Despite what the naysayers like Champagne Papi have to say about it, Kendrick Lamar is riding for Compton until the wheels fall off. Since his early days in rap, K. Dot has collaborated with then-up-and-coming LA producers, like Sounwave, to create albums that sparked critical acclaim and GOAT predictions.
With their deep knowledge of hip-hop along with jazz, funk, and soul, the producers behind some of Lamar’s biggest hits helped shape his alternative hip-hop sound that balanced socially conscious lyrics with mass appeal.
The one-of-a-kind music they produce is because of the time and collaborative efforts that go into their craft — and it pays off.
DJ Dahi told Rolling Stone in 2022, when talking about Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers, that Lamar and his producers “create like a band.”
“Certain people in the room kind of add a certain taste or a certain outlook on music. So it created a melting pot of interesting drum grooves or interesting sample choices or interesting styles of playing. Then you get a pool of ideas that feels a little bit unexpected. But I think since we’re from an era and our ears are tuned into certain things, we’re going to create that naturally,” he said in the interview.
Today, those who have rode with the Compton native since the beginning are still here to show that “they’re not like us.” We’re spotlighting five big production players who produce Lamar’s beats for some of his most popular songs and found anecdotes of what goes on behind the curtain.
Sounwave
The Compton producer has also been a long-term player on Kendrick’s producing team, riding with him since he released his 2009 self-titled extended EP. He worked on the Drake disses “euphoria” and “Not Like Us.” He was also a part of the team for Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. He talked with GQ in 2017 about creating songs on DAMN. and the precise process K. Dot has.
“It’s definitely a gift and a curse. Sometimes we’ll butt heads. I’ll feel like it’s done. ‘Let’s put it out.’ Then he’ll say, ‘Nah, but listen to this 0.3 seconds on this right here. It’s not connecting.’ And that’s when it hits me. ‘You know what? You’re right. Let’s go back in.’ Granted, look at his track record: It’s amazing work. So you never go against his word. If he says something you listen to it. And 99.9% of the time, it’s right,” he said.
Sounwave’s five biggest Kendrick Lamar beats
- “m.A.A.d city”
- “XXX.”
- “Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
- “King Kunta”
- “Poetic Justice”
DJ Dahi
The L.A. producer has worked with K. Dot for over ten years. Growing up in a strict household, Dahi couldn’t listen to the curse words in rap’s biggest songs at the time—but he could listen to the beats. While he is best known for the production on 2012’s “Money Trees” (you can thank him for the celestial Beach House sample), he also worked on DAMN. and Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.
Regarding the latter album’s creative process, Dahi speculated that Kendrick recorded over 400 songs but explained why only 19 made the final cut. “He obviously has songs he’ll complete but also a lot of it is an idea, and it’s a really dope idea. Then we plug that idea in as a hook or a verse line.”
“It’s really just getting those ideas out and then being able to come back and be like, ‘Oh, I can use this or this part of this.’ His process of recording is pretty nuts. So I wouldn’t be surprised if we looked at the hard drive, and he has thousands of songs.”
Dahi’s five biggest Kendrick Lamar beats
- “Money Trees”
- “XXX.”
- “LOYALTY.”
- “The Heart Part 4”
- “Count Me Out”
Terrace Martin
The L.A. native has a background in hip-hop and jazz, playing multiple instruments, which informs his unique perspective on production. He moved from producing for Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Nate Dogg to becoming a key player on Kendrick’s team.
He produced “Real” and the title track for 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d. City, and got his first Grammy recognition when it was nominated for Album of the Year. He was heavily involved in K. Dot’s 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly, producing songs like “Mortal Man” and “Wesley’s Theory.” Currently, he teased that he is back in the studio with Kendrick to deliver his next great album.
He has his own POV when it comes to working with Kendrick. During their process for TPAB, Martin said in 2016 that “you’ll find out more about him in the studio or…you just gotta catch that dude. He’s a bunch of different cats, and that’s why that music is like that: the fun side, the light side, the dark side, all different sides. He knows how to play the different sides of his life, to convey the message through his art.”
Terrace Martin’s five biggest Kendrick Lamar beats
- “m.A.A.d city”
- “King Kunta”
- “Alright”
- “The Blacker the Berry”
- “LOYALTY.”
Bekon
Formally known as Danny Keyz, a simple text message with DJ Dahi got the artist and producer a seat at the table. Previously collaborating with Eminem and RZA, Bekon went from meeting with Lamar and his team one random night to contributing heavily to Kendrick’s DAMN. album. People began to want to know who was behind the moniker, using the lessons and leverage he had from Lamar to release his solo project Get With The Times in 2018.
In a heart-to-heart moment with K. Dot once DAMN. wrapped, Bekon said in a 2018 Billboard interview that “ Kendrick said to me, ‘You gotta decide if you want to keep inspiring the people who inspire the world, or if you want to inspire the world …’”
“I really thought about it, and I came back to him a week later and said, ‘Both.’ I love the idea that I could whisper into the ear of a king or a queen, and use that as some sort of influence for what I hope is good, but at the same time there’s this thing I feel like I need to say…When I said that, he said, ‘You know what, just go do it. Whatever you need from me, I got you. Just go do it.’”
Bekon’s five biggest Kendrick Lamar beats
- “ELEMENT.”
- “FEAR.”
- “PRIDE.”
- “The Heart Part 5”
- “Auntie Diaries”
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams is known as a GOAT in rap music for his smooth lyrics and his one-of-a-kind production. He is behind hits like Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and K. Dot’s “Alright” (where he contributed vocals as well). They first started working together on good kid, m.A.A.d. City in 2012 and most recently can be heard on the song “Mr. Morale” for Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.
Williams gave Lamar his flowers for his creativity and writing process, expressing that he is “one of the greatest writers of our times…I watched the rhythms hit [Lamar], and I watched it just bubble to the surface—whatever the song was making him feel—and I watched him commit to that, and I watched him stay disciplined.”
Pharrell Williams’ five biggest Kendrick Lamar beats
- “Alright”
- “good kid”
- “Mr. Morale”
- “Don’t Do It!”
- “The Mantra”