Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) has enjoyed platinum success with Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d. city. Given that the label is based in Southern California and that Kendrick Lamar is from Compton, California, some have drawn comparisons between TDE and Death Row Records, the imprint run by Comptonite Marion “Suge” Knight that released albums from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur and others during the 1990s.
“I respect Suge for what he’s done in music,” Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment, says during an interview with VIBE as part of its “New Juice: 8 Influential People To Watch” feature. “He had the coast booming. They had a star roster; I think I have a star roster. Shit was a lot wilder back then and I think shit got a little out of control in certain situations. I try to stay calm. I try not to have the big entourage because sometimes when people see so many dudes moving they want to challenge you. We got a lot of similarities, but we don’t club like they clubbed ‘cause you always got someone that want to come and try some shit. Then you have to put a demo down on somebody and then the following week you gotta put a demo down on his brother, then his cousin. It keeps going and brings negative attention. We had that attention early in the game with Jay Rock—everybody thought [we was] gangbanging. We couldn’t get no shows; everybody was scared for us to show up at events. We learned from that too.”
Tiffith also says that he learned several lessons from his first major label contract. TDE had a deal with Warner Bros. Records for Jay Rock that lasted from 2006 until 2010, according to the VIBE article.
“One thing I learned is don’t chase radio or follow the artists that the label follows,” Tiffith says. “If it’s hot, that’s what they’re on. They make me fuck up my acts ’cause I’m telling them to follow that when they should be doing their own thing. Two, don’t depend on nobody else to do things for you. The label is there, but they don’t know shit ‘cause they not in the streets. Spinning out of the WB situation, we realized that the Internet was really becoming big and that became our focus.”
Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith Explains Launching Kendrick Lamar’s Career
Tiffith applied that focus to launching the career of Kendrick Lamar. Tiffith says that he was impressed with the then-aspiring artist the first time they went to the studio together.
“When he first came to the studio,” Tiffith says, “I put him in the booth and put this double time beat on, trying to throw him off. He went in there and started going off! So I’m trying to play like I’m not paying attention. He notices I’m not moving and starts going crazy. So I look up and I’m like, ‘God damn. He’s a monster.’ So the next day I had a contract for him [Laughs].”
Next up for TDE is the debut studio album from ScHoolboy Q, Oxymoron.
“Oxymoron is about to be a real problem,” Tiffith says. “Q sits back and watches what Kendrick does…so he’s already got his game plan. For a minute, I was on his head like, You need to do this, do that, but I’ve been riding to it lately and that shit is sick. The fans are gonna get an album they can ride straight through. It’s gonna be just like GKMC or better.”
Tiffith says that his goal as a label is to have each member of Black Hippy reach the commercial success Kendrick Lamar has achieved.
“I want to get Jay Rock, Soul, Q these platinum records and just sit back,” Tiffith says. “Those are the four dudes that I been with forever and these are the dudes I want to see rich. Eight to 10 years is a lot of time to be messing around with these niggas, man. [I want] each of them to get they own label, branch out limbs from TDE.”
As the TDE brand continues expanding its reach, Tiffith says that he is open to counsel from outside sources.
“I like when people call and give me advice, but I still like to go my route,” he says. “Baby called me and paid me some respect; I done talked with Diddy. Me and Fif [50 Cent] have two and three-hour conversations—he a real dude. He knows everything that’s going on.”
RELATED: Kendrick Lamar Speaks On Top Dawg Entertainment’s Deal With Interscope Records
everyone already knows 50 is the realest
50’s credibility is undeniable. 40 mil albums sold and he walked away to business ventures that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
yo i hear this dude was a real gangbanger that turned his money clean into a label and nows he got a deal with aftermath and interscope and no one even knows who he is!
that wouldn’t surprise me. he’s made great moves so far. even how the company is named after him, but he’s “not up in the artists videos”. Neither is he wildin out like suge
50 a good business man no doubt. Go to thegrandreport to watch some hip hop videos and more
you’ll never hear anyone outside of MMG say Ross is a real nicca
ross is fake and everybody knows that
Comparing this tde to Deathrow????,lmao, tde has no stars, people tryna hype up Kendrick as a star, when he’s not, dude to underground, he has no star appeal, 2pac,snoop, and dre are stars, comparing this tde to deathrow is just disrespectful, tde,smh,lol, now I can see if u compared ymcmb to deathrow, because they on top like deathrow was in the 90s and they sell records and have stars like deathrow did.
