Every so often, the internet gets a'buzzing about the prospect of Kendrick Lamar and J.Cole collaborating. They've done so a few times previously and as the two pillars of hip hop in the funky post-2012 period (not the end of the world but when there was a shift in the cosmos), when these two artists do anything together, the result is nothing but exceptional. Same goes for when they drop individual music as well and the ripples aren't just felt musically, their impact goes far beyond downloads and streams as they also carry immense social influence.

They share so much, which is why they are both pillars of hip hop and as a kiwi battler, I'm super grateful to have two leaders guiding us through this weird phase of transition. Lamar and Cole use their voice for their own people in United States of America, yet their influence is felt worldwide and that's perhaps the strongest indicator of their greatness. Both have strong teams around them as well and one of the low key things they have in common are record labels that lead the music business.

Top Dawg Entertainment and Dreamville Records are the undisputed leaders in record labels, not even in the hip hop sphere as hip hop is the biggest genre right now, thus making the biggest hip hop acts and labels, the biggest and best in the world. This begins with the fact that Lamar is a TDE artist and Cole is a Dreamville artist, having the two hip hop leaders definitely helps both labels' status, but to gain such status (27fm's Funkiest/Most Glorious Labels) you need so much more than an individual artist. When you consider what both labels have, Lamar and Cole end up being rather small components of their respective label's greatness.

Both labels have deep artist rosters that are also of the highest quality. TDE has Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad, SZA, Lance Skiiiwalker and SiR. Dreamville has Cole, Omen, Bas, Cozz, Lute, Ari Lennox, J.I.D and EarthGang. If my mathematics serves me correctly, that's eight artists on either roster and each artist holds their own as impressive creatives, with their own fanbases that don't rely on a connection to Lamar or Cole.

Whether it's Schoolboy Q or SZA, Lute or Dreamville's latest signees out of Atlanta in J.I.D and EarthGang, these creatives are emphatic talents in their own right and have already built sustainable careers. Their all at the start of their curves, well, in terms of really tapping into their peak abilities as they have all laid down strong foundations through years of hustling and creative exploration.

Perhaps the better way of explaining that is by using Jay Rock as an example. Rock was the first TDE artist and has been on the radar since 2008, his album 'Follow Me Home' is still one of my favourite projects and goes hard to this day. Yet, I firmly believe that Rock's best work is still to come, hence I'm always excited by a new Rock project because he's always showing improvement or development in his music. That's Rock and other than Cole, he's the most experienced artist from either label, so it goes without saying that younger/fresher artists have their best years ahead of them.

And we have no reason to think that they won't deliver better music as they grow, which can't be said for many other artists who struggle to back up their breakout projects. TDE and Dreamville have built up trust with their audiences that new projects will be better, or at the very least different from that artist's previous project. That starts at the top with Lamar and Cole, who always offer something different with each release and each release stands alone as an intriguing listen, regardless of when you listen to it.

In sports we talk about the 'culture' of teams/franchises and both labels have fantastic cultures that breed creativity and wholesome vibrations, led by the leaders. Sure, Lamar and Cole play a major role in that but this is more evident in the leadership of each label; 'Top Dawg', 'Punch' and 'Dave Free' for TDE and Cole and Ibrahim Hamad for Dreamville. To sum this up, all I need to say is that either label has a flawless record in terms of the artists they sign as creatives and as humans. The leadership of either label is responsible for that and their flawless records reflect righteously on the leaders of either label.

Both labels also have strong rosters of in-house producers. TDE's producer roster has Digi+Phonics, King Blue, MixedByAli, Sounwave, Tae Beast, THC and Willie B, while Dreamville has Cole, Elite, Ron Gilmore, Cedric Brown, K-Quick, Meez and Omen. Artists from both labels use a wide range of producers so there's no specific 'sound' associated to either label, but all the producers chip in with their label's artist and when you consider the difference in sound of each artist and then how often that general sound has changed, you can only appreciate the skill of these production teams.

There are literally too many examples of either label's non-music creative releases and wholesome human antics (generosity and leading their communities through good vibrations and love). All I can do here is provide these examples and let you enjoy the creative vibes and get inspired to help other people...

These aren't just music labels, these are now cultural institutions that provide so much more than an outlet or platform for a few artists. To even name them as 'record labels' doesn't feel like its doing them justice and their influence stretches far wider than music. They impact so many lives with just music, which is cool in itself, yet TDE and Dreamville are out there spreading the vibes outside of the music.

Of course, as record labels there is a business aspect and while this is super intricate and complex, the basic structure is that both labels have distribution deals with Interscope. TDE is a label that is still somewhat independent, with distribution via Interscope and this gives them flexibility to distribute SZA through RCA Records/Sony. How that all works is beyond me, but you just need to know that any TDE release is mainly a TDE product with a splash (a small splash) of Interscope/RCA assistance; TDE still do what the fuck they want.

Dreamville is also under the Interscope umbrella, but in the sense that Dreamville is an Interscope label. This is like Dr Dre's label Aftermath being an Interscope label, as opposed to the TDE style where TDE has a distribution deal with Interscope. Again, this is super tricky and I'm not privy to all the details, but it's important to note that both labels maintain full control over their music and dictate their own proceedings.

While both labels have been around for a hot minute, I feel like we are now genuinely entering the TDE/Dreamville era. TDE built out their roster late last year with the addition of SiR and this followed the signings of SZA and Lance Skiiiwalker in the last few years, thus giving TDE the depth to really establish their roots and assert dominance beyond the Black Hippy artists. Dreamville on other hand only signed J.I.D and EarthGang this year and finally dropped Lute's Dreamville debut last month, thus giving them some serious depth to their roster.

The top end of either label has been establishing themselves for over five years now and now with both labels making moves to bring in new artists who are themselves exceptional talents, both labels have moved into a new phase. TDE and Dreamville aren't just the labels that house Lamar and Cole anymore, the truth is that they were never just that as they always had other artists enjoying success at the same time. They have now unquestionably become gigantic forces in music by forming deep rosters that ooze variety and quality. No one else is in the same league right now and all these artists have their best years ahead of them, so may the TDE/Dreamville era commence.

Peace and love 27.

Bang an ad to show your support to the Niche Cache.