Top Dawg Entertainment president Terrence “Punch” Henderson has revealed how JAY-Z inadvertently influenced the label’s famously patient output.
While appearing on the R&B Money Podcast, the veteran executive was quizzed by co-host J. Valentine about TDE’s output, with the singer asking him: “Why it be taking y’all so long to put these damn albums out, Punch?”
Punch replied by explaining how a movie metaphor from Hov affirmed his and TDE founder Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith’s belief in taking a quality over quantity approach when it comes to releasing music.
“You know what’s funny? I had a conversation with JAY-Z,” he recalled. “We were in the studio talking and I think the new Ninja Turtles movie had come out at that time. He was like, ‘The Ninja Turtles can come out and do $300 million. That’s not gonna get [Quentin] Tarantino to change his script.’
“That always stuck with me ’cause I’m like, no matter what’s hot and what’s going on, it’s not gonna move me to change how I’m moving. It’s not gonna change my direction on the goal — and the goal is quality music, regardless [of] anything.”
He added: “We wanna be honest and we wanna give you quality. Whatever happens from there, happens. So as far as taking long, I look at it as we’re giving artists the space to create something great. We’re not on nobody else’s timetable. Once the artist feels, ‘Okay, I’m ready,’ then we’re gonna be ready and we’re gonna go.”
This approach hasn’t always fostered harmony between TDE and their artists, though. In 2022, while readying the long-awaited follow-up to her 2017 debut album Ctrl, SZA publicly blamed Punch and RCA Records for the holdup.
In response to an Instagram user who suggested she was lying about her long-awaited sophomore LP being on the way, the singer wrote: “it’s 100% punch and rca on this one. I wanted the summer. They wanted more time. Atp I’m just tryna have a good time stress free lol.”
Punch seemingly hit back by writing: “Starting to get tired of this. Getting tired of the whole business,” to which SZA replied: “We all tired.”
SZA eventually released SOS in December of that year, with the album going on to top the charts in several countries — including the U.S. — break numerous records and win Best Progressive R&B Album at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
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Fans of Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad and ScHoolboy Q have also had to remain patient, with each artist going several years in between releasing albums.
According to Q, though, Top Dawg isn’t to blame for the widespread delays.
“Muthafuckas gotta stop that. They be giving Top [Dawg] and them hell,” he said while discussing the topic on YG‘s 4HUNNID Podcast earlier this year.
“I’ma be honest, that’s us. You think Top is telling Kendrick and SZA you can only drop one album in five years? Two of the biggest artists? He ain’t gonna get no chicken!
“I think we just cuckoo in the head, bro. We all got similarities and it shows. [Isaiah Rashad] didn’t drop in five years, I didn’t drop in five years, SZA didn’t drop in five years, Dot didn’t drop in five years, it done hit five for [Jay] Rock. We have something in common and it’s not Top. I don’t see how he gains anything from doing that.”
He added: “Me being 37, I’ma be honest with you: Top, I wouldn’t allow you to [make me wait so long]. He like my pops I never had so I’m going nowhere, but we gonna be arguing like a muthafucka if you making me wait five years between albums and it’s not by my choice.”