Sadie. even though Philip`s rep0rt is cool, last week I got a brand new Ford Focus after making $5344 this past 5 weeks and-also, $10 thousand last-munth. it’s certainly the coolest work Ive ever had. I actually started seven months/ago and almost straight away began to bring in at least $70 per-hr. I went to this web-site,, ——> WEP6(dot)COM
yeah you correct about the being a star part
If you think Philip`s story is cool,, last munth my boy frends dad basically easily made $8183 working a fourteen hour week from there apartment and they’re friend’s step-sister`s neighbour has done this for three months and brought home over $8183 in their spare time at their labtop. follow the advice from this website… ——> WEP6(dot)COM
Wow, you’re stupid.
TDE loves 50
my buddy’s mother makes $86 every hour on the computer. She has been unemployed for 5 months but last month her check was $16662 just working on the computer for a few hours. Go to this web site and read more… http://www.Cafe44.com
Yeah being the co founder of Def-Jam with Russel Simmons, he sure is whats wrong with hip hop you fucking IDIOT. And he’s rich because he’s a musical genius, do some research.
King 50, GGGG UNIT
TDE is dope. all those dudes are ill. kendirck and soul my favs. its good to see ppl give 50 respect and not follow all these kids hatin on him. real talk fif is a smart dude and can still put out dope music
this article’s on tde,get fifth’s twat out of your mouth fagget, tony yayo is starving
TDE is the new deathrow!!!!westcost shit
Haha new Death Row? fuckouttahere these TDE niggas are gassing themselves up on a level they have yet to reach. I don’t see anyone on that label behaving like Suge, so NO, You niggas have got a lot more albums and a long way to go
TDE is straight up garbage! Comparing themselves to death Row is laughabale.
Well one of the members is also signed to Aftermath & another to interscope & they have met Dr.Dre, since he basicly was in deathrow then he might agree.
So after a few years of success his label will go bankrupt and he’ll end up beefing with several of his soon-to-be former signees.
that shit is kind of inevitable
Once soul, Q, and jay rock reach commercial success… everyone will be fighting to make it on the roster.
I like how TD keeps himself low-key, dude is not fame hungry. Now that I recall, dude was sitting on the sidelines wearing a TDE sweater front row during the Lakers playoffs.
yeah he always sitting courtside reppin tde but thats about it. i think i saw him sitting with kendrick at the vma’s but hes not dancing in all the videos like puff
No one near Death Row except they all work for Jimmy Iovine.
They are Hipster friendly and white kids adore them, they are completely non-threatening also so the geeks love them.
Nigga jayrock is blood from Nickerson gardens watts & schoolboy Q is a 52 hoover street crips so stfu
thank you^^^^^
and ab-soul is an ex crack addict
being a crack addict makes you hard and street? haha It makes you stupid, succesfull thugs sell drugs, they don’t use it
tell that to gunplay
A lot of crews are real & have each other’s backs but Black Hippy & A$AP Mob are the only 2 that actually feel like the crews that used to be around instead of artists that sign to a label & act like a cohesive group to attract attention & emulate successful move that were made before.
you must be young to say that shit
The Psychic World of Walter Reed album of the year
The only thing 50 Cent knows about are album delays.
when your album coming out fuck boy?
id push my shit back too if all anyone cared about was tight pants wearing fags and correctional officers
i wanna see jay rock blow up shit will be sweet ^S^
TDE Is A Movement.
Proud To See These Cats Doing They Numbers.
I Need A TDE Hoodie.
50 Cent is a real nigguh, but he did lie about getting shot 9 times..
This nigga dumb as hell.
I KNOW… AT LEAST IT SOUNDS LIKE IT FROM THIS INTERVIEW…
The only dumb ones here are you.
Q has a mainstream vibe and his album has the potential to be bigger than GKMC as far as hype, radio spins, and sales go.
GKMC is bound to classic-status and it will always be the superior album as far as story-telling, lyrics, and flow are concerned.
Ab’s control system was unreal so I just know hes due for success when his debut album drops
The industry aint ready for Rock so i doubt he’ll ever reach success unless a turning point happens
That’s real spit my nigga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SCtyEOJy0A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH-cIzI4iQA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWQhuIGRULk
haha, Why did you guys mention 50 cent is real in the headline, when its at the end of the article..and he mentions it so briefly..
to bring in page views and get comments, no one even knows who the fuck this guy is
@ anonymous 2…not many ppl know who Slim is from CM either, or about Biggs from the original ROC… some guys play in the back ground, some guys play like Dame or Diddy & try to be stars..
follow at noles506
real g’s move in silence
50 cent is real, tell us something we don’t know
“id push my shit back too if all anyone cared about was tight pants wearing fags and correctional officers”
It’s been four years. No more excuses Curtis.