JAY-Z once provided Top Dawg Entertainment President Terrence “Punch” Henderson with valuable advice regarding Kendrick Lamar‘s career, and those words have “stuck” with him to this day.
During an in-depth discussion with Elise Not Elise, the record executive was asked if he and the TDE team had any reservations about releasing To Pimp a Butterfly considering how unconventional it was compared to Kendrick’s earlier projects.
Punch responded by recalling a particularly significant conversation he had with Hov during a studio session involving SZA (whom he also manages) and Beyoncé.
“While we were working on To Pimp a Butterfly, SZA and I would attend Beyoncé’s sessions — [SZA] was writing for her,” he said. “JAY-Z was present every night, so I had the opportunity to speak with him, and I told him, ‘Yo, we’re about to release this album that’s gonna upset the entire fanbase.’
“His reply was, ‘Good, do it now so they can never put you in a box.’ That resonated with me for sure. It boosted my confidence like, Yeah, we’re on the right path, for sure … There are established rules, but geniuses know when to break those rules.”
JAY-Z has been a longstanding supporter of both Kendrick Lamar and TDE, even featuring the Compton rapper on a highly sought-after guest verse early in his career.
A few months after the release of good kid, m.A.A.d city in 2012 — a moment that marked the emergence of a modern-day hip-hop icon — Kendrick and Hov collaborated on a remix of the hit single “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe.”
“That was definitely [on my wishlist],” Dot told Sway in the Morning shortly after its release. “That’s the G.O.A.T. Jay is someone with that much longevity who still possesses that skill, and what he contributed was incredible.”
The Aftermath signee also recounted a conversation he had with Jigga at that time: “He mentioned he sees me, in so many words … He expressed his appreciation for [good kid, m.A.A.d city] and what I’m doing for the culture, particularly in continuing the legacy of creating a complete body of work.
“That amazed me because I grew up listening to Reasonable Doubt — that’s where I learned the art of making an album like that. For him to acknowledge me and say, ‘I’m in the studio [because of] your work,’ that’s an incredible honor.”
