REASON has officially closed the Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) chapter of his career, announcing on Tuesday (June 18) that he and the label have parted ways. The Carson, California rapper expressed his appreciation for the past few years in a heartfelt statement on Instagram.
In his post, REASON thanked the law firm that assisted with the legalities, writing, “Thank you for the time, love, and support, and a huge appreciation to @lktlawfirm for helping me through this process! Love!”
“It comes with great appreciation and excitement that I want to announce my split with TDE,” the 33-year-old rapper wrote. “I want to give a huge thank you to Top himself, not only for giving me a chance to live out my dream but also for hearing me and understanding my decision to travel a different path after the years. There’s truly no words for the amount of respect I have for you, and that’ll never change, no matter what.”
He continued by thanking TDE fans and fellow artists, “I also want to thank every single TDE fan who embraced me and allowed me to share my music with them. There’s no world in which you don’t mean the absolute most to me. Last but not least, a thank you to all the artists who embraced me. Thank you for being a constant inspiration and ear while trying to navigate this industry and music. Thank you guys for the time and a huge thanks to everybody for this experience. Excited for what comes next!”
REASON signed with the California-based label in 2018 and gained attention after being featured on Black Panther: The Album, the official soundtrack for the Marvel film executive produced by TDE. He released two full-length LPs, New Beginnings in 2020 and Porches in 2023.
The current roster at TDE includes prominent artists such as SZA, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad, SiR, Zacari, Doechii, and Lance Skiiwalker. The label is led by CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, with Anthony “Moosa” Tiffith Jr. and Terrence “Punch” Henderson serving as presidents.
While REASON’s tenure at TDE was marked by significant achievements, some fans may not find the split surprising. In a March interview, he described his label situation as “delicate.”
“I’m still signed to the label,” he said. “I just think shit just ‘delicate.’ Like, I don’t really know what the fk it is, right. To me, it’s just all weird. I don’t really know what the situation is. I’m still signed to the label right now. That’s not a knock on none of the other artists. Like, I don’t know exactly what it really is… I’m just in a space where I’m just focused on whoever fk with me, fk with me. And the people that, not saying they don’t, but if they don’t, if they’re one of the people that don’t, then fk’em.”
Earlier, during an appearance on the Back on Figg podcast in August 2023, he mentioned the lack of support from the label, saying, “We had certain features lined up that could’ve went through. On my end, the rollout and excitement right now is kind of the thing that’s missing.”
Fans can revisit REASON’s Porches album below and read his statement above.
