The music world was in flux after rumors started to surface claiming that TDE's crown jewel, Kendrick Lamar, had left the label. Now, the near-enigmatic rapper emerged from the shadows to dead the noise.
On Tuesday, TDE CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith took to Instagram where he posted a PSA from Kendrick. From the way the video was framed, it was clear that neither Kendrick nor Top were taking the rumors seriously. Instead of showing his face, Lamar had the camera pointed at a Blue's Clues stuffed animal.
"Top, you got to stop them from smutting my name, man," Kendrick began. "They been smutting my name all year, man. You ain't said nothing. Enough is enough. Got them saying I done shook the label and all that."
On Monday, rumors were sparked claiming that Kendrick left TDE to join the pgLang media company that he co-founded with former TDE executive Dave Free. This was supported by claims that Lamar would be joining pgLang to help mold the career of his cousin, Baby Keem, who is forging his own path towards rap stardom.
Word of Kendrick's rumored split spawned theories of tension within TDE. People started to claim that the artists were growing frustrated with Top's style of holding on to music until the last possible moment and that Dot was just the first domino to fall.
An artist of Kendrick's caliber is no stranger to rumors. So, the team at TDE sat back and watched it spread like wildfire to seemingly prove a point.
"A rumor gets halfway around the world before the truth get it’s shoes on," TDE president, Punch, tweeted on Monday before reiterating the statement following Kendrick's denial.
Kendrick went on to show how silly these rumors were by turning his announcement into a roast session about Top Dawg's head.
"They must not know about that pickle juice that's under your red cap, man," Kendrick continued. "About that sweat that's holding that red cap together. The reason that it don't fall off your head, man. ... You need to tell them that's the reason that cap don't fall off your head man. So, why would I fall off?"
Also, even though this PSA seems off-the-cuff it's still on-brand with Kendrick persona. Lamar made a note to let fans know that he's watching cartoons which reminds them of his cult-classic hit, "Cartoons & Cereal."
