Isaiah Rashad (Zay):
As I'm typing this it has been 1728 days since Isaiah Rashad has dropped an album. In that time frame there has been dozens of leaks and snippets with only TWO official singles. Fans have been impatient, begging Zay and TDE management on social media for an album and most of the time getting one word answers back like 'soon'. So what happened to Isaiah between 2016 to now and is it really TDE's fault that we haven't heard an album yet?
In his first interview with The Fader he touches on some of the struggles he went through after The Sun's Tirade.
"There wasn't a whole bunch of recovery [after recording The Sun's Tirade]. I just went into the interviews and told n****s I fucked my life and health up," Rashad says. "Then I went on tour and it ain't like a lot of shit had changed. If anything it got worse, but it just didn't look as bad outwardly because I had so much going on."
The trouble really started when Rashad got off the road in late 2017. Having made what seemed like obscene sums of money, he fell into the conventional trap of the young and rich: he called up all of his closest friends from home and told them to move in. Magnanimously, he wanted them to have whatever he had, including nice clothes, expensive meals, and extravagant amounts of mood enhancers.
"And then…I ended up sleeping on my homie's couch for like four or five months," Rashad says. "It was the quickest fall from grace I could ever imagine."
In his second interview with Billboard he touched on his relationship with Top.
Despite being touted as TDE's "secret weapon," Rashad's mishandling of his vices almost led to him getting dropped from the label not once but twice. Though Top Dawg's CEO and founder Anthony Tiffith often used tough love to reawaken Rashad's hunger, his biggest stumble -- a trip to rehab -- nearly destroyed the stoic general.
"If anything, I might have made that n---a a little soft," recalls Rashad about his relationship with Top. "I went through more in these five years than I did last time. After Sun's Tirade, I was telling that story [about my addiction], but it wasn't like I had s--t behind me. [My manager] Matt checked me into rehab, and we got all that s--t out the way. Top was damn near about to cry through the s--t."
He adds, "I had a dad that I ain't never had in my life. I got love that I been looking for from n---as that if you was coming from any other place, you'd think they want you for money, but I know if all else fails and I don't want to rap anymore, I'll f--k around and just work at the office. Them n---as love me, and they love us."
When did you realize that Top really loved and cared about you?
When I didn't have no money coming in and I was like, "This n---a is paying my rent and I haven't made a song in months." He locked me in his house and said, "We gonna get through this s--t." I gained some confidence and betrayed his confidence f--king up in the streets. When I came to him humble and I needed help, he still gave me the help. He's a solid n---a, man. I ain't never seen a n---a happier to hand a n---a a $1 million check. That n---a happier than I am, doing skips down the steps. He loves me, man
Back in February there was an interaction between a fan, Punch and Zay that after reading these interviews. Kind of puts things into perspective.
Fan:
Punch, our anger at TDE management is justified (not mad at Isaiah he can take as long as he wants). These consistent 3-4 years waits are absurd and it's clear that a big part of that is on y'all not the artists.
Punch:
How can you possible have any idea of what goes on and what's discussed??? This is really rhetorical because you have NO idea what you're talking about. Not even the slightest hint of an idea. Lol
Fan:
Maybe so. All I'm saying there's a reason TDE fans have been upset about release dates for yearse now. If that's on the artists then I will never be upset about it again. Reeeeally doesn't seem that way though. Seems like you guys carefully craft a release schedule
Zay:
dawg they just management and mentors. they gotta wait on us. and they're pretty damn patient. it's been baby season and better around here. don't make me come to the back of the calss again T man
Reddit Thread from late 2019: IG Live from Isaiah Rashad. Talks about alcoholic father, mistakes with The Sun's Tirade. Reveals his son having autism and problems with baby mother is why his focus hasn't been on music. - The video is gone, but from the comments you understand what Zay was trying to get through.
There has been a lot going on in Isaiah Rashad's life the past 5 years. He's been battling addiction, homelessness, having a child that has special needs, baby mama drama and more. It's understanding why music wasn't his first priority, Top Dawg isn't responsible for delaying an album that wasn't even created yet.
SZA
SZA is in a unique position as she is signed to both TDE and RCA. She's making more money, but has double the industry politics. I guess it does help that her manager is also the president of TDE - Punch.
In late 2016 SZA went on Twitter to vent her frustrations with Punch and TDE
I actually quit. Punch can release my album if he ever feels like it. Y'all be blessed.
Punch responded with a picture of the Joker laughing.
6 months later the rollout for Ctrl would begin, with the album coming out June , with critical acclaim. Easily selling out her tour and being pushed into the mainstream.
She spoke about her relationship with TDE and Punch during her press run for Ctrl: SZA said she changed the sound of Ctrl multiple times, and every time she talked to Punch about it he was nothing but supportive and found her more studio time to get her vision created. Then after sitting on so many songs, Punch had to force her to put a tracklist together so they could release her album
Which also goes along with what she said in an interview with the Guardian in July 2017.
(SZA) explains, Ctrl came out in June because "they cut me off". So who decided it was finished? "They just took my hard drive from me. That was all. I just kept fucking everything up. I just kept moving shit around. I was choosing from 150, 200 songs, so I'm just like, who knows what's good any more?" She doesn't know who took it, just that it was gone from the safe in the studio one day. So after all that, this Ctrl isn't necessarily the Ctrl you would have put out? "No, absolutely not. Any longer and I probably wouldn't … I'm also driving myself fucking crazy, so I don't know. Give me another month and it would have been something completely different."
