Our hope is officially restored after Punch, the President of Top Dawg Entertainment, back-pedaled and said there is still a possibility that the long-rumored Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole collaborative album will happen.
This week, the head of TDE said that the joint project would never happen, tearing down any hope of its existence.
"That's not happening. 0 tracks. Not happening," wrote the executive on Twitter.
After seeing how things exploded on social media and in the news, Punch back-pedaled a touch and is now claiming that there is still a chance that it will arrive one day. However, we shouldn't get our hopes up.
"Nah I don’t know. It might still happen. I want it to happen," he tweeted last night. "Y’all really want that album still??? Like for real? I think it would great for hip hop. I did my part though. I spoke to both of them. Hit them n***as!"
So, there you go. It looks like there are no current plans for the collaborative album from Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole to ever see a release. However, if the fans push hard enough with Kendrick and Cole, maybe they'll finally cave and do it for the culture.
Kendrick Lamar & J. Cole’s Joint Project "Not Happening," TDE’s Punch Says
Sorry, guys. TDE"s Punch debunks rumors surrounding J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar's joint project.
Kendrick Lamar has been at the center of many rumored collaborative albums. Of course, the Black Hippy album is among them but for nearly a decade, fans have anticipated the long-awaited Kendrick Lamar/J. Cole collab project. The two titans haven't necessarily fueled these rumors recently but fans certainly did not forget about it.
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TDE's President Punch revealed that he might put all of the records he's released over the years onto streaming platforms when a fan demanded Kendrick. This is far from likely the first time this request as been made but still, Punch entertained it. "What you do want with him?" Punch replied in a quoted tweet. The fan asked for a three-track EP with J. Cole which Punch immediately shut down.
"That's not happening," he replied.
That's when the fan doubled down on his request. "Yeah coz we gonna get a 12 track album from them right?" The fan implored.
Punch's reply seemed nearly petty at that point from constantly hearing this request. "0 tracks. Not happening," he said. So, perhaps we might never even get a collaboration with them at all in the future.
During J. Cole's 2018 press run, he shared an update with Angie Martinez revealing that they laid down a bunch of ideas together but they never sat down to complete a full body of work, nor were they even aiming to do so. Needless to say, even with Cole having to dead the rumors, Punch still has to field questions.
Peep the post below.
Kendrick Lamar Reportedly Returning "Soon"
TDE President Punch advises us to stay patient as we await the return of the “King,” Kendrick Lamar.
It’s been over three years since we received a full studio album from Kendrick Lamar, who turned in some of the best writing of his career on the Pulitzer Prize-winning DAMN. Since then, it’s been relatively quiet from the Compton lyricist, aside from a few choice cuts on the Black Panther soundtrack. In the meantime, rumors of a full-fledged “rock album” have begun circulating –a development that has been met with both excitement and wariness.
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In any case, Kendrick has given us ample reason to trust his vision so far. As a result, his untitled fourth album remains one of the most anticipated releases in the entire industry. The only problem is, we have no idea as to when it’s set to arrive. Luckily, TDE President Punch recently came through to provide a light at the end of the otherwise murky tunnel.
“Stay patient King Kendrick will return soon,” he writes, as spotted by Our Generation Music. Not exactly a goldmine of information, but given that this is the largest K Dot drought us fans have seen in a minute, we’ll take anything we can get. Of course, “soon” has become the bane of the rap game, meaning anything from a few weeks to several months. Anyone choosing to look on the optimistic side of things?
SZA Teases Her Album Will Be Dropping In 2020
SZA SZN.
Top Dawg Entertainment fans have been awaiting a big year from the acclaimed label, who likely has their hands full when it comes to scheduling. After all, we're looking at expected releases from Reason, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad, Kendrick Lamar, and SZA. Seeing as we're only a few days into the new decade, it's uncertain how the chips will ultimately fall. Luckily the job falls to Punch, who seems to have already set the wheels in motion.
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Though the finer details elude us for the time being, SZA recently confirmed that her upcoming project is indeed slated for a 2020 release. In fact, there might even be a date -- though the singer has opted to keep that one close to her chest. Now, it's not for us to raise our expectations prematurely, but the time for a new SZA album certainly feels right. Her last project was CTRL in June of 2017, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them looking to double down on the magic formula.
Are you excited to hear some new music from SZA? Perhaps we'll even get to hear her collaboration with Megan Thee Stallion, which she recently teased in late December.