Hip-hop collective Black Hippy — comprised of Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul — has reportedly signed a joint venture deal with Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records, Top Dawg Entertainment founder, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, told Fader. The move might not come as much of a surprise if you’ve been following Black Hippy for some time now. Rumors of an association with Aftermath founder, Dr. Dre, have been swiriling from the get-go.

Back in February, Kendrick and ScHoolboy talked to The Juice on their upcoming records, Q’s then-recently released “Habits & Contradictions,” as well as releasing music independently.

“The pros of being independent always have been to have that creative control,” Kendrick told The Juice, “not only with your music but how you go about putting it out. At the end of the day, me putting out that free music helped me to get where i’m at now. i don’t have the money to distribute my music out there–that’s really the con of being independent.”

Though more details are still to come, it has been announced that Kendrick Lamar’s much anticipated, though still untitled album, will be released by Top Dawg, Aftermath, and Interscope; and Top Dawg and Aftermath will handle all future releases by Schoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock.

When asked about a possible Black Hippy record, ScHoolboy Q responded with a laugh, “I keep telling everybody, man. I want some money for Black Hippy. I’d be cool with just me and stuff, I be humble. But if it’s all four of us, I can’t be humble. We gotta get some money for that.”

Well looks as if they have. If that means a Black Hippy record is on the way, we will certainly put our support behind it.

-billboard.com