Mustard says Kendrick Lamar tapped into some serious Dragon Ball Z energy when he first caught the “Hey Now” beat for his new album GNX.
During a chat with GRAMMY.com, Mustard spilled that K-Dot told him his beats take his rap game to another level. Apparently, the “Hey Now” instrumental had Kendrick feeling like he was literally Goku – you know, only one of the most legendary manga and anime heroes ever.
“I had heard ‘Hey Now’ during the ‘Not Like Us’ video shoot; he played me a snippet. I asked him, ‘Man, what made you do that?’ And he said, ‘When I heard the beat, I just felt like Goku or something’,” shared Mustard. “I was like, ‘What?’ And he explained, ‘Yeah, when I hear certain shit on your beats, it brings out something else in me, so I just did whatever I felt.’ I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy.'”
If you’re not up on your Dragonball lore, just know that Goku’s a certified legend – just like Kendrick’s been his whole career. Last Spring’s Drake beef? That’s when K-Dot went full Super Saiyan (one of Goku’s power moves) with “Not Like Us” produced by Mustard. That track was the knockout punch in their heated rivalry, with most folks calling it Kendrick’s win.
In a People interview, Mustard dropped another bomb – turns out YG, Quavo, and Ty Dolla $ign all passed on what became “Hey Now.” Kendrick scooped it up though, and turned it into a hit, landing at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“I played it for YG … I was trying to make a West Coast version of ‘Grindin’.’ That’s why it’s so empty like that,” the DJ explained. “That’s why it’s just weird sounds. [H]e didn’t end up doing it.”
Mustard added, “After YG, And I played it for Quavo, and I’m like, ‘Quavo man if you get this if you can connect to this song, I’m telling you,’ he’s like, ‘What the hell you want me to do to it? You want me to whisper on the beat?’ And I’m like, ‘Alright.’ So I didn’t force it on him.”
