Producers Detail Kendrick Lamar‘s Prolific Creation of ‘GNX‘
Los Angeles, CA - DJ Mustard adn Sounwave have revealed details surrounding Kendrick Lamar’s remarkably productive creative process behind his latest album, GNX.The Compton rapper reportedly generated approximately 100 songs following the completion of Mr.Morale & The Big Steppers in 2022, ultimately refining them into the 12 tracks that comprise the late 2024 release.
The collaborative effort to shape GNX involved a deliberate push beyond familiar sonic territory, according to those involved. Sounwave, who has worked with Lamar since his 2009 EP, described the initial stages as ”throwing paint on the wall,” ultimately coalescing into a “massive funky West groove” reflective of their Compton roots. He then brought in collaborators like Mustard and Jack Antonoff to elevate the sound further.
“The beginning of it was throwing paint on the wall,” Sounwave told Variety. “And it started to form this massive funky West groove that we love as [Kendrick and I are] from Compton. And in that, I started to realize the people who we should bring in to push it even further, like the Mustards, the Jacks … I was very fortunate to have these friends who are very talented to push it to the next level.”
DJ Mustard specifically tailored his contributions to meet Lamar’s artistic demands. ”I knew that I couldn’t send Kendrick normal Mustard beats,” Mustard explained to Variety. “I was sending [Kendrick] all types of s**t, anything that I thought sounded like something that I’ve never made before. That’s what I was going for,as Kendrick is different.”
The track “tv off” emerged from a combination of two separate instrumentals Mustard initially presented, a fusion he didn’t inquire about the origin of. “I never asked Jack or Wave who put those two beats together, or Kendrick,” Mustard said. “I care, but I don’t care. I was just like, that was great.” The song’s viral success, fueled by Lamar’s ad-lib shoutout to Mustard, even led to a Heinz condiment collaboration with the producer.
Kendrick Lamar is currently nominated for nine Grammy Awards in 2026, including Album of the Year for GNX.
