Posted by Kendrick Lamar has been switching things up behind the scenes as he readies his forthcoming album, which he announced will be his final release on Top Dawg Entertainment.
The Compton rapper’s latest change is to his inner circle as he is now managed by Anthony Saleh, who also oversees the careers of fellow Hip hop heavyweights Nas, Future and YG.
The news was revealed in a recent music industry roundup on HITS Daily Double, as spotted by TIDAL’s Chief Content Officer and veteran rap journalist Elliott Wilson.
“Kendrick’s new manager touts hip-hop superstar’s first U.S. live show in years with huge Vegas engagement. Bet everything on the K. Dot,” the blurb reads, referencing Kendrick’s headlining performance at Day N Vegas festival on Friday (November 12).
“Didn’t realize my guy Anthony Saleh @Dude_Br0 was managing Kendrick Lamar,” Wilson tweeted on Monday (November 8) along with a clip of the story. “Wow. Big moves. Congrats.”
Didn't realize my guy Anthony Saleh @Dude_Br0 was managing Kendrick Lamar. Wow. Big moves. Congrats. pic.twitter.com/1d5gPlKMjS
— Elliott Wilson (@ElliottWilson) November 9, 2021
Anthony Saleh is a veteran music executive and the founder and CEO of Emagen Entertainment Group, an artist management firm that boasts Nas, Future and YG on its roster.
He became Nas’ manager when he was just 23 years old and has worked with the rap icon for over a decade. Together, they launched the venture capitalist company Queensbridge Venture Partners, through which they’ve invested millions in startups such as Dropbox, Lyft and Coinbase.
As for Future, Saleh took over the management reigns in 2014 following the disappointment of Honest and helped revive the Atlanta rapper’s career with his red-hot mixtape mixtape run in 2015 that culminated in the release of DS2 and his What a Time To Be Alive collaboration with Drake.
“I want [my artists] to have complete control over their creative input and allow me to do what I do best, which is run the business and sell whatever is created,” Saleh said in a 2016 Forbes interview. “If I have to be involved in the creative, I’m not as effective with the business.”
Since the start of his illustrious career, Kendrick Lamar has been managed by former TDE co-president and producer/director Dave Free, who introduced a young K. Dot to the label’s founder, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, in the 2000s.
It’s unclear whether Dave Free remains involved in Kendrick’s career in a managerial capacity, although the two continue to work together as the co-founders of pgLang, the creative company they launched in March 2020. Kendrick and Dave also form the award-winning video directing duo The Little Homies.
Kendrick Lamar Announces Next Album Will End TDE Career: ‘See You Soon Enough’
Naturally, news of Kendrick Lamar sharing the same manager as Nas, Future and YG lead to chatter surrounding potential crossovers between Anthony Salah’s client list. “Need that Nas & Kendrick collab… Hit-Boy on production,” one person wrote under Elliott Wilson’s tweet.
Kendrick has previously worked with Future and YG on songs such as “King’s Dead” and “Really Be (Smokin N Drinkin),” respectively, while the excitement over a photo of Kung-Fu Kenny hanging out with Nas shortly after the launch of pgLang proves the enduring appeal of a Kendrick Lamar-Nas collaboration.
Rap heads also continue to await word on Kendrick Lamar’s new album, the long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Pulitzer Prize-winning DAMN.