TDE President Punch on SZA’s Album and Kendrick Lamar’s Departure

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( a long talk [TDE President Punch: ‘I Understand the Backlash’]( But he’d still like to correct the record on long-awaited albums from SZA, ScHoolboy Q, and Jay Rock. Photo: Courtesy of @the7views via Instagram You either respect Terrence “Punch” Henderson or you hate him, depending on which stage of development your favorite Top Dawg Entertainment artist’s upcoming album is in at the moment. As president of the label that molded the careers of Kendrick Lamar, SZA, ScHoolboy Q, Isaiah Rashad, and so many others, Punch is your line to [all the stars]( on the roster whenever they’re off the grid living their lives and fine-tuning new songs. It has been a prickly position this year: Demand for a new project from SZA reached a fever pitch, a devastating hack led to Rashad coming out as sexually fluid during a [sit-down with Joe Budden](, and Lamar released [Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers](, his final album with TDE before departing for [pgLang](, his new endeavor with Baby Keem (the cousin whose platinum-certified 2021 Kendrick team-up “Family Ties” marked pgLang’s first hit record) and Punch’s former co-president, Dave Free. All the while, Punch is promoting a new hip-hop collective — [aroomfullofmirrors](, featuring an intriguing cast of characters including battle-rap provocateur Daylyt, rapper-singers Lyric Michelle and Billymaree, rhyme technicians Nick Grant and Jrias Law, and beat-makers Hari and Ichiban Don — and trying to find a good time to drop his own solo album. I spoke to Punch last month to figure out where SZA’s record is and to gauge how the front office feels about a star player developing his own franchise. [Read the story]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now](for unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • [The Real Housewives of Atlanta:]( Mrs. Worldwide • [Becoming Elizabeth:]( The King Is (Almost) Dead • [Westworld:]( Murder Me a Little • [P-Valley:]( Welcome to the Stage Ms. Tina Snow • [90 Day Fiancé:]( The Big Days • [Flatbush Misdemeanors:]( Too Legit to Quit [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like 1. [A Timeline of Travis Scott’s Post-Astroworld Public Return He will perform a Las Vegas nightclub residency, Road to Utopia, beginning in September.]( 2. [John Oliver Kinda Feels Like HBO Is Being Burned Down ‘for the Insurance Money’ “Hi, there, new business daddy.”]( By Rebecca Alter 3. [Beyoncé Cuffs It (Her 7th No. 1 Album) With Renaissance Out of seven solo albums.]( By Justin Curto 4. [Tina Snow Drives the Boat All the Way to P-Valley Megan Thee Stallion’s alter ego makes a guest appearance on the hit Starz drama.]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( 5. [Lars von Trier Diagnosed With Parkinson’s Disease The Danish director is “in good spirits and is being treated for his symptoms.”]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Today’s Crossword 8-Across, Nine Letters: Broadway musical that will soon star Lea Michele. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos by Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images, Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images and Jason Mendez/Getty Images for The Town Hall [Vulture Recommends]( We consume it all so you don’t have to. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photo Courtesy of A24 People love [A24](, the indie studio behind critical and commercial darlings such as [Everything Everywhere All At Once](, [Ladybird](, [Moonlight](, and [Uncut Gems](. But when moviegoers gush over an “A24 film,” it can be hard to tell whether they’re more excited about the “A24” part or the “film” part. On the latest episode of Into It — an excerpt of which you can read below —host Sam Sanders talks with Vulture movie critic Alison Willmore and senior writer Nate Jones about the signature aesthetic and branding of A24 and asks whether the studio is changing the film industry writ large. [Read more from Vulture]( A Saturday newsletter from the people who make New York Magazine. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](param=vulture-daily) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2022, All rights reserved