How can you argue TDE didn't take Ls this year? They followed up a huge 2012 with...pretty much nothing. Jack Rock had a huge verse last year, you would think that he would release a mixtape this year. That alone would have taken some of the pressure off Q.
They signed SZA yet she didn't release anything, outside of a couple (meh) tracks. And they signed another guy with a nappy beard who won't do anything on the mainstream level. Eh...
Jay Rock's verse wasn't so big that dude needed to execute this year or fail. And no way he would come out before Q. Dude needs the most songwriting help out of the entire camp before he can release a major label debut.
I think the expectation that they should sign an artist and turn around an album in a few months is pretty ridiculous. People criticize labels for not doing enough artist development nowadays, a label tries to let shit cook until it's ripe to deliver to the masses and people come at them for not making moves fast enough.
They did fuck up by halting pretty much anything coming out outside of Q and Kendrick, but the only real L is Oxymoron in 2014 instead of late 2013.
I don't think they've regressed, only maybe Ab-Soul because of some of his idiotic Christopher Dorner comments. Otherwise Jay Rock and Q are both in better places and most importantly, Kendrick has more power he can leverage to help dudes post-Control. I hate to use Control so often as landmark, but it really is. It was a thing and Kendrick's name is in everybody and their fans' mouth after it.
