Kendrick Lamar announced on Friday that he is parting ways with his label, Top Dawg Entertainment.
“As I produce my final TDE album, I feel joy to have been a part of such a cultural imprint after 17 years,” the 34-year-old rapper wrote in a message he signed “Oklama" and shared on social media and on a new website.
“The Struggles. The Success. And most importantly, the Brotherhood … There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown.”
Top Dawg Entertainment CEO Anthony Tiffith followed up with a statement in which he confirmed Lamar’s next album will be his “last album on TDE.” He added: “I know he will be successful in whatever it is he decides to do and will have our FULL support.”
In a message of his own, label president Punch (aka Terrence Henderson Jr.) wrote: “It’s funny when things change, because most of the time we automatically assume it’s something negative. It’s rarely seen as growth,” he wrote. “Growth is a great thing and it’s essential for life. Life happens in stages and this particular stage is almost complete.
“Kendrick is a generational artist who has accomplished so much and has contributed immensely to this thing we call Hip Hop. It’s only right for him to continue to evolve and build his own business and brand how he sees fit.”
Lamar has released four studio albums with TDE since 2011 – the most recent being 2017’s Damn, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize for Music and a Grammy for Best Rap Album.