It seems like the team at the Top Dawg Entertainment camp just never sleep. After announcing the release date of the heavily anticipated sophomore album from Southern emcee Isaiah Rashad just days ago, label founder Anthony Tiffith has once again taken to social media to make even more announcements.

Taking to his Instagram, Tiffith posted a video of Jay Rock jamming out to one of his own upcoming releases, a dark and gritty boom-bap single which brings some serious heat, much like Jay’s verses from what we can tell. Accompanying the video is the caption telling us that Jay Rock’s project is 80% done, and since his last album 90059 was released only last year, he’s certainly been putting in some work.

We working, wut y’all doing ? @jayrock project 80% done.. #TDE

A video posted by gwadpot (@dangerookipawaa) on

Think it couldn’t get any better? Think again. Apart from the short teaser which came out a few days ago, label-mate and Black Hippy co-member Ab-Soul has been unusually quiet lately, but not to worry, Tiffith managed to cool all our fears by posting yet another teaser onto his Instagram. This time he mentions that he just got Ab-Soul’s final mixes for his album, and that the release date will be coming soon. This album would be his fourth studio project, the first since the 2014 release These Days… He even chucks in another teaser, saying that he’s about to call the incredible SZA, presumably to negotiate details with her upcoming album too.

It’s certain that Top Dawg ain’t slowing down at all, so we best just strap in for the incredible releases which are sure to come our way in the next six months. Be sure to keep your eyes out for more TDE news!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um5T1CLkx6Q

Image: 2DopeBoyz

Our thoughts and prayers are with Californian hip-hop artist Jay Rock tonight as he is currently hospitalised following an motorcycle accident.

The news was broken on Twitter by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) CEO, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, shortly after Kendrick Lamar thanked his TDE family during his acceptance speech for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for To Pimp a Butterfly.

Before fans had too much time to consider the absolute worst case situation, Top Dawg tweeted an update an hour later, saying that Jay has a lot of broken bones but is thankfully not in critical condition.

The 30-year-old rhymer is best known for his work with the Black Hippy crew alongside Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul, as well as for his 2015 album 90059.

Jay Rock, along with other prominent members of the TDE crew including Ab-Soul and Isaiah Rashad, recently travelled to the Skid Row neighbourhood in downtown L.A., which contains one of the nation’s largest homeless communities, to make an array of donations from clothes to electronics. The donation effort is part of TDE’s “Each One, Teach One” campaign, and after Skid Row, the group visited the Union Rescue.

“When you blessed, you gotta bless others, man. It’s only right,” Jay Rock tells the camera during the clip below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0bQzURs6Us

Jay Rock is the second rapper to be seriously injured in the last five months. Fetty Wap came off his motorbike last September, but fortunately was not in a critical condition and is now back riding.

We wish Jay Rock all the best in his recovery and hope he is back making music and doing good in the community soon.

Image via Kevin Winter / Getty Images 

For the second year in a row, Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) hosted an annual charity toy drive at Watt’s Nickerson Gardens Projects this week. Giving out toys to underprivileged kids as well as bringing some much needed holiday cheer, every member of the TDE crew was there so those in attendance were also treated to some performances as well.

Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SZA and Isaiah Rashad were all there, and each treated the audience to some of their own hits. Big Sean and Ty Dolla $ign were also brought out for surprise tracks, but the performance that has everyone talking is that of Black Hippy performing Jay Rock’s latest single, Vice City.

Black Hippy – consisting of Kendrick, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock and Ab-Soul – are one of hip-hop’s most formidable outfits, but due to the huge amounts of success each member is now experiencing, performances by the whole group have become a bit of a rarity. Fan footage of this latest performance has now surfaced on the internet, and it’s clear to see just how well these four work together. Playing around with each other whilst jumping on each other’s verses, the Black Hippy boys look right at home when they’re side by side. Take a look for yourself:

Read our review of Kendrick Lamar’s latest album ‘To Pimp A Butterfly’

Start carving the turkey and be thankful, a new banger from Jay Rock is fresh out the oven and  just in time for silly season. Titled Traffic Jam, it’s a remix of another Jay Rock cut Easy Bake off of his sophomore album 90059. The original track featured Jay Rock’s Black Hippy brother in arms, one Lord Kendrick Lamar, who seemingly can’t go more than three hours without featuring in something, and the Traffic Jam remix throws songstress SZA into the mix to layer some honey-sweet vocals over J and K’s bars of fire. Have a listen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v65t2XHercA

Crap on a crust, Kendrick’s verse is ludicrously good (‘Chris Paul West Coast All Star stupid’ to be as precise as I can) to the point that you can just picture him twirling words around on a string. His running mate Jay Rock is no slouch lyrically either, finishing the track off in an utter blaze of fire. SZA’s vocals as smoky and soulful as ever and the trio are a formidable musical force.

