Few genres get record labels as involved as hip-hop. Everyone knows who's signed to Def Jam, and within that who's signed to Roc-A-Fella, and within that who's signed to GOOD Music. And of course there's everyone involved with Cash Money. Despite all of the big names on all of the aforementioned labels, it's fair to argue that Top Dawg Entertainment, the label behind Kendrick Lamar and a few other rising artists made just as many headlines from a music perspective as its competition. Here's the catch:
Top Dawg didn't release any records during 2013.
Fueled almost entirely by the year's most talked-about verse (Lamar's during "Control"), the label got a huge boost. Lamar continued to get headlines thanks to his newfound stardom, and his Good Kid M.A.A.D City album was nominated for a Album of The Year Grammy. Top Dawg CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith got his own spotlight when he criticized GQ for its portrayal of both Lamar and himself.
Anyway, that was Top Dawg's 2013. Tiffith announced this weekend that the label would be releasing six albums during 2014; one for each of its performers.
"We ran 2013 without dropping 1 album," he tweeted. "I wonder wuts gone happen in 2014 when I drop 6. They not ready 4 this."
Among the aforementioned releases will be Lamar's follow-up to Good Kid, as well as ScHoolboy Q's anticipated Oxymoron in February. Other performers on the label that we can assume are dropping albums (as the label only has six signees at this point) are Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SZA and Isaiah Rashad.
