Mustard Details Stories Behind “GNX”, Grammy Nods and What Happens After Kendrick Lamar Screams Your Name (Exclusive)

Mustard was visiting his local Walmart in Los Angeles, shopping for toys for his neighborhood around the holidays, when he heard someone yell his name at checkout.

It likely wasn't the first time, and it certainly wasn't the last, but three girls standing somewhere behind him screamed a line popularized by Kendrick Lamar on his latest album, GNX: "MUSTAAAAAARRRDDDDDD!"

Mustard, the veteran West Coast producer up for a few of the biggest trophies at the 67th Grammy Awards in February, tells PEOPLE that since the release of Lamar's surprise sixth studio album on Nov. 22, track "TV Off" has prompted fans to yell his name a little more than usual.

"It kind of caught me off-guard, so I'm looking, 'What the f---?' But I had to remember, 'Oh s---,'" Mustard, real name Dijon McFarlane, laughs about his department store encounter. "I hear it randomly if I go to the mall. I went to the mall for Christmas shopping and the guy was just like 'MUSTAAARRRDDDD!' I haven't been nowhere yet to hear it, but I have heard it."

After the year Mustard has had, he — and the industry as a whole — should be getting used to hearing his name some more, especially at the Grammys. On Feb. 5, Mustard and his production work are up for a handful of awards at the 2025 ceremony — largely thanks to Lamar's May 2024 anthem "Not Like Us," a track that also credits producers Sean Momberger and Sounwave. The song is up for record of the year, song of the year, best rap song, best rap performance and best music video.

Mustard, whose charting hits also include Tyga's "Rack City," Tinashe's "2 On" and Rihanna's "Needed Me," is also a solo nominee in the producer of the year, non-classical category. The recognition comes six years after he first took home a Grammy for best R&B song in 2019 for Ella Mai's "Boo'd Up."

Related: Kendrick Lamar Surprise Drops New Album 'GNX' with 1-Minute Teaser — Watch!

"Not Like Us," however, came as a surprise to Mustard. In the midst of Lamar's public exchange of diss tracks with Drake this past spring, Lamar dropped "Not Like Us" on May 4, using a beat that Mustard sent him to craft the perfect West Coast anthem, without Mustard even knowing what was to come. Since then, the song spent multiple weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, Lamar was announced as the headliner for the Super Bowl LIX Halftime show, and he and Mustard have continued to foster a musical partnership that's extended to two songs off GNX: "Hey Now" and name-wailing "TV Off."

"I just feel like all this s---, I got to attribute to God," Mustard says. "I've won a Grammy with Ella. I've been nominated for Grammys. I've had years of runs and I would think, 'Maybe I'll get a nomination here or there.' So for this to come right now it's just like, 'Oh, s—-. OK.' It's just time, man. Everything happens for a reason."

Ahead of the Grammys, Mustard caught up with PEOPLE about the stories behind his production on Lamar's GNX, the impact of "Not Like Us," his latest album Faith of a Mustard Seed and what this past year meant for his legacy behind the boards.

This interview was conducted on Jan. 8, shortly after the Palisades Fire's initial eruption on Jan. 7. Click here to learn more about how to help the victims of the L.A. fires.

Where were you and what was your reaction when you got the news of these nominations?

So I was actually in my condo with my newborn and my girl. [Mustard and his girlfriend Brittany Stroud welcomed a daughter in July 2024.] We were watching the nominations on TV and I don't know why, but all I was hoping is that “Not Like Us” had got nominated for a Grammy. That was my expectation. As long as I get one nomination for “Not Like Us,” I'll be happy.

So they started running down a list of the nominees and stuff and then they said “producer of the year” and nothing clicked in my head to be like, "Would I even get nominated for that?" And when they started listing the names and they said my name, I was just like, "What the F?" And I just started running around the house and s--- and it was like, I couldn't believe it. It was just like, "Huh?" I wasn't even thinking about producer of the year. That was so far out of my thought process when it came to it, I wasn't thinking about it. It was really crazy.

Even as someone who's been making music for several years, you still have these pinch-me moments?

I have no idea what's actually going on. I only attribute it to God and because nobody could have told me two years ago or a year ago that me and Kendrick would have the biggest song together because I was trying to get him on my album.

He was supposed to be on the song “Ghetto” with [Young] Thug and [Lil] Durk and we didn't end up doing it, but it was like nobody would've ever been able to tell me, "Yeah, you and Kendrick are going to have a crazy song, you're going to have another two songs that come out after." I would've never believed no s--- like that.

Like you said, "Boo'd Up" won six years ago. It's been five years since "Ballin'" was nominated. In that time, you made Faith of a Mustard Seed. What was the biggest thing you learned about yourself during that period in between, making the record?

