Kendrick Lamar performs at Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 16, 2017 in Indio, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty)
Troy Ave is known for saying controversial things, but a recent revelation from Top Dawg Entertainment, the record label of Kendrick Lamar, proves that the Brooklyn rapper was just plain lying.
Ave released his new mixtape NuPac last week (April 14th), where he revealed that he was offered a contact by Top Dawg while he was in jail, but “the whole sh*t just fell through.” Ave discusses the situation on the track “Truth Be Told PSA,” claiming that he and Lamar got close during this time, and that Lamar called up his then-manager Hovain to work out a deal with Top Dawg. “Yo, put the plan in action man,” Ave recalled, “We gonna go out West when I come home and we gonna sign with TDE.” Listen to the staggeringly long 32-minute track below. The Top Dawg portion begins around the 14:45 mark.
Ave went on to say that “I always liked what they was doing, they kinda independent like us, but way bigger because they went out and got with a major. They got sh*t that I like to see, like loyalty and unity, that type of sh*t. Cool. I give [Hovain] the whole play. Of course he can’t make that happen at all. At all. He doesn’t make it happen. The whole sh*t just fell through.”
While the story seemed genuine enough, there were those who though Ave’s account was odd, especially given that he had called Lamar a “weirdo rapper” in 2013. As it turns out, the truth was even odder than that. Top Dawg’s Twitter account, run by label heads Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith and Terrence “Punch” Henderson, addressed the rumors on Wednesday afternoon, saying point blank that Ave was lying. “4 the record,” he writes, “I’ve never had a convo with Troy Ave or any 1 in his camp… neither has KDot… yesterday’s story was fake news…”
4 the record… I’ve never had a convo with Troy ave or any 1 in his camp.. neither has KDot.. yesterdays story was fake news… #TDE
As to why Ave would make up such a detailed story remains to be seen, but one thing’s painfully obvious: he won’t be signing to Top Dawg Entertainment anytime soon.
