Five years can seem like a long time to wait for a new album for many fans (at least, those who don’t remember the gaps between albums from A Tribe Called Quest, Black Star, Dr. Dre, and Guns N’ Roses). So, SZA fans, who have mostly grown up in the era of instant gratification via streaming, delivery, and ride-share services, have been understandably impatient for news about the follow-up to her beloved 2017 debut, CTRL. Much of that ire has been directed at Punch, the president of SZA’s label, Top Dawg Entertainment (often seemingly spurred by SZA herself),
Today, though, Punch — who’s been pretty patient about the whole situation, all things considered (stans: not fun to deal with) — decided to offer some transparency on social media, offering an explanation for the increasingly lengthy delay between projects, especially given SZA’s announcement about a “SZA summer” stoking fans’ impatience. Check it out below.
Transparency. pic.twitter.com/rw28FtvLGl
— Punch TDE (@iamstillpunch) July 21, 2022
I guess I should give a bit of context.
SZA and myself initially spoke about a summertime album. Which is why she mentioned summer in a post-Grammys interview.
Shortly after discussing everything with RCA and Top, we decided it was best to do it a little bit later to set everything up correctly, giving it its proper space and lead time.
There is a lot that goes into putting out a album and especially one with this much anticipation. We thank you for your continued patience and understanding. An announcement will be coming sooner than you think.
Punch
