Mustard is back in the spotlight after producing Kendrick Lamar‘s smash hit “Not Like Us,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart back in May. Desptie what fans may think, the song was not a concerted effort by Kendrick and Mustard, and was the result of Mustard sending Kendrick random beats and the Compton, Calif. rapper happening to pick the track that ended up being his massive Drake diss. The hit comes with perfect timing for Mustard, as the Cali beatmaker is prepping his new album Faith of a Mustard Seed, which is scheduled to be released on July 26.
Earlier this month, Mustard hopped on Zoom for an interview with XXL, where he talked about his new album, returning to the spotlight with a No. 1 hit and how he was oblivious to the record until it was released to the public. Check out a portion of the interview below where Mustard reveals how he found out his beat was used for K-Dot’s massive diss track. The full interview appears in the Summer 2024 issue of XXL magazine on newsstands now.
XXL: “Not Like Us” is one of the biggest records in the world right now. How does it feel to get that No. 1 under your belt finally?
Mustard: I feel like I’m just living in it right now. I’ve had big records, but I’ve never had a record with this kind of impact. So, it’s an unexplainable feeling.
Do you feel validated by this one?
I never look for validation from anybody in the music industry. But do I feel accomplished? Yeah. I feel really good about what this did. And I do feel like it should make people respect who I am.
How did this record come together?
I made that beat on my manager’s birthday [April 6]. I sent [Kendrick] maybe three [beats] that day. He just hearted it. I didn’t hear it ’til [the song] came out.
What was your reaction when you heard the song?
When I heard it, I was on the freeway, and I just, like, my manager hit me, like, ‘Mustard on the Beat.’ Like, ‘Text me now.’ I’m like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I got another couple texts, and people like, ‘Mustard on the Beat, Mustard on the Beat.’
These are people I be with all the time, so I’m like, “What the f**k is everybody…” and then I call my manager. I’m like, “What did I miss? What’s going on?” And he’s like, “Man, go to YouTube right now. It’s out.” I’m like, “What?” He’s like, “Dot just dropped a song. It’s your beat.”
I’m like, “For real?” I go, I listen, I’m like, “Whoa!” I started going crazy. I had a f**kin’ Vegas show that night, so I played that sh*t all the way to the f**kin’ plane, got to Vegas, played it that night. It was f**kin’ crazy, man. That’s some crazy sh*t.
Most of the time, the general public doesn’t know who produced diss track beats, but you’re part of this epic beef. How does it feel to be part of this historic situation?
I think that’s the faith part of it. Believing in yourself and knowing that one day, some shape or form is gonna come for you.
Read the full interview in the Summer 2024 issue of XXL magazine.
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