On August 8, the label announced the signing of Carson, California rapper Reason. In 2018, TDE announced The Championship Tour featuring artists from the label, from May to June. On February 9, 2018, the label released Black Panther: The Album, the soundtrack for the Marvel Studios superhero film Black Panther (2018), executively produced by Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith and Kendrick Lamar. On April 28, 2017, SZA announced she signed her first major-label recording contract with RCA Records. On January 19, 2017, TDE officially announced the signing of Inglewood, California singer SiR. The TDE tour featured Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad, SZA, Lance Skiiiwalker and co-president/occasional rapper Punch. On July 1, 2016, TDE CEO Anthony Tiffith announced the label will be touring as a group after the four artists album releases in 2016. On May 20, Top Dawg officially announced the signing of Lance Skiiiwalker. On February 29, 2016, Top Dawg hinted at two new label signees, as well as scheduled releases for each of the label's artists' for 2016. Īfter not releasing an album the entire year, on December 21, 2013, CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith revealed that he plans on the entire label's roster releasing solo albums in 2014. He said only Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar ever had solo record deals with Interscope Records, while they were currently looking for a distribution deal for the entire label. In an October 2013 interview with XXL, co-president Terrence "Punch" Henderson confirmed that the original reports of the record label being distributed by Interscope Records were incorrect. Lamar, Rock and Schoolboy Q were also featured in a cypher, along with Ab-Soul and newcomer Isaiah Rashad, which was presented by BET. At the award ceremony, Schoolboy Q performed his debut album's lead single " Collard Greens", with Lamar following him, performing " Money Trees", alongside Jay Rock. In October 2013, at the BET Hip Hop Awards, Kendrick Lamar won five awards, including Album of the Year and Lyricist of the Year, the latter of which he also won the year before. Tennessee-based rapper Isaiah Rashad's signing to TDE was officially announced on September 20, 2013. Records for Jay Rock, that lasted from 2006 until 2010. Tiffith also said that he learned several lessons from his first major-label contract a deal with Warner Bros. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur and others during the 1990s. In August 2013, during an interview with Vibe, CEO Anthony Tiffith spoke on comparisons to Death Row Records, another label based in Southern California, run by Comptonite Marion "Suge" Knight, that had released albums from Dr. On July 14, it was revealed Top Dawg had signed an up-and-coming female singer named SZA to the label. In June 2013, Top Dawg announced they were planning to sign two more artists, with the first being reported as Tennessee native, Isaiah Rashad. In August 2012, during "TDEFamAppreciationWeek", they released solo tracks from each of the Black Hippy members and a video of Lamar and Q acting out on the tour bus. Under the new deal, Kendrick Lamar's second studio album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City would be jointly released via Top Dawg, Interscope and Aftermath. In March 2012, MTV reported that TDE closed a joint venture deal with Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment. They all agreed and all four artists formed the hip hop group Black Hippy. In 2009, once they were all signed to the label, Schoolboy Q suggested that he, Lamar, Rock and Ab-Soul form a rap group. In 2009, Los Angeles-based rapper Schoolboy Q signed with TDE after being affiliated with the label since 2006. All songs on the mixtape were mixed by Top Dawg's resident engineer Derek "MixedByAli" Ali, much like a majority of their releases are. On May 10, 2008, the label released a compilation mixtape titled Do It Nigga Squad, Volume 1, which features songs by members of the label's roster, with other appearances coming from fellow American rappers Schoolboy Q, Lil Wayne and will.i.am. In 2007, Carson-based rapper Ab-Soul was added to the Top Dawg roster. However, following the merger, TDE began planning an exit strategy after the labels failed to handle Rock's debut Follow Me Home properly. Following Rock's signing, TDE signed joint venture deals with Warner Bros. It wasn't until 2005 that TDE started to gain success with another California-based rapper, Jay Rock. Tiffith saw potential in Lamar, signing him onto the label from the strength of the rapper's debut mixtape. In 2003, Tiffith found a then 15-year-old Kendrick Lamar, a Compton native, who at the time went by K.Dot and had just released his first mixtape, which gained recognition and earned the young rapper some local buzz in his area. In 1997, Anthony Tiffith (also known by his monikers, Dude Dawg and Top Dawg) embarked on a career in music as a record producer, producing for rappers such as The Game and Juvenile, among others.