Punch Talks Backlash Over SZA’s Album: “We Know Exactly When It’s Coming Out”

We’ve previously reported on several interactions online involving SZA and her label, Top Dawg Entertainment, particularly with its president, Terrence “Punch” Henderson. He’s taken some heavy hits from both SZA and her fans as he’s often been blamed for her record not being released, and in a conversation with Vulture, he admitted that he understood the backlash he has received.

“We know exactly when it’s coming out. But on the internet, you only get a certain amount of characters. You don’t have time to really go into a full explanation of what’s going on like that when you’re in the moment and tweeting something,” said Punch. He also addressed why he released and later deleted a statement about the delay. “I looked at the response, and the statement wasn’t good enough for a lot of people so I just pulled it back. It’s cool. I’ll keep silent.”

Vulture said that the people want to know whether or not SZA is happy. “Is she happy? I’d say so. Last album, triple platinum. Very successful. I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking. Do you feel like she’s happy?” asked Punch. The outlet mentioned that SZA has publicly stated that there was contention with her label.

“Context is super-important. And you have to know the person, how something that reads online can be different from how somebody said it or meant it; it could be lighthearted,” Punch said. “What happens is people put a story into their own narrative and create a situation that’s not really there. I’m not going to say there’s never been contention. There’s always contention, especially when you’re dealing with creative. Difference in opinions, it happens, but that doesn’t mean somebody is unhappy or anything. It could’ve been a conversation in the moment. Then a lot of speculation happens.”

“I get it. We have to remember that context is important and you never get the full story through tweets.”