Why TDE can’t afford to wait in 2021
“Soon as fuck.”
That’s what SZA had to say when asked about when her next album was coming.
That quote is from August of 2019.
It is now January of 2021 and the masses still await her follow up to the critically-acclaimed Ctrl album that dominated the R&B landscape after its release in June of 2017.
It’s become a trend for TDE, the conglomerate that has influenced the past decade with numerous classics and timeless jams. The trend of never being early to the party.
The metaphorical party was of course delayed with the COVID-19 pandemic, but even before the world stopped, there were very few singles, no announced release dates, and hardly even any rumors about upcoming projects. Yes it stopped festivals and touring, stalling most major projects from releasing, but that’s not the only reason TDE refused to drop music, however it was a convenient detour.
While the world waits and hopes that the virus will be under control by mid-to-late 2021, TDE appears content to wait it out as well. Unfortunately, as the label continues to withhold music, anticipation evaporates and the fan’s excitement continues to wane. This isn’t to say the Kendrick and SZA releases won’t do well, they will perform as expected among the general public, but there’s a palpable resentment building from a lot of avid music fans. Even the Stans are beginning to question what’s next.
Here is how long it has been since each of TDE’s artist’s last major release:
Isaiah Rashad — 1,598 days / 4.4 years
Lance Skiiwalker — 1,552 days / 4.3 years
Ab-Soul — 1,500 days / 4.1 years
Kendrick Lamar — 1,374 days / 3.8 years
SZA — 1,318 days / 3.6 years
Jay Rock — 947 days / 2.6 years
Schoolboy Q — 632 days / 1.7 years
SiR — 506 days / 1.4 years
Reason — 100 days / ~3 months
While the wait won’t result in a dip in numbers or placement on Billboard, the one area where it has already shown is in expectations. Exhibit A was Schoolboy Q, who released his CrasH Talk album on April 26 of 2019, a full 1,022 days after his Grammy-nominated Blank Face LP 2016 album.
Fans were anxious for his release, excited for another dark, gritty, and lasting album, but instead got an attempt at mainstream success with softer songs and more bouncy features from Travis Scott, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Baby and others. The attempt failed, selling only 7,000 more units first week than Blank Face and receiving substantially worse reviews from the critics and his fans. With nearly three years between projects, there’s no time for misses.
That’s the type of pressure every TDE project is already held to, but as every day passes, that pressure continues to multiply. Expectations grow taller as fans grow increasingly weary.
The pandemic has served as sort of a grace period, but we’ve seen artists like Lil Baby, Benny The Butcher, Freddie Gibbs, and even Nas all continue to grow their fan bases so that once the pandemic ends, they’re ready to strike.
There’s still some time for TDE to drop in the coming months, but without hardly any signs of a release in sight, all we’re left with is the hollow words from those in the camp. Words like “Soon as fuck.”
The music industry is gearing up for a release party this year and TDE will almost assuredly be ready to show up.
But with how long it’s been, are we sure they’ll turn heads the way they’re used to?
