Top Dawg Entertainment’s Hilarious Studio Rules Should Be The New Constitution
“Shut up and look ugly for the homies.”
A workspace's energy is a perilous thing — one wrong element can ruin an entire session. Top Dawg Entertainment has risen to the upper echelons of rap with Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Ab-Soul, SZA, and more. So, keeping their studio energy perfectly configured is a huge factor in their success.
On Wednesday, a photo of TDE's studio rules shared by ScHoolboy Q on Snapchat resurfaced on Twitter (they had previously been shared by Derek "Mixed By" Ali on Instagram in 2013). They're a cheat sheet for finding a working groove with the hip-hop collective — using Instagram and Facebook, and asking for Q's weed are both faux pas, and being able to withstand a roast is a must. It's also hilariously written, with one initially confounding standout: "Shut up and look ugly for the homies." Read it a few times and it makes sense. Check out the photo above, and the transcribed rules below.
TDE's studio rules
1. If you ain't one of the homies don't be Instagramming you creepy muthafucka. I don't wanna look on yo twitter and find a creepy ass pic of me or one of the homies, matter of fact, No Twitter or Instagram in the studio! Act like you been around a bunch of rich niggaz from the bottom before!
2. If the homies just met you and decide to clown yo bitch azz, sit there and deal with it. It's part of the creative juices.
3. Don't touch, ask, or reach for Q's weed, unless he thinks you cool enuff to pass it to you. We only smoke stersonals around here boy.
4. Shut up and look ugly for the homies.
5. Remember these rules and you might get a meal out the food budget!