Following Rock's signing, TDE signed joint venture deals with Warner Bros. It wasn't until 2005 that TDE started to gain success with another California-based rapper, Jay Rock. Tiffith saw potential in Lamar, signing him onto the label from the strength of the rapper's debut mixtape. In 2003, Tiffith found a then 15-year-old Kendrick Lamar, a Compton native, who at the time went by K.Dot and had just released his first mixtape, which gained recognition and earned the young rapper some local buzz in his area. In 1997, Anthony Tiffith (also known by his monikers, Dude Dawg and Top Dawg) embarked on a career in music as a record producer, producing for rappers such as The Game and Juvenile, among others. The musical focus of the label is predominantly album-oriented and progressive rap. The label houses a production division that includes Digi+Phonics, THC, King Blue, Kal Banx and Derek 'MixedByAli' Ali. TDE is also the former label of Kendrick Lamar. There are currently eleven artists signed to the label: the label's flagship artists, Black Hippy members Jay Rock, Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q, as well as Isaiah Rashad, SZA, Lance Skiiiwalker, SiR, Reason, Zacari, Ray Vaughn, and Doechii.

Terrence 'Punch' Henderson is president of the label. It was like my life started over.Top Dawg Entertainment ( TDE) is an American independent record label founded in 2004, by CEO Anthony 'Top Dawg' Tiffith. “I Shot You Down” was a transition to all of this. “I Shot You Down” was when I was deciding if I wanted to do that project or if I was going to move on with something else. “Part III,” “Part II,” 'Hurt Cobaine.' Those three tracks were supposed to be on it and I had a couple more. I didn’t do them because I wasn’t ready to do them. “Hurt Cobaine.” “High.” “Fake Trill.” We had a couple of projects that I was supposed to be doing. I just took a lot of time making it, making parts of it, but it wasn’t focused.

I took too much time on it and not enough focus on it. It wasn’t intentionally sad, but it was sad. Isaiah Rashad: I’m not doing that no more.

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