In 2024,Kendrick Lamarreleased his sixth studio album,GNX. One of the standoutsongs on the surprise albumwas “heart pt. 6.” Beyond the lyrics and the sound, the song is a standout for one specific line that some listeners latched on to: a major suggestion that Lamar was the reason why his supergroup, Black Hippy, failed. In his own words, he says, “Black Hippy didn’t work ‘cause of me.”
The TDE branded supergroup Black Hippy, which featured Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, and Ab-Soul.The rap collective was active between 2008 before ending unceremoniously in 2022. K. Dot blames himself for the uneventful nature of their disbandment. While there are some truths to Kendrick being one of the key reasons for the group breaking up, to call Black Hippy a failure might be an overstatement. Black Hippy’s run together may not have generated the same success as Kendrick, but their separate careers skyrocketed as a direct result of Black Hippy.
Kendrick Lamar’s Supergroup Explained
How and Why Did Black Hippy End?
The beginning of Black Hippy can be traced back to the founding of the Top Dawg Entertainment record label in 2004. The first artist who Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith signed to the label was Jay Rock in 2005, with Kendrick Lamar coming not far from behind mere weeks after the label’s founding. Ab-Soul would be signed in 2007. In between all this,Schoolboy Q signed in 2006, but he would become the key piece to the puzzle of Black Hippy’s formation.
Q once admitted in an interview withThe Faderthathe was the one who conceived of Black Hippy to sustain the creative stagnation he was feeling at the time. “[Black Hippy] was actually my idea because I was slacking in my music,” Q said. “I figured if I could be in a group I could just write one verse and I could be good.” Initially, he felt intimidated working with three wordsmiths in the studio, but in his eyes, their skill rubbed off on him. Kendrick shares a similar sentiment on “heart pt. 6,” where he praises Ab-Soul, “wishin’ I could rhyme like him / studied his style to define my pen.”
What Happened To Kendrick Lamar And J. Cole’s Canceled Collab Album?
J. Cole not only confirmed that his collab album with Kendrick Lamar not only was real, he provided audio evidence of it. So what happened to it?
The group quickly produced a cult following thanks to singles like “Zip That, Chop That,” “Say Wassup,” “Vice City,” and the remix to Schoolboy Q’s “That Part.” That last 2016 track would serve as the final track that all members would feature on together. While they would hit a drought in content for years, Black Hippy was not officially considered over until 2022, when Kendrick Lamar left TDE to focus more on a new visual and music company that he has founded with Dave Free, called pgLang. It’s worth noting, though, they briefly reunited for one night only at Lamar’s 2024 Pop Out concert.
Where Is Kendrick Lamar’s Black Hippy Teammates Now?
Black Hippy Aftermath
Despite no longer being a member of TDE, Kendrick Lamar is currently enjoying the pinnacle of his success. In the midst of hispublic feud with Drake, Lamar released one of the best-selling songs of 2024 in “Not Like Us.” The success of that song contributed to Kendrick being chosen to headline the upcoming Super Bowl halftime show performance.The surviving members of TDE are also all finding respective success. The creator of the Black Hippy concept, Schoolboy Q, just released his most critically acclaimed album to date,Blue Lips, peaking on the Billboard 200 charts at 13.
In the time since Black Hippy’s collapse, the most elusive and tight-lipped of the group, Ab-Soul, returned to the booth for the first time in six years with his albumHerbert. In the time since, the song “Pi,” featuring himself, Daylyt, and J. Cole charted on the Billboard Hot 100, a first for Ab. He quickly followed that up with his most recent album, Soul Burger. Finally, Jay Rock has not released an album since 2018’s Redemption, but is expected to drop a new one in 2025.
It’s also worth noting that Jay Rock’s collaborations with Kendrick Lamar - Album of the Year for featuring onKendrick’sgood kid, m.A.A.d. cityalbum, Best Rap Song and Performance for “King’s Dead” and “Win,” which features uncredited ad-libs from Kendrick - earned Rock four Grammy nominations, winning for “King’s Dead.” While Rock’s achievements as a solo artist cannot be understated and was largely achieved on the strength of his own skill and merit,this Grammy win was a direct result of Kendrick, which counters Lamar’s claim that he failed Black Hippy.
Although Black Hippy as a collective did not achieve the same level of success as its members, Kendrick Lamar used his influence and success to help contribute to the individual success of each member.Kendrick may feel as though he failed Black Hippy on “heart pt. 6,” but he overlooks the lines in which he admits to putting the team first every chance he could:
That was back when the only goal was to get Jay Rock through the door
Warner Bros. Records, hope Naim Ali would let us know
Was excited just to go to them label meetings
Wasn’t my record deal, but still, I couldn’t believe it
Me and Rock inside the booth, hibernating
It was simple math, if he made it, that mean I made it
Everything I had was for the team, I remained patient
Grindin' with my brothers
It was us against them, no one above us
Bless our hearts
Rock, Ab, and Q all made it because Kendrick made.Kendrick Lamar’ssuccess sparked that for the others, and even without creating that same spark for themselves as a collective, Black Hippy still has a devoted cult fanbase who remembers them fondly.
