2024 marks the 20th anniversary of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), the renowned hip-hop record label founded by Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith. Over the past two decades, TDE has been the launchpad for iconic artists such as Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Jay Rock, and ScHoolboy Q, who have all contributed to the label’s legacy and community-focused initiatives, including the annual TDE Christmas Concert and Toy Drive. This year’s event drew an incredible crowd of 10,000 attendees and distributed $750,000 worth of toys and clothing donations for families in the local community.
Held on Thursday, December 12th this year, day one has annually seen 10,000-15,000 fans flock to Watts to experience the holiday charity concert. The concert featured TDE artists (SZA, Jay Rock, Doechii, Isaiah Rashad, SiR, Ab-Soul, Ray Vaughn, Zacari, Kal Banx, and more) as well as a special guest performance by GloRilla and Lefty Gunplay. Prior special guests have included Rihanna, Chris Brown, Big Sean, A$AP Fergand others. Those who attended the charitable concert gained entry by bringing unwrapped toys, new clothes/shoes, or other donations intended for residents of Nickerson Gardens.
The second day of TDE Christmas featured a Community Giveback. The Giveback event included a toy giveaway, toy donations, raffles, youth sport programming, barbering services, carnival attractions, a snow experience, and a family holiday photo opportunity as well as other festive activities – all complimentary to the community. This year's toy drive giveback has been made possible due to key toy donations from Jakks Pacific, Inc. Amazon, Amazon Music Rotation, and PhatMojo. Brands that have donated products for the youth include Converse, True Religion, Pro Club, The Shop Men’s Grooming, K-Swiss and more. The Los Angeles Rams will also hold a co-ed football clinic for youth ages 7-14. For adults who attended the Giveback, TDE partnered with the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) Watts WorkSource Center to provide a job fair with organizations who offer employment on site, and are aligned with creating reentry pathways for ex-offenders.
Since its inception, TDE has stood as a pillar in the music community but this success is only mirrored by the label’s prioritization to give back to some of the most marginalized and under-resourced communities in Los Angeles. This year marks the 11th annual holiday event at the City of Los Angeles Housing Authority, Nickerson Gardens Public Housing development in Watts; where Tiffith and other label members including Grammy Award-winning artist Jay Rock both grew up.
The two-day event presented by TDE’s charity Top Dawg Love the Kids, a 501 3C incorporated in 2023, has become a holiday tradition for Nickerson Gardens residents and members of surrounding LA communities.
Charitable contributions continue to make this event a focal point during the holiday season. This year’s key contributors include: Wasserman, Live Nation, Amazon Music Rotation, Interscope Capitol Labels Group (ICL), RCA Records and more. TDE would also like to acknowledge our local community resources including HACLA, LAPD, LAFD, LA City Councilmember Tim McOsker, Office of Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Los Angeles County Justice Care and Opportunities Department led by Judge Songhai Armstead, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Suburban Water Systems, and Vermont Slauson Economic Development Center for their continual support of this event.
