The TDE Championship Tour In 10 Gifs
Start writing a post
Entertainment

The TDE Championship Tour In 10 Gifs

If you weren't able to go, don't worry.

126
The TDE Championship Tour In 10 Gifs
Instagram

I'll be honest. I'm not as big of a Kendrick Lamar fan as the rest of the entire world, so when I saw that SZA cancelled her part of the TDE tours, I didn't want to believe it. Going into the experience with half the excitement I originally had made the entire experience a wild ride. Since I know not everyone can afford to drop $80 on a ticket, I figured I would spread some of the poor money managementwealth.

First things first: a TDE crash course.

TDE stands for Top Dawg Entertainment. It is an independent record label that was founded in 2004 by Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. There are nine artists signed to the label: Zacari, Lance Skiiwalker, SiR, Isaiah Rashad, Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, SZA, and Kendrick Lamar. Zacari, the most recent addition, is mostly known for his sweet vocals that can be heard in the background of a number of the artists' songs; most notably LOVE. by Kendrick Lamar, which began as a pitch of his own song titled 'Lovely'. Outside of the mainstream hits that SZA and Kendrick Lamar have proven to be, each of the other artists have garnered their own intimate, dedicated fan bases. The majority of the crowd knew more than just Kendrick's songs, which was a nice surprise.

1. The Arrival

The first thing I saw upon arrival was a mass of high-schoolers passing around a bottle of vodka, and I immediately regretted my decision to go. Being pre-disappointed by the whole SZA deal, I began to wonder why I paid $80 to spend a few hours surrounded by children. After getting past security, I became aware that they were charging $20 for drinks and $8-10 for food. Like really, y'all? I can't even get a senior citizen discount or something?

Rating: 0/10

2. Seating

If you've ever been to Lakewood Amphitheater, you know that VIP and the more expensive tickets get seats. General admission gets a grassy hill to work shit out on with the rest of the Plebs. I had never been. So at this point, I paid $80 to spend a few hours sitting on a grassy hill surrounded by children. L O L

Rating: -1/10

3. SiR

Unfortunately I fell victim to searching for real bathrooms and missed Lance, but SiR came out the gate with some pretty smooth notes. Because I was least familiar with SiR's music, I couldn't really get 100% into his set, but he was a solid warm up. Some of the people in the crowd vibed with him a lot.

Rating: ?/10

4. Isaiah Rashad

Isaiah Rashad changed the course of the concert. Everyone stood up for him. Partially because no one was expecting him to be there. Partially because he is one of the most underrated, talented members of TDE. He performed '4r Da Squaw' and 'Free Lunch'. It was great, but he doesn't get all 10 points because we're still waiting on that new album.

Rating: 7/10

5. Jay Rock

Jay Rock has experienced a spike in popularity since being featured on the Black Panther Album (They played 'King's Dead' like 3 times throughout the concert). Surprisingly, he is traditionally a 'Gangsta rap' artist, and performed some of his old songs. He also performed his newest song 'Win', which exists in the realm of generic that is enough to make it popular, and although it's not particularly skillful or impressive, it's amusing enough to warm you up to liking it by the end of the song. He's also dropping an album on June 15th.

Rating: 6/10

6. Ab-Soul

I honestly don't know much about Ab-Soul, but from what I heard, homeboy is extremely talented. Like I was actually impressed. He was another artist that almost everyone in the crowd knew. He performed 'Huey Knew' and 'Terrorist Threats'.

Rating: 8/10

7. Schoolboy Q

Schoolboy Q was probably the most engaging and charismatic of the artists on stage. He talked and joked a lot which was really nice to see, as venues as large as Lakewood can lose intimacy in size. He was very high energy and positive which I always appreciate in an artists I'm seeing. Schoolboy performed more song than most of the other artists including 'Collard Greens' and 'Dope Dealer', and 'Studio'. He promised to release an album by the end of the year.

Rating: 8/10

8. The DJ

The DJ that played between sets was really good as well. He did a great job of playing an array of old and current songs and really kept the audience's energy up. Although his transitions were a little shaky, he deserves some acknowledgement.

Rating: 9/10

9. The Funnel Cake

I broke down and paid the arm and leg to get a funnel cake and tbh, it was great. Deserved an honorable mention.

Rating: 8/10

10. 'Pulitzer Kenny'

Everyone in the crowd was Beyonce for Kendrick's entire set. He spent 10 minutes being summoned by some weird techno-music which was interesting. But when he finally came out it was amazing. The visuals were amazing. I was kind of surprised because he didn't have as much stage presence and charisma as I expected him to (Schoolboy Q must've stolen the whole crew's personality or something), but it was still really great. He opened with 'DNA', and did 'Swimming Pools', 'Alright' (twice), 'Humble' (twice; the first time the crowd performed it for him), 'Backseat Freestyle', 'LOVE.', and many, many more. By the end I was tired and ready to sit down and he was still going. But it was lit.

Rating: 10/10

In Conclusion

Overall, it was a great experience. 10/10 would recommend. 10/10 would do again.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

53412
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

34331
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

956867
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

181622
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments