put out two mixtapes and an EP before TDE partnered with RCA for CTRL. “It’s a family type of environment,” says Lamar. “It’s not just all about making money every day.”

The normally reclusive Top Dawg drops some gems and jewels as well, explaining the operation that TDE has become since its fledlging days. Read the full cover story by following this link.

This is big news for the Billboard squad, this after the respected publication has released the 2017 Hip-Hop Power Players list for the first time. Get into it by following this link as well.

—

Photo: Billboard

The Black Panther film from Marvel dropping in just over month is shaping up to be an event. With the news that Kendrick Lamar produced and curated songs for the accompanying soundtrack with TDE boss Top Dawg, the lead single from the project, “All The Stars” has just hit the Web and features K-Dot’s TDE labelmate, SZA.

Produced by Al Shux and Sounwave, the bouncy upbeat track features strong vocals from SZA and a powerful chest-out verse from Kendrick Lamar.

“Tell me what you gonna do to me/Confrontation ain’t nothin’ new to me/You can bring a bullet, bring a sword/Bring a morgue, but you can’t bring the truth to me/F*ck you and all your expectations/I don’t even want your congratulations/I recognize you as far as confidence and calculated promises all in your conversation,” Lamar raps.

Check out the joint in the clip below. Black Panther hits theaters on February 16.

—

Photo: WENN.com

Kendrick Lamar‘s pen game has long garnered respect for its vivid imagery and impactful storytelling, and his current publishing deal is close to expiring. Billboard reports that sources tell them that the Compton lyricist and the Top Dawg Entertainment camp are entertaining talks of a publishing deal that could be worth millions.

Billboard writes:

Top Dawg Entertainment, which manages the rapper-songwriter, is considering offers between $20 million and $40 million, sources tell Billboard; the value would depend on the terms of the deal. One bidder has offered $28 million, a source tells Billboard, while another source cited a $23 million offer that included $11 million upon signing. Such offers would likely be for Lamar’s entire catalog, but the terms Lamar’s camp is seeking weren’t clear.

The deal would be quite the haul for TDE and for whatever publishing company decides to fork over the dough considering Lamar is one of the biggest acts across several music genres today.

—

Photo: WENN.com

Top Dawg Entertainment singer and songwriter SiR has toiled behind the scenes for years, culminating in his big break in working with the rising West Coast camp. The Inglewood, California native dropped his second full-length album, November, which serves as his second project for the TDE label.

The artist born Sir Darryl Faris dropped his debut album, Seven Sundays, on the Fresh Selects label. After working with TDE’s Jay Rock and Isiah Rashad on a pair of features, SiR was signed to the label in January 2017, dropping his EP HER TOO the following month.

With November, SiR lays down more of his smooth vocals and carrying the load nearly by himself. The 11–track album has two features with TDE’s Schoolboy Q on “Something Foreign” and British artist Etta Bond on “Something New.”

Production from Mndsgn, DJ Khalil, and others help round out November‘s lush sounds. Check out the stream of the project via Spotify below.

—

Photo: TDE

Source: Scott Dudelson / Getty

Kendrick Lamar‘s lyrical ability isn’t to be questioned, as evidenced by a series of critically-acclaimed albums and performances that punctuate a career still in high motion. The Compton hero’s latest album DAMN. just celebrated a year since its released, and the Instagram page of Big Boy’s Neighborhood paid homage by posting an exclusive freestyle from K-Dot.

Rapping over 2Pac’s “Hit ‘Em Up” track, Lamar is subdued yet focused as he asks Big Boy to throw some words in the air as he rhymes deftly from off the top of the dome. The video appears to be from 2017 during the rapper’s visit to the set of Big Boy TV, although it isn’t specified when the moment took place.

Oddly enough, Tekashi69 wrote on DJ Akademiks’ Instagram page seen in comments calling the freestyle “garbage.”

Does 69 really want that smoke?

—

Photo: Getty