Want to see some of the biggest names in hip-hop, for free, while giving back to the community? You’re in luck. Each holiday season for the last 12 years running, record label Top Dawg Entertainment hosts a charity concert in Watts, featuring performances by the dozen artists on its roster. That means this year, SZA, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Doechii, Isaiah Rashad, SiR, Ray Vaughn, Ab-Soul, Zacari and Kal Banx will all be taking the stage.
The concert will take place this Thursday, December 18, at Nickerson Gardens—the largest public housing complex in Los Angeles. And while admission is indeed free, the concert doubles as a toy drive, meaning you’ll need to bring along an unwrapped gift—whether it’s a toy, clothes, shoes or other donation—for the residents there.
Top Dawg Entertainment is the brainchild of Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, who grew up at Watts’ Nickerson Gardens himself. Tiffith founded TDE in 2004 as a neighborhood record label, focusing on local talent that included none other than Kendrick Lamar, who was signed to the label from 2005–2022 and received a Pulitzer Prize—the first in the hip-hop world—during that time. Tiffith and TDE have continued to give back to the community through the years, and in 2024, he was immortalized when an intersection in Watts was named after him.
Back to the show. Besides the artist on the lineup, you can usually expect special guests to show up. This year’s guests have yet to be announced, but in the past they’ve included the likes of Lamar, Travis Scott, Glorilla, Big Sean, A$AP Ferg and even Rihanna.
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As you can probably guess, a free concert with talent of this caliber is a pretty hot ticket. In fact, it regularly attracts over 10,000 fans, so we suggest showing up as early as possible with your donation for your best chance of getting in. The gates open at 10am. (And make sure to adhere to the bag policy so you don’t lose your place in line: Clear totes and plastic bags and small clutches are allowed in.)
The following day, TDE will host a Community Giveback day at the housing development, beginning Friday at 11am, when the toys will be distributed to residents. There’ll also be raffles, youth sports, festive photo ops, snow and more.