Mustard Explains How He Found Out His Beat for Kendrick Lamar’s Drake Diss ‘Not Like Us’ Got Used

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. Earlier this month, Mustard hopped on Zoom for an interview with XXL, in which he talked about his upcoming album, returning to the spotlight with a No. 1 hit and how he was oblivious to the K-Dot diss aimed at Drake until it was released to the public.

Despite what fans may think, "Not Like Us" was not a concerted effort by Kendrick and Mustard. It was the result of Mustard sending the MC random beats to choose from. Then one day, unbeknownst to the West Coast beatmaker, Kendrick happened to pick the track that ended up being his massive Drake diss. The hit comes with perfect timing for Mustard, as the producer is prepping his new album Faith of a Mustard Seed, which is scheduled to be released on July 26.

Check out a portion of the interview below, in which 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. 

Listen to Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" Drake Diss Produced by Mustard