OUR TOP STORY

"Get Top on the phone." Actually, Top will have to call you back, because he's insanely busy right now.

TDE boss Top Dawg is wrapping up the year in spectacular fashion as SZA drops her 38-track deluxe edition of smash TDE/RCA SOS (and heads for Grammy night with an R&B Performance nom for "Saturn"). Expect this iteration of her album, which includes a raft of new songs, to be among the most-listened-to non-holiday music of the season. She'll be joining Kendrick Lamar (about whom more below) for a giant stadium tour in 2025.

Meanwhile, hip-hop disruptor Doechii is definitely having a moment. The rapper-singer is up for a Best New Artist Grammy and is a nominee for Rap Album (for the acclaimed TDE/Capitol set Alligator Bites Don't Heal), Rap Performance and Best Remixed Recording. Her recent high-profile TV and live looks, meanwhile—notably on Colbert and NPR's Tiny Desk Concert and at Camp Flog Gnaw—have shown her hitting a riveting new plateau as a performer.

And then there's Kendrick, whose "Not Like Us" was one of the year's biggest songs and is a contender for both Record and Song of the Year, not to mention competing in Rap categories alongside "Like That," K. Dot's giant collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin. The rap visionary's latest pgLang/Interscope drop, GNX, revved into the marketplace with no warning on 11/22 and has been dominating the charts ever since. Indeed, its biggest tracks are holding their own with the mightiest of holiday songs at the DSPs even as Christmas draws nigh. Oh, and the man will also probably be fairly visible as the halftime performer at the 2025 Super Bowl. Top, of course, remains a player in Kendrick's circle. You can even spot him in the "Not Like Us" video.

After a sensational 2024, Team TDE will have plenty of reasons to chill the bubbly on New Year's Eve—and to keep it cold for Grammy night. Come to think of it, Top may not be able to call you for a while. But feel free to leave a message.