Over the past few years, Top Dawg Entertainment has gone from the little label that could to a music industry powerhouse. With Ab-Soul’s ‘These Days…’ arriving in stores, a look at the minds behind the music.
Top Dawg Entertainment's starting four—Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock—have made history in just a few short years. Since the imprint's founding in
2004, the quartet, collectively known as Black Hippy, has architected a movement that's turned the old industry model on its head, breaking the rules on how to independently release and promote music on a mainstream scale (in equal part thanks to founder/CEO in Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, co-president Dave Free and co-president Terrence "Punch" Henderson.)
But the success wouldn't be the same without the minds crafting the sonic soundscapes for the imprint. Digi+Phonics, TDE's main in-house production crew featuring Tae Beast, Sounwave and Dave Free, has played a crucial role in shaping the company's sound, displaying a versatility that's allowed them to adjust their style depending on that of the artist with whom they're working. This sort of reliability has consistently landed the group beats on TDE's most crucial albums: Section.80, Habits & Contradictions, Control System, good kid, m.A.A.d city and, most recently, Ab-Soul's These Days…, which arrived on June 24.
It doesn't stop there. TDE has banked on a few producers outside of the in-house camp, enlisting musicians including Willie B, THC, Wyldfyer, Terrace Martin, Skhye Hutch and King Blue. The resulting tracks have reached millions of listeners—a testament to TDE's consistent creativity. In honor of Ab-Soul's latest, a deeper look at the producers who helped shape TDE's sound.
Photo via YouTube
TAE BEAST
Age: N/A
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Down With TDE Since: 2010
Status: Official TDE In-House Producer
Highlights: Ab-Soul's "Track Two," Kendrick Lamar's "Ronald Reagan Era (His Evils)," Kendrick Lamar's "The Heart (Pt. 3)"
Tae Beast's association with TDE came from a fortuitous meeting. He was introduced to Ab-Soul in a studio visit through fellow producer Curtis King, who used the opportunity to play some beats from his flash drive; two of them became "Rush" and "Turn Me Up" from Ab-Soul's Longterm 2: Lifestyles of the Broke and Almost Famous. Tae Beast, born Donte Perkins, then got a call from Kendrick Lamar, and he soon became down with what was then one of the West Coast's rising forces.
A clear definition of smoothness mixed with emotion
Beast's musical tastes have been molded by listening to Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield with his father while growing up, and his production style is influenced by the likes of J Dilla, RZA and Kanye West. He can be characterized as a "soulful producer," but he's versatile enough to turn out more high-energy tracks, from the apocalyptic strings of Ab-Soul's "Track Two" to the solemnly anthemic "Ronald Reagan Era."
Ab-Soul and ScHoolboy Q's first two albums feature multiple productions from Tae Beast, but despite the work he put in, he couldn't land one on good kid, m.A.A.d city because of sample clearance issues. Tae Beast did get a solid consolation prize, however: he produced "The Heart (Pt. 3)," the pre-good kid, m.A.A.d city loosie that increased the hype even more for the release.
His work isn't just tied to TDE, though. He produced two self-titled instrumental mixtapes and Logic's "Alright" featuring Big Sean. His most recent work? Landing two beats on Ab-Soul's These Days… ("World Runners" and "W.R.O.H.").
Photo via FADER
SOUNWAVE
Age: 28
Hometown: Compton, Calif.
Down With TDE Since: 2009
Status: Official TDE In-House Producer
Highlights: Kendrick Lamar's "A.D.H.D," "The Spiteful Chant" feat. Schoolboy Q, "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe"; ScHoolboy Q's "There He Go"
Sounwave is perhaps the prolific member of Digi+Phonics, as he's produced some of the label's most popular and critically regarded songs. Two of them came with Kendrick Lamar: good kid m.A.A.d city's "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" (peaked at No. 28 on the Hot 100 to become Lamar's second-highest charting single behind, of course, "Swimming Pools (Drank)") and Section.80's "A.D.H.D." In fact, he produced the most beats on that project.
The Compton native was included in XXL's Top 2013 Freshman Producers' list and Complex's 15 New Producers to Watch list in 2011. It's all a testament to his hard work, because TDE co-founder and CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith was unimpressed with Sounwave's beats when his cousin, president Terrence "Punch" Henderson, introduced them. Sounwave was persistent enough to wear Tiffith down to accept him on the label to eventually become Digi+Phonics' first member.
Sounwave honed his sound enough to have a notorious perfectionist like Dr. Dre call him a "young lion" after hearing his beats. He's landed on some of TDE's high-profile releases—including Control System and Oxymoron—but he has a particular synergy with Lamar that creates fire. That's because their tracks are more so collaborative efforts, like with "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe."
"Me and Kendrick found this crazy record from this foreign group and we didn't know where to go with it," he said when talking about the song in an interview with Complex. "So we looped that, I took it to my spot and did the drums. I added everything I needed, the extra guitars, strings, all that. That inspired Kendrick to bring it to another level. Kendrick is hands-on with [beats]. He will find something he likes and call me right up: 'Yo let's go check this out!' Like that's how 'Spiteful Chant' came about. That's how we much work all the time, we just sit, vibe, and listen to [beats] over and over."
Sounwave almost got a huge look by having Lady Gaga feature on "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe." Scheduling conflicts prevented this from happening, but a mix that features her inevitably hit the net. Sounwave is also the only member of Digi+Phonics to have a credit on good kid, m.A.A.d city.
Photo via Rap Genius
DAVE FREE
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Down With TDE Since: 2005
Status: Official TDE In-House Producer
Highlights: Ab-Soul's "Terrorist Threat's" feat. Danny Brown, ScHoolboy Q's "Blessed" feat. Kendrick Lamar
Dave Free didn't have to be introduced to Kendrick Lamar, unlike the rest of the Digi+Phonics crew, to become a TDE fixture. He knew Lamar since he was known as K-Dot at 16 years old in high school, and has been putting in work with him and Jay Rock before they blew up. Inspired by self-made brands like Cash Money, No Limit and Roc-A-Fella, Dave Free decided to try to get what's theirs by not relying on anybody for creative and marketing support. He made beats for Lamar, shot Jay Rock's video and even passed out physical copies of his CDs at Lamar's high school.
He's come a long way from hustling, though. Dave Free had executive roles in the albums that made TDE the label to watch in 2012, co-executive producing Control System and Habits & Contradictions as well as associate producing Lamar's opus good kid, m.A.A.d city. He was also social media director of TDE in 2013 and got promoted to co-president last February.
Dave Free does have some solid beats to his name, too. He produced the spacy instrumental on "Terrorist Threats," which features one of Ab-Soul's greatest #StayWoke moments and one of Danny Brown's best verses. "Blessed," one of ScHoolboy Q's most personal tracks, is another career highlight.
Photo via iStandard
WILLIE B
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Down With TDE Since: 2007
Status: Affiliate
Highlights: Kendrick Lamar's "Rigamortus," "Ignorance Is Bliss"
Although he isn't the most well known of the bunch, Willie B has one of the widest breadths of the TDE in-house and affiliate producers. On Inglewood's own Kida's "Holla (Remix)," Willie B was featured alongside Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli, Little Brother, Kurupt and Crooked I. It's his role as a producer that's opened more doors for him, though.
Willie B was originally a rapper coming out of high school who tried collaborating with one producer that he didn't name in a Soul Train interview. The future TDE affiliate couldn't get the right beat from the collaborator, so he decided to make one himself and it turned out to be his thing.
He went on to produce two of Kendrick Lamar's most well-known, pre-good kid, m.A.A.d city tracks: There's the carefree horns on Section.80's "Rigamortus," which noticeably juxtaposes the Lamar's laser focus on his verses, and the operatic production that soundtracks the Compton rapper's satire on "Ignorance Is Bliss."
The Digi+Phonics member benefitted from the former. "[Kendrick Lamar's] 'Rigamortis' catapulted me and gave me a platform where people could see who I was and it got me into certain doors," Willie B said to HipHopDX. "Also getting the Wale record ['Fa We We'] was pretty cool, it ended up being one of his favorite records [on recent mixtape Folarin]." Willie B has also worked with Freddie Gibbs for the track "Lay It Down."
Willie B is something of an innovator, too. He's also known to be the first person to release an instrumental mixtape entirely through Instagram. His latest album is Ichiban: Live From Manhattan, another instrumental project that dropped last December.
Photo via Complex
THC
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Status: Affiliate
Highlights: Kendrick Lamar's "Cartoons & Cereal" feat. Gunplay, ScHoolboy Q's "Collard Greens" feat. Lamar
THC, a production trio, has a body of work that stands out despite its apparent dedication to anonymity. The group's trippy, percussive beats sound of the future, yet they've proven to have some present-day appeal. "Cartoons & Cereal"'s wartime sounds featured another Lamar performance that further elevated his profile in the time before good kid, m.A.A.d city. The trio also helped produce the epic "m.A.A.d city" off his official debut.
THC's credits include songs with Nipsey Hussle, Chris Brown, Casey Veggies and L.A. group Overdoz. Their discography runs a bit thin, but it's enough for the trio to receive compliments from James Blake, Erykah Badu, Flying Lotus and more.
KING BLUE
Hometown: Dallas, Tex.
Age: 28
Down With TDE Since: 2011
Status: Affiliate
Highlights: Ab-Soul's "Mixed Emotions," Kendrick Lamar's "P&P"
King Blue doesn't have a track that's had the same level of popularity as the other producers on the label, but fans of TDE's deeper cuts should know his name. This includes his lighthearted keys on "P&P" off the lesser-known Kendrick Lamar EP.
