Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and the rest of the Top Dawg Entertainment crew are the cover story in the latest issue of Billboard. In it, Lamar, Q and Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith share stories of the label members' come-ups and the best business practice that made TDE the powerhouse it is today. At the very end of the story, it is revealed that Lamar is planning to drop his follow-up to "Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City" this coming September, as well as the long-awaited debut from Black Hippy (Lamar, Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul).
In 2014, TDE hopes to lock and load its most ambitious slate of releases: Rashad and the label's first nonrap signing, New Jersey-based female singer-songwriter SZA, will be coming with albums, as will original team members Jay Rock and Ab-Soul. Meanwhile, Free thinks the long-awaited debut from Black Hippy - the supergroup featuring Lamar, Q, Rock and Ab-Soul - is likely to appear in 2014; Tiffith indicates that TDE is planning to release a new Lamar album this coming September, too.
The whole piece is full of nuggets that help piece together the sudden rise of TDE. While we have received bits and pieces of the lives of Lamar, Q and the rest of the crew through their lyrics and numerous interviews, the examination of Tiffith's techniques add a fresh chapter to their story.
"I had a little trick to make sure we hit No. 1 on iTunes," says Tiffith. "All records come out on Tuesday then peak after the first few days. When they were on the way down on Friday, that's when I'd drop TDE's s--t -- and we'd zoom right to the top. Even if we got to the top of the charts by selling 200 copies, we still had the perception of being No. 1, and people paid attention."
Read the full interview here, and check out the Billboard cover below.
Before You Go
