The label was founded in 2004 by record producer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, who is the chief executive officer.

[1] Top Dawg Entertainment was founded in 2004 by Anthony Tiffith, a record producer who previously worked with rappers The Game and Juvenile, among others.

After his uncle found success as a manager for singer Rome, whose single "I Belong to You (Every Time I See Your Face)" was a major hit, Tiffith began scouting local talent as an escape from the street life of his Watts neighborhood.

[3][4] In 2007, TDE signed Ab-Soul,[5] while rapper Terrence "Punch" Henderson and record producer Dave Free assumed the role as presidents of the label.

[9][10] In March 2012, The Fader reported that TDE closed a joint venture deal with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records.

[11][12] TDE partnered with BET for their Music Matters Tour in July,[13] and held its first "appreciation week" for their fans in August.

[14] Lamar's second studio album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City , was released in October 2012 and debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart and earned the highest first-week sales of the year by a male rapper.

[17][18] The label announced the signing of rapper Isaiah Rashad on September 20,[19][20] after publications reported on his acquisition in June.

[21][22] Lamar, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul and Rashad were featured in a TDE cypher at the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards.

[30] To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), Lamar's third album, became TDE's first project to debut atop the Billboard 200 and set Spotify's global first-day streaming record (9.6 million).

[34] Singer and rapper Lance Skiiiwalker signed to the label on May 20, and released his debut album Introverted Intuition on October 18.

[67][68] SZA's second studio album, SOS (2022), broke several Billboard chart records and spawned TDE's second number-one single "Kill Bill".

[72][73] In February 2018, the label and Interscope Records purchased five screenings of Black Panther in three theaters to allow 1,000 children from three Watts public housing complexes to view the film for free.