It’s short and sweet at a mere two and a half minutes but any time anyone from Black Hippy gets together to collaborate (and then throws SZA in to the mix) it’s an absolute delight. We’re thankful for such a nifty release right in the middle of the doldrums of that slow and barren end of year period for new music.

In hilarious news, Kendrick Lamar has called good friend and Black Hippy running mate Jay Rock while the latter was live on American radio station Power 106 today, pretending to be a smitten female fan and asking for his number.

He does an er… convincing job and the Shyamalan twist moment of realisation for Jay Rock is particularly side splitting. Kendrick later went on to give huge props to Jay Rock on the release of his new album 90059. Have a listen here:

Great to hear a couple of good friends having a laugh like that. Also great to hear Kendrick in full support of his friend’s new album, released just last week to some great reviews.

The album features Kendrick on the track Easy Bake with SZA as well as on the track Vice City, which is the first time all four members of Black Hippy (ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul round out the group) have performed a track together since 2012. It’s suitably fantastic and, as always with anything these four dudes collaborate on in any combination, leaves us longing for the Avengers-style team up we’ve been waiting for an eternity.

These dudes need their own sitcom. Fingers crossed Jay Rock is already planning his cold revenge for this dastardly act of hoodwink-ery. We’ll keep you posted.

Remember when easy bake ovens represented childish exploration and the joys of cooking? Well you can wave goodbye to that comparison; you can now associate them with TDE, and whipping up some good old fashioned drugs in the kitchen.

Enter Jay Rock and the latest single off the much anticipated 90059, Easy Bake. We have been detailing the slow trickle of singles as they come to light, which has only continued to spark our interest and keep us on our toes for the eventual release. We have already heard the gritty stylings of Gumbo, while Money Trees Deuce sought to continue the complimentary flows of Jay Rock and Black Hippy counterpart Kendrick Lamar. The titular track 90059 was a detour in terms of sound, but the SZA feature proved to be a fitting compliment in contrast to the harsh flow of the track itself.

Earlier this month we detailed the listening session of the upcoming album, as rumours of the features and track list came to light. Well it would seem that Easy Bake was the much lauded “back and forth” track that was revealed at the star-studded event. Kendrick and Jay Rock do not hold back on this track, and their flows are effortlessly bounced off one another, while an ominous and menacing beat serves as the background, reaffirming the tone of the album itself. SZA returns on this track, with a beat switch towards the second half of the track sending the song down a funk and soul inspired path.

The album cannot be far off, and with a single backed by the presence of Kendrick, the marketing machine is now in full force; it’s only a matter of time before we have 90059 in our hot little hands.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-DD-O_0Trc]

For the full version of the track you’ll need to head here.

Jay Rock has released a video for the dark, bendy-wendy title track of his sophomore album 90059. The video directed by PANAMÆRA and the Little Homies is full of goodies.

It begins with guest artist SZA on a swing, as the gold sunlight licks her wine-red hair. Simultaneously, a soft silicon beat fidgets alongside the thumping bass. SZA jumps into a car, alongs with a straitjacket-and-bite-mask-wearing Jay Rock (so Hannibal Lecter). As SZA drives the music changes, she then slings her rich-with-honey voice back and forth as a warm funkadelic track plays. It’s a wonderful blend, and it’s got me excited for some new SZA/Jack Rock collabs. Anyway, she successfully transports our boy to some crazed street doctor in a large concrete flood-way. Jay Rock pops some adrenaline pills, and everything segues into chaos. The frame becomes jittery and diasporic as a doppler-effect chase ensues between Jay Rock and a policeman. The blended splashes of red and blue compliment the song’s wandering wordplay well.

