When I was in the fifth grade, my homeroom teacher Mrs. Reimer told us to write a paper about what we wanted to do when we grew up. Most of my classmates wrote about wanting to be firefighters, teachers, doctors or professional athletes. He used the assignment as an opportunity to formally decide which major rap label he wanted to join. I didn’t choose Bad Boy Records because by that time, Biggie had died and I didn’t really like wearing bright clothes. I really liked DMX and the Ruff Ryders, but I would often get car-sick and didn’t think that it would be the best fit if I had to start riding motocross bikes and ATVs everywhere. So that left Roc-A-Fella Records — the obvious choice. I could hang out with Jay-Z (and eventually Beyoncé), live in New York and throw money around while watching my friends ride horseback all day. I’m 26 now and a small part of me would still love to do all of those things. Looking back, I guess what I loved most about all of the rap labels, was that it was just a bunch of friends from the same neighbourhood, hanging out together and working to make their dreams come true (getting out their dreams, if you will).

But with the rise of solo artists in rap today, the prevalence of the rap label or rap crew has seemingly waned. cc ghetto hoodieNowadays, claiming allegiance to a particular label is just a way to sell a few t-shirts and hoodies.dortmund bvb hoodie That isn’t the case for Top Dawg Entertainment (T.D.E), the home of longtime friends Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolBoy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul, as well as more recent signees Isaiah Rashad, SZA, and Lance Skiiiwalker. zero hoodie borderlandsWhat first drew me to the collective was their uniquely west coast sound, yet universally relatable content — their music is for anyone struggling and trying to do better for themselves and those around them.hoodie denim kaskus

It was after a tough first year of my undergrad when I heard Kendrick Lamar for the first time. nismo gtr hoodieIt was on the track, “Far From Here” featuring ScHoolBoy Q off Kendrick’s self-titled EP. couple shirts for sale caviteJust as I was trying to find my footing in a new city, new university, and new stage of my life, Kendrick and company were trying to do the same in music. I was all in. Since then, the Top Dawg roster — with captain Kendrick at the helm — have won Grammy awards, headlined countless tours and festivals, and released some of the most poignant and culturally impactful music in recent memory. 2016 marked a landmark year for T.D.E. Kendrick, off the tremendous success of To Pimp A Butterfly, released Untitled Unmastered, a compilation of previously recorded B-sides, and never before heard tracks, which garnered as much buzz and critical acclaim as his first two studio albums.

ScHoolBoy Q, who has firmly planted his own flag in the hip-hop landscape for the foreseeable future, released his sophomore album, Blank Face LP, embarked on a world tour to promote it, and was nominated for a Grammy award for Rap Album of the Year. Isaiah Rashad, the youngest member of the T.D.E roster, released his debut album, The Sun’s Tirade. On the album, Rashad deals with many of the vices, inner demons, and depression that delayed his long anticipated release on the label, in which he will also be going on tour for next year. Newest signee Lance Skiiiwalker dropped his first T.D.E backed project, Introverted Intuition, where he actively tests the waters in the ever-changing R&B landscape of today. The most recent work from the T.D.E camp dropped December 9 with Ab-Soul’s fourth studio album Do What Thou Wilt. Often considered the underlying pulse of the west coast collective, Ab-Soul continually pushes borders of what it means to be a conscious rapper in today’s political climate.

Fellow label members Jay Rock, as well as the first lady of T.D.E, SZA, all have projects slated for a 2017 release. As a staunch defender of all things hip-hop, I will always point to T.D.E in debates of what rap music has to offer any productive member of society. T.D.E has helped me stay true to my convictions, pick my friends and family up when they get knocked down, never relent on the pursuit of my individual goals, and to power through any adversity that so happen to come my way. Rap music did that. I tend to gravitate to anything that reminds me of my childhood. People, places, music that conjures nostalgic feelings of listening to hip-hop in a pair of Jordans, a bootleg NBA jersey from the Philippines, and a fitted cap. That’s why I never want to escape the T.D.E orbit. They are just a bunch of friends with a dream, who took turns sleeping on the same couch while eating off the dollar menu, while working day in and day out to make their vision a reality.  The old adage goes, every dog has its day, but I have a feeling you’ll be hearing these Dawgs barking for years.

Like his music, Kendrick Lamar's collaboration with Reebok is an elegant way to deliver a powerful message. The shoes—low top Classics, in light gray suede—are relatively simple, especially compared to the complexity of his latest album To Pimp a Butterfly. But they also feature "Blue" on the heel of one shoe and "Red" on the other, a subtle plea for peace between the Bloods and the Crips and an end to gang violence. If you in any way doubt that Lamar takes his shoes as seriously as his music, just watch the ad Lamar did for Reebok last year."We can no longer sit idly by while the powers that be tell us how to live, how to think, how to act," he says. This is in a shoe commercial, but it feels like more of a spoken word call to action for social change. And it was delivered for his first collaboration with Reebok, on the Ventilator. Released in mid-2015, the shoe was an instant hit, with a neutral cream color and those same "Blue" and "Red" hits at the heels, along with the Top Dawg Entertainment (T.D.E.) logo. 

Riding on the success of the Ventilator, Kendrick Lamar and Reebok have unveiled a second collaborative shoe, the Classic Leather. The new style makes just a few changes to the first collab, with a slightly cleaner and sleeker design but the same message at its heart. And it's a classic look that goes back to Lamar's own connection to footwear."I always go back to me being in middle school and wearing Reebok Classics," Lamar told Complex last year. "My favorite artists at the time, The Hot Boys, Juvenile, Lil Wayne and them cats rocked them." According to rumors the shoe is expected to be out on January 16. Check out more photos below via sneakers.fr. A Look Inside Our (Very Stylish) Mavericks of Hollywood Party with Hugo Boss Steph Curry Is Not Cool with Under Armour's Pro-Trump Comments Kyrie Irving on the Perks of Being a Grown-Up Sneakerhead The Founders of Saturdays NYC on Their Ambitious New Collection Joe Jonas and Jimmy Fallon Are Underwear Models Now