Blue has quite the backstory, too. He's certainly one of the least conventional of TDE's producers. Back in Dallas, Blue was known as Brain Gang Blue and was prone to a more hyperactive, electronic style that was more in a Death Grips lane than that of TDE.
His path would eventually cross with Lamar's thanks to his cousin Dave Free. The two linked up when Blue moved to Los Angeles after dropping out of Prairie View A&M University. He played some of his beats for Jay Rock and previewed what eventually became "P&P" for Lamar.
Blue didn't find his home at TDE, though. He became one-half of the more experimental band Sore Loser, who enjoyed minor success before splitting in 2010. Luckily, TDE invited Blue back for the Texas leg of their nationwide tour right when they started blowing up. He's been tight with the clique ever since.
The producer still finds time to carve out his own lane. He released the Numb solo EP back in 2011 and even submitted what he called "jazzy dubstep" for good kid, m.A.A.d city. Unfortunately, none of those beats made it on to the album.
SKHYE HUTCH
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Down With TDE Since: 2012
Status: Affiliate
Highlights: Ab-Soul's "Illuminate" feat. Kendrick Lamar, Kendrick Lamar's "I'm Dying of Thirst"
Twitter // Facebook // Myspace
Skhye Hutch may hail from L.A., but his sound falls less in line with West Coast aesthetics (DJ Mustard's g-funk reimagining, hyphy bounce, etc.) and more so with Ab-Soul's third eye awakening. His style is somewhat of a new age gospel for TDE, as his best-known tracks find its rappers searching for that higher plane.
"Illuminate," "Beautiful Death" and "Empathy" featuring the late Alori Joh were Hutch's first production credits for TDE. His work on those Control System cuts were good enough for Lamar to seek his help for a song on good kid, m.A.A.d city. To Hutch's surprise, his beat's mournful vocals and condensed drums would go on to become "I'm Dying of Thirst"—one of Lamar's most personal records.
"I didn't know it was going to be his most personal record," he told Complex. "I had one of those Kanye moments where he gave the 'This Can't Be Life' beat to Jay-Z. And he was like, 'I didn't know it was going to be that [personal]!' I wasn't expecting something personal. I just heard his voice on there."
Ab-Soul linked up again with Hutch for "Feelin' Us" off These Days… Hutch also forms The Weirrd People production team alongside Tae Beast.
TERRACE MARTIN
Age: 29
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Down With TDE Since: 2011
Status: Affiliate
Highlights: Kendrick Lamar's "Ab-Soul's Outro" feat. Ab-Soul, "m.A.A.d city" feat. MC Eiht
Twitter // Official // Myspace
A lot of TDE fanatics recognize Terrace Martin's name from when Kendrick Lamar yells, "Now fuck 'em up Terrace," before the producer busts out his saxophone solo on "Ab-Soul's Outro." He's been making beats for years, but has always been a jazz head.
Son of a jazz drummer and a gospel singer, Martin quickly broke out of his parents' shadow and became known as a child musical prodigy. He learned how to play the piano when he was six and self-taught himself how to play the saxophone when he was 13. He soon got recognition in the jazz world for his talent, but he didn't just want the critical acclaim without being able to eat.
"I didn't believe in suffering to play, like why do musicians gotta suffer to play? Eating Top Ramen isn't cool," Martin said. "I wanted to be mainstream."
So soon enough, he did. Before landing on Section.80, Martin had landed beats on Snoop Dogg's The Blue Carpet Treatment, Ego Trippin' and Malice N' Wonderland; Talib Kweli's Eardrum; and DJ Quik & Kurupt's BlaQKout. In addition to appearing on Ab-Soul's These Days… (coming full circle with "Kendrick Lamar's Interlude"), Martin has stayed true to his ambitions and put together his own solo output. He's released numerous mixtapes as well as two albums, and his third is coming out later this year.
Photo via Nodfactor
WYLDFYER
Hometown: Philadelphia, Penn.
Down With TDE Since: 2009
Status: Affiliate
Highlights: Kendrick Lamar's "Kush & Corinthians (His Pain)" feat. BJ the Chicago Kid
Wyldfyer and TDE go way back—like Kendrick Lamar EP back. The Philly-born producer landed two songs on Lamar's 2009 release: "Today" and "Thanksgiving." His beat on Jay Rock's "Trapped in the Hood" off 2010's Black Friday is his lone non-Lamar TDE credit, however. Wyldfyer's last production gig for the label was arguably his finest: the sobriety of that grooving bass line "Kush & Corinthians (His Pain)" is one of Section.80's finest moments.
His biggest productions land outside of the TDE catalogue. His most notable works are Nas and Jay Z's 2006 collabo "Black Republican" (produced with L.E.S) and Ludacris' "I Do It for Hip-Hop."