Prepare yourself for 90059. If Jay Rock’s one-off tracks are any indication, this album is going to pretty amaaazzee.

I have also included an image of SZA to just remind us all that she is essentially perfect. Read our feature on why there needs to be so much more hype about this amazing artist.

SZA-575x718

 

For months now we have been banging on and on about Jay Rock and every new single of his that comes to light, in anticipation for the release of his 90059 project. It would appear that finally we have some traction, and that we are moving ever so closer to the eventual release date.

Jay Rock and Top Dawg Entertainment recently held a listening party for the sophomore album, with the VIP event also including a discussion where the TDE rapper answered questions regarding the upcoming project. The event, moderated by Rikki Martinez of US radio station Real 92.3 was followed by rumours of potential collaborations within the album, and plenty of guest features. Rikki herself took to Twitter to shed some light on the upcoming 90059.

A track featuring the entirety of Black Hippy? Yes please. Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock with some back and forth flow? Where do I sign?! It is also interesting to note that even Busta Rhymes has landed himself on the album, a rapper who has been fading in and out of mainstream attention for the past few years.

Good news aside, there is still no word on a release date, but after such a buzz after this listening session, we can only hope for a drop in the near future. For now we only have a quote from Jay Rock direct from the discussion panel.

Sigh. I’m gonna go and bump Gumbo on repeat. AGAIN.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJbLT2Y8KgU]

The TDE hype train just keeps on rolling. Jay Rock, one quarter of the hip hop collective Black Hippy, featuring none other than Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul, has only developed a new wave of anticipation for his upcoming project with the release of yet another new single, Gumbo. With an album release date still unannounced, a slew of singles is continuing to whet the appetites of hip hop heads and rap fans alike. While his previous single Money Trees Deuce sought to capitalise on the fame and stature of Kendrick, acting as a sequel to the Good Kid, M.A.A.D City track Money Trees, the new track Gumbo shows that Jay Rock is more than capable of carrying a track by himself, with his fiery and impassioned vocals offering a stark contrast to the very 90’s West Coast beat.

Jay Rock has long been seen as an oft-overlooked member of the Black Hippy movement in comparison to his peers, with ScHoolboy Q putting out two albums, Kendrick dropping a classic in To Pimp a Butterfly, and Ab-Soul finally gaining some exposure with his These Days… release, all while Jay Rock has waited patiently to finally grace the world with some new music. The hunger and desire for some exposure is shining through on every track we have heard so far, and it is evident that Jay Rock is one motivated individual who doesn’t want to forever live in the shadow of his label mates. While the sound and direction of these singles is most likely not going to cater to the mainstream audiences, it is refreshing that Jay has not felt a need to switch up his flow just to sell records; it would be a disservice to abandon such an aggressive approach to his music.

2015 has already established itself as a monumental hip hop year, and it looks like Jay Rock is going to set the rap game alight, and introduce another hot young spitter into the mix.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwEd16oYkmE]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmtW2OJhcbg]

 

 

Finally.

Jay Rock, member of the famed “Black Hippy” group, featuring none other than Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul, has finally released new material, in the form of a brand new single Money Trees Deuce. It has been long overdue for the 29 year old, who is often left to dwell in the shadow of his more successful friends and peers.

Fans have been anxiously awaiting a sophomore release from Rock, as he is the only renowned artist left under Top Dawg Entertainment to have not released an album since 2011. In this time we have seen Ab-Soul release his long awaited These Days.. project, while Kendrick and Schoolboy Q have achieved mainstream success with their own projects. Fans who are less familiar with Jay Rock’s body of work would find him most recognisable from his feature on the Kendrick track Money Trees, and it would appear that Rock is playing off this familiarity with such a similar track name.

Compared to his label mates, Rock brings a depth and a heavier tone to his music, and is definitely the most hardened member of the group (I don’t think I have ever seen a photo of him smiling). The track itself is a sombre continuation of his verse on Good Kid, M.A.A.D City, and highlights his hardships, trials and tribulations as he struggles with success and the path he has taken to get there. The beat itself shares similarities to Money Trees; a dark and chilling tone, horns blaring, while Rock spits straight fire.

Get your fire emojis ready kids, Jay Rock is back in a big way.

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