Mustard has shared that a number of rappers got a shot at the beat that eventually became Kendrick Lamar‘s “Hey Now” — but they turned it down.
When speaking to People in an interview published on Friday (January 17), the producer remembered that he made the beat sometime around 2019. Initially he shared it not with Kendrick, but a different West Coast rapper.
“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,” he said. “That’s why it’s just weird sounds. [H]e didn’t end up doing it.”
Then, Mustard continued, he let a Migos member get a crack at it.
“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.”
After that, the beatmaker said he played it for Ty Dolla $ign. While Ty made it into a song, Mustard said, “I never was all the way there with it.”
As for how the beat got to Kendrick, here’s what Mustard said.
“I was talking to Kendrick one day and I was just like, ‘Man, I got this really weird-ass beat, but I really love it. Like, I know that I love this beat.’ And I sent it to him and right away he said, ‘Oh yeah, I got it.’ And I was like, ‘Alright.’ But still, I hadn’t heard it until I went to the ‘Not Like Us’ video shoot.”
Back in early December, “Hey Now” was one of two of Mustard’s GNX contributions to make it to Billboard’s top 10. That track was at number five, and “TV Off” was at number two, during the week of the album’s debut.
At the time, Mustard shared his reaction in a post to his Instagram Story.
“I’m just getting started #2 and #5!” he wrote, with waving hand emojis.
Kendrick has got.to be one of the most overrated ‘rappers’ out.. people just use him music to try and project intelligence at this point
You must be a Drake fan. Get over it. He lost
Said no one ever
Way Now, Gay Now
Naw, that Drake.
Benderick is trash. F8ggots can’t do a thing about it. Everything in LA burned down while his homo rap anthem was number one. All the best areas too. All their bad mind energy is the cause and effect.
It’s me, The OvHoe f8ggot groupie again. Drake broke my back and destroyed my asshole. It’s all burnt out. Still wanting some real LA gangstaz to run a train on me.
Why do you have to comment on every Kendrick post? You’re ruining this already dead site. It’s annoying.
Here comes gay greg aka LeicaFuckBoi aka 🤔 here to bash Kendrick Lamar for telling the truth about Drake. Drake is a pedophile and he pays them also to hang out with him.
Hi, my name is BBQ at Bendrick’s and I like my own comments and had my bottom two ribs removed so I can suck my own dick.
FUCK Y’ALL🍖BEEF FOREVER 📉COCKSUCKERS DIE🤔BENDERICK GOT F8GGOT WAYS🤓 SO LA BURNT DOWN🔥
LA is up in flames, just like Drake’s career and your asshole
*Farts angrily*
Agree 💯 percent with Asshat
Beef aside, this beat isn’t that good. Its a Cali vibe, an dmany, many heads in the west coast, so telling them NO, isn’t going to work. Objectively speaking, its an average beat that fits as a filler on a 15 track album.