Black Hippy
| Company type | Hip hop supergroup |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Carson, California , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Parent | Top Dawg Entertainment |
Black Hippy was a hip hop supergroup originating from South Los Angeles, California, established in 2008. The collective consisted of rappers Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, and ScHoolboy Q, all affiliated with the independent label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), headquartered in Carson.
While Black Hippy never issued an album as a group, its members routinely appeared on each other's solo projects, frequently without formal guest acknowledgments. Kendrick Lamar attributed the group's sustained existence to the success of each artist's solo endeavors. Nevertheless, Lamar's exit from TDE in 2022 marked the effective conclusion of Black Hippy. The group briefly came together again on June 19, 2024, during Lamar's The Pop Out: Ken & Friends concert, before disbanding once more.
Formation and early years (2008–2011)
Black Hippy was formed in 2008, with all four artists signed to Top Dawg Entertainment, an independent record company based in Carson, California. The initiative for the group's creation came from Schoolboy Q, who sought to enhance his output by contributing just one verse per track. Initially daunted by the process, he found inspiration through the dedication exhibited by his fellow members. By 2011, Black Hippy had garnered recognition from prominent figures in the music industry such as Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Veteran hip hop artist Tech N9ne compared them to "the new N.W.A" and expressed interest in bringing them onto his Strange Music label.
Individual projects (2012–2016)
In March 2012, Kendrick Lamar secured a joint venture deal involving Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment, releasing his major-label debut Good Kid, M.A.A.D City through these partnerships alongside Top Dawg Entertainment. That same year, Black Hippy unveiled the "Black Lip Bastard (Remix)" video featuring all members and performed at the renowned Rock the Bells hip hop festival. They also collaborated on remixes for Lamar's tracks "The Recipe" and "Swimming Pools". In December 2012, it was announced that they would headline the 2013 Paid Dues festival.
By March 2013, Black Hippy made history as the first hip hop group to have every member included on XXLs annual Top 10 Freshmen list, reflecting their growing prominence in the market. They appeared on the cover of Respect magazine in April and embarked on a US tour with Kendrick Lamar later that year. To promote this tour, they released a remix of Rocko's "U.O.E.N.O." in May.
Following their notable TDE cypher performance at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards alongside Isaiah Rashad, Black Hippy featured in the October/November edition of XXL. They also performed at the 2013 Cali Christmas event hosted by Power 106 and Footaction. An interview conducted in 2014 suggested the possibility of a debut collective album.
On March 16, 2015, Kendrick Lamar released his critically acclaimed sophomore major-label album To Pimp a Butterfly. In June of that year, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, and Schoolboy Q appeared in the music video for its single "Alright". Jay Rock’s September 2015 release 90059 included "Vice City", marking Black Hippy’s first posse cut since 2013. Schoolboy Q’s July 2016 album Blank Face LP featured the single "That Part" with Kanye West, which was subsequently remixed by Black Hippy.
Disbandment and brief reunion (2022–2024)
In February 2022, Terrance "Punch" Henderson, president of TDE, officially announced the dissolution of Black Hippy, citing Kendrick Lamar's exit after nearly 14 years as the primary reason. Henderson explained that conflicting schedules and each member's focus on solo endeavors hindered the possibility of producing a collaborative album, although he expressed a personal desire for it to have occurred.
Black Hippy came together once more on June 19, 2024, during Lamar's The Pop Out: Ken & Friends live event, where they performed notable songs such as "Money Trees," "Win," and "King Kunta." Later that year, on November 22, Lamar unveiled his sixth studio project titled GNX, which included the track "heart pt. 6," in which he admitted responsibility for Black Hippy's breakup due to creative disagreements.
Singles
- As featured performers
| Title | Year | Highest chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US Rap | |||
| "That Part (Black Hippy Remix)"[1] (Schoolboy Q featuring Black Hippy) |
2016 | — | — | — | non-album single |
| "—" indicates a song that did not chart or was unavailable in that region. | |||||
Guest appearances
- Collective album contributions
| Song title | Year | Album title | Performing artist(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Try Me" | 2008 | Schoolboy Turned Hustla | Schoolboy Q (also includes Punch) | ||||
| "Welcome to C4" | 2009 | C4 | Kendrick Lamar (featuring BO) | ||||
| "Top Dawg Cypha" | Gangsta & Soul | Schoolboy Q (with Lil Louie) | |||||
| "TDE Roll Call" | 30 Day Takeover | Jay Rock | |||||
| "I Do It 4 Hip Hop" | |||||||
| "Shadow of Death" | 2010 | Black Friday | |||||
| "Rolling Stone" | 2011 | Setbacks | Schoolboy Q | ||||
| "Constipation" | Longterm Mentality | Ab-Soul | |||||
| "Say Wassup" | Follow Me Home | Jay Rock | |||||
| "Black Lip Bastard (Remix)" | 2012 | Control System | Ab-Soul | ||||
| "Fair Fight" | Stereo Type | Strong Arm Steady & Statik Selektah | |||||
| "The Recipe (Remix)" | Good Kid, M.A.A.D City | Kendrick Lamar (featuring Dr. Dre) | |||||
| "Swimming Pools (Remix)" |
Kendrick Lamar |
- |
"Vice City" | 2015 | 90059 | Jay Rock |
Videography
| Title | Release Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Zip That, Chop That" | 2010 | Matt Plunkett and Joseph Donaldson |
| "On Some Other Shit" | Calmatic | |
| "Say Wassup" | 2011 | Fredo Tovar |
| "Black Lip Bastard (Remix)" | 2012 | The ICU |
| "Alright" | 2015 | Colin Tilley |
| "Vice City" | 2015 | Joe Weil |
See also
- Top Dawg Entertainment discography
- Ab-Soul discography
- Jay Rock discography
- Kendrick Lamar discography
- Schoolboy Q discography
- List of musical supergroups
External links
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Articles with short description
- African-American musical groups
- Hip-hop groups from California
- Hip-hop collectives
- Musical groups established in 2009
- Musical groups from Los Angeles
- Musical quartets from California
- Top Dawg Entertainment artists
- Hip-hop supergroups
- Kendrick Lamar
- 2009 establishments in California
- Musical groups disestablished in 2022
- 2022 disestablishments in California
- Pages with script errors