That seems to be the end of the 'drama' for Ctrl. She was cut off from making music because there was already so much of it. Punch and RCA tried to force her hand by making her choose a tracklist, but they had to help her because her vision was changing everyday and they needed to put an album out.
On August 19, 2020 SZA once again went on Twitter to voice her complaints with TDE and Punch.
Someone tweeted at SZA a comment of Punch saying that her album will be coming soon and she responded on Twitter with
This is all he says to me as well. Welcome to my fucking life
A fan responded to that asking
Would you saay this is an adverse or hostile relationship orrrr just out of your hands = you don't know
SZA responded with
BEEN hostile
Punch responded on Twitter the next day with
I am a person and you guys are hurting my feelings
SZA went on Twitter after to apologize saying
when u don't get somewhere by urself u can't always make ALL the decisions by urself. And das ok. Sometimes u gotta be patient .. sometimes no is a blessing.. i trust the ppl around me
TWO WEEKS later on September 4th 'Hit Different' would come out with a music video.
Obviously SZA was able to change some minds? Or maybe it was just marketing?
Good Days would come out Christmas day as a 'loosie', but the loosie did better than the actual single staying in the Top 10 for multiple weeks. Sadly it took multiple weeks for RCA to send it to radio, along with that it took multiple months for the music video to come out. Both of these things causing the song to lose steam faster and the song would leave the Hot 100 after 20 weeks.
After leaving the Hot 100 in late May, SZA commentated on a fan page on Instagram
I really hate my label. So much
Outlets reported the story, not knowing if she's talking about TDE or RCA people naturally started to go at Punch's head again. Causing SZA to have to go back to Twitter and clarify some things.
Punch is my manager (not a machine or a label) lol also been like my stage dad the last 10 yrs. be nice to him pls. he really fights for me. Not angry w him . Or anybody really . Jus my own choices .
Black Hippy
I can't really find any instances of anyone in Black Hippy being mad at TDE.
At the listening party for Blank Face some rap outlets were reporting that ScHoolboy Q refered to Overtime as a bootleg 'Studio' (off Oxymoron) and said that the label made him put Miguel and Justine Skye on there. In a Breakfast Club interview ScHoolboy clarified his comments saying he didn't like the song originally and HE asked the label for Miguel and Justine Skye. Going further to say that TDE isn't going to make him put an artist on his song.
In 2016 Ab-Soul went to Twitter saying his album was done
I'll be ready when my #'s called
Top responding with
thats all you had to say.... tighten up your j's because I'm about to kall your # #TDE let's get it
Soul responding with that saying that the bench was getting warm.
This bench is getting warm as fucc tho mayne
Top responding with
when i put u in the game u better be on fire...
Later, in November 2016 a month before the album came out a fan told Top to drop Ab-Souls project and Top said.
Ab-Soul & MixedByAli holding up his album. I'm done taking the blame... they need 2 get da mixes right.. that's the hold up. Get at them.
In a Breakfast Club interview right before the album dropped Soul did confirm that the the thing holding up the album was the mixing.
I don't know. People have taken this as Soul complaining about TDE not letting him drop, I don't really see that though.
In August 2020 during the SZA situation highlighted above he did Tweet out
Quality over quantity. TDE
In October 2020 there was a rumor that Kendrick Lamar was leaving TDE for pgLang and that TDE didn't know about pgLang till everyone else did, and are having tension because Kendrick didn't tell them.
Literally the next day the rumors were squashed when Kendrick dropped a 'cryptic' video of him talking to a Blues Clues doll and watching SpongeBob
Video
Transcript:
"Top you gotta stop them from smudding my name, they've been smudding my name all year man and you ain't said nothing. Enough is enough man. They've been saying I (shook?) the label and all that. They must not know about that pickle juice that's under your red cap. About that sweat, that sweat holding that red cap together, the reason it don't fall off your head man, that lubricant. You need to tell them the reason that cap don't fall off your head man. So why would I fall off. Watching cartoons man"
Reason:
Reason has been on record about being 'annoyed' with TDE management. He has later came out and said he is still a young artist and this is his first time being signed to a record label. His TDE debut was supposed to come out in March 2020, but then the pandemic hit. Then they were going to release it in June, but they didn't want to release music during the BLM protests. They were finally able to release it in October. He has talked about how albums will be delayed when something in the world happens. EX: ScHoolboy Q - Crash Talk being delayed after the death of Nipsey Hussle
TL;DR: What fans think is TDE delaying albums and stifling talent is actually TDE working hard for their artists behind the scenes. No one, including SZA is mad at the label. They are just frustrated with their choices at the moment.
Discussion Questions
- Do you think us fans have a reason to be mad at TDE?
- Do you think SZA has a reason for being mad at TDE?
- Do you think Punch plays the villain role well?
- Do you think that a label has the right to steal a hard drive if the artist is indecisive?
This is going to be an active thread that I update parodically. If I missed something, let me know and I will update it. If more 'drama' or information comes in the future I will also add it
