\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div> \t\t\t\t\tSounwave, Lamar, and Jack Antonoff<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOli Jacobs<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201cI remember putting [the sample] in the MPC and chopping it up,\u201d he says of \u201cSquabble Up,\u201d for which he enlisted producer Scott Bridgeway \u2014 \u201ca master of the 808\u201d \u2014 to come up with the beat. \u201cHe put his imprint into it, and it finally started to form into something. But it was way too fast. Once we slowed it down, we knew we had something special.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMan at the Garden\u201d stands as one of GNX\u2019<\/em>s more introspective performances. Sounwave recalls recording the song in New York with Antonoff, and getting rap legend Nas\u2019 blessing to interpolate his Stillmatic<\/em> song \u201cOne Mic\u201d on the track \u2014 but it was Lamar\u2019s rhythm that brought it all together. \u201cIt started to form into something where Dot just all of a sudden had this flow,\u201d the producer says. \u201cThe flow felt so nostalgic, so personal, and we just built off of that.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\tAccording to Sounwave, not all of the tracks were initially intended to be full songs. \u201cLuther,\u201d the massive SZA collaboration, started off as an interlude and took shape with help from the songwriter Ink. \u201cI got a call from our boy Sounwave, \u2018Yo, pull up on this,\u2019\u201d Ink says. \u201cWe been locked in since then. It\u2019s always good to work with people that inspire you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tNow, the Luther Vandross-sampling cut is up for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Melodic Rap Performance at the Feb. 1 awards.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThere were no drums. It was literally me chopping the sample and Dot just humming melodies. We had the sample in the tuck forever, we just never could crack it,\u201d Sounwave says. \u201cBut once he hit this one specific melody, I knew that this had to be bigger.\u201d The shift in creative direction illustrated how material thought to be minor became central to GNX<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tSometimes that happened with the assist of another producer. While Sounwave was the chief architect, he leaned on a secret weapon, Mustard, on tracks like \u201cHey Now.\u201d \u201cMustard comes through when he needs to come through,\u201d he says, \u201cand he popped up with that record. I remember, instantly, everybody in the room started to dance and we never could let it go.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\tThe seismic \u201cTV Off,\u201d up for Best Rap Song, evolved from a single idea into a two-part composition with help from jazz virtuoso Kamasi Washington, another credited producer on GNX<\/em> who has worked on every Kendrick project since To Pimp a Butterfly<\/em>. \u201cKamasi replayed the string section, and it just started to get bigger,\u201d Sounwave says.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tMargaret Qualley with Sounwave<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOli Jacobs<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201cIt felt like I was a part of a group of people that were all very brilliant,\u201d Washington tells RS<\/em>. \u201cIt felt like an honor. It felt like, \u2018Let me do my little part to add to it.\u2019 I tried to absorb being with everybody else. I kind of have trust in Kendrick and all of them, and they got to take it to a place that\u2019s the ultimate level.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tEveryone knew right away that the moment in \u201cTV Off\u201d where Kendrick shouts out Mustard\u2019s name would be a fan favorite. \u201cOnce everybody first heard that \u2018MUSTARD!,\u2019 the reaction was instant laughter, joy, and energy,\u201d Sounwave says. And Lefty Gunplay, whose six-word<\/a> contribution to the same song is another highlight, recalls the positive vibe in the room: \u201cI had a note pad and I was writing. Then Kendrick Lamar walked in the studio, came straight up to me, gave me a hug,\u201d he says. \u201cHe told me that he\u2019s had his eye on me and that I\u2019m doing my thing in Los Angeles. That I\u2019m the missing piece of the West.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tElsewhere, \u201cWacced out Murals,\u201d the song that opens GNX<\/em>, was born out of an unexpected early-morning recording session driven by Kendrick himself. \u201cYeah, that was 100 percent a Kendrick moment,\u201d Sounwave notes. \u201cI think he did that at like 6 a.m. one night. I just remember being excited and getting pumped up from hearing it. I wasn\u2019t even in the room when he created that.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBut the album\u2019s heart and soul lie in two distinct callbacks. \u201cReincarnated\u201d is a fiery reimagining of 2Pac\u2019s posthumous cut \u201cMade Niggaz,\u201d while \u201cHeart Pt. 6\u201d samples SWV\u2019s \u201cUse Your Heart.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tSounwave at the board<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOli Jacobs<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tThe creation of \u201cReincarnated\u201d required substantial reconstruction to preserve the authenticity of 2Pac\u2019s original. It was difficult to navigate, Sounwave says, because of the way \u201cMade Niggaz,\u201d which originally appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film Gang Related,<\/em> is regarded as a conceptual masterpiece.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat\u2019s Pac. That\u2019s Gang Related<\/em> soundtrack. That\u2019s a moment for us, and we didn\u2019t want to mess it up. I knew we couldn\u2019t just sample it,\u201d he says. To pay proper respect to the original, Sounwave brought in bassist Noah Ehler and pianist Matthew \u201cMTech\u201d Bernard to record new parts. \u201cIt started to feel more tailored to what we were going through,\u201d Sounwave says.<\/p>\n \n\tLamar and Sounwave are both proud Los Angelenos, and they give a nod to their hometown ballclub on \u201cDodger Blue,\u201d featuring Wallie the Sensei, Siete7x, and Roddy Ricch. The song, released between two World Series wins for the city, underscores GNX\u2019<\/em>s themes of hometown pride and creative camaraderie \u2014 it takes a team, after all.<\/p>\n \n\tSiete7x notes that he was particularly proud of sharing the track with three other artists from the same section of the M.A.A.D. City. \u201cI was proud,\u201d he says. \u201cI was smiling ear to ear, just grateful. We all from the same west side of Compton. We all from that little circle, that bubble, so that really felt good. We all come from the same place, trying to come out, make it out, and we\u2019re doing it. We\u2019re dedicated, we\u2019re making it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tTwo more songs on GNX<\/em> that capture that sentiment: \u201cPeekaboo,\u201d featuring AzChike, and the album\u2019s title track with Hitta J3, YoungThreat, and Peysoh. Sounwave says they emphasize Lamar\u2019s desire to collaborate with intention and showcase artists he respects. \u201cThat\u2019s who his character has always been,\u201d Sounwave says. \u201c[He\u2019s] just like, \u2018I believe in y\u2019all. I want you guys to shine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tPeysoh agrees. \u201cIt was all around good vibes,\u201d he tells RS<\/em>. \u201cEverything was so natural. Conversations just flowed. We touched on certain topics with each other before even making any music, for real. It was just an all-around dope experience. Kendrick is a very humble, down to earth individual. He definitely did his thing for the West Coast, and brought out some of the [rising] artists. Gave us a platform, a spotlight, and boosted our voice, all together.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tAntonoff, Lamar, Sounwave, and Ink<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOli Jacobs<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tCase in point: the vocal contributions throughout the album from mariachi singer Deyra Barrera<\/a>. \u201cCompton is a small city, but it\u2019s a big gumbo pot. My neighbors will play Juan Gabriel all day, loud,\u201d Sounwave says. \u201cThat was a missing piece to us. We needed to capture the same feeling we had back then. And when she came in, it was just magical instantly. She understood. Hopped in a booth and had everybody in the room chills.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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