To not be so hard on myself and just show up for myself every day. Go to the studio every day. Make sure you're doing something every day. I think if anything this has taught me, sending Kendrick five beats a day, to make sure you go to the studio and do at least three beats a day. At least. I need to at least do three beats a day just so you can send it to Kendrick. That's been in my regimen since. Even before “Not Like Us,” I was just sending beats over and over, not even knowing that a “Not Like Us” would even come from it.

Faith of a Mustard Seed was a name given to the album from [late rapper] Nipsey Hussle. How often, knowing what you were naming this album, did he come to mind during that creative process?

It was like a lot of questions that came from “OK, what would Nip do?” Nip would tell me, "Man, you the producer, man." I got video of him telling me like, "Man, whatever you tell me to do, bro, I'm going to do so you just tell me, you know what's best." And it's like a lot of that came to me thinking back, "OK, what would Nip do here if you were making a conceptual album?” And then even when I had to rap on “Pray for Me,” it was just like, I guess in the back of my head, Nip would say some real s---. He wouldn't say no gimmicky s---. He wouldn't say nothing that's not true to who he really was. And I had to be true to who I was and really double down on who I am and go for it and not be scared.

When you're scared of stuff, it's like when you go to school for your first day and you've never gone to school before. You just petrified. When you're having a kid, you're petrified. But it's always a beautiful outcome... So I think just having the courage and having the faith to do the rap song or just the album in general is what I got from thinking about Nip.

"Not Like Us" is five-times nominated. As you were making that beat, did it cross your mind to use it for something else? Or did it always feel like it needed to live with Kendrick?

You know what? I don't actually send anybody beats that I send him. So whatever I've sent him, nobody else has them. So I don't think that ever crossed my mind like, "Should I have sent this to somebody else?" No, I don't think I've ever sent any beats that I've done for him to anyone else. That's never crossed my mind.

What do you think it is about the beat that connected with him and then eventually so many other people?

You know what's crazy, man? When I made that beat, that was the last beat I made before I left the studio. And I wasn't as excited. Some beats I make and I'm like, "Man, this s---’s going to be crazy." And those are the beats that nobody likes for whatever reason. I don't know why, but “Hey Now,” I had the beat since 2019 or maybe a little bit earlier than that.

And I made that beat by myself. I remember I played it for YG and I'm like, “Bro, if you do this song, I'm telling you if you can figure it out, I'm telling you it's going to be like…” I was trying to make a West Coast version of “Grindin’.” That's why it's so empty like that. That's why it's just weird sounds. So when I made, “Hey Now,” I played it for him, he was like, "Ah…,” he didn't end up doing it. 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. And then Ty [Dolla $ign], me and Ty were doing some stuff and he did it and it was a good song, but I never was all the way there with it.

... And then I remember 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. He played me a little bit of it, but he just connected to it. So it's like, I don't know, man.

But when I heard “Not Like Us,” I wasn't as excited about “Not Like Us” as I was about “Hey Now” for whatever reason. I don't know why, but Kendrick was more excited about “Not Like Us.” He was like, "Man, this s--- is crazy." And I was like, "Alright, cool." That was just one of the five that I had made for him. So now I just send him everything that I do, out of the five beats a day. Sometimes I make more than five and I'll be like, "OK, I want to send some beats to Travis [Scott]."

Was the video shoot the first time you met up with him after the song released?

That was the first time. Me and Kendrick, surprisingly, have only been in the studio one time and that was when he was doing To Pimp a Butterfly and I was just there. I didn't have no input or anything, I was just watching. Never in the studio making things together or nothing like that.

What position brings you the most joy these days as a producer?

I'm not going to lie. I think that in this position, some people would be like, "Man, you got to get in the studio with Kendrick." And it's like, I feel like the relationship that we have is the best that I've ever been a part of because sometimes I'll be in the studio with, I've in the studio with Roddy, I've been in the studio with Quavo, these guys can do 10 songs a night— s--- like that. And although there's good chemistry with me and those guys, I don't talk to Roddy every single day, nor do I talk to Quavo every single day. But I talk to Kendrick every day, so I'm sending five beats a day and I'm like instant... I get feedback, "Oh, I like this, OK, I like this."

Me doing my own albums. That s--- is stressful. You got to find the artist, you got to get these artists and you got to chase them down. That s--- is just a headache. And although I enjoy it because I like the finished product and I like people to hear what I like and it's a difference when I'm producing for somebody else. But I think maybe this way where I literally can clock in to work at 2 o'clock, send five beats, get feedback and whenever it comes out, when it comes out, whenever it comes out, I know that the finished product is going to be crazy. That part of it. It's kind of like working smarter, not harder for me.

You told me the different lengths that it took to turn "Hey Now" into something, but did you have a similar feeling with "TV Off?" Was that in the same ballpark of, "I really believe in this song?"

So “TV Off,” those are two different beats of mine that he put together. That's another thing where I'm just like, what I'm telling you is when you're like, "What's the best thing?" It's like s--- like that. I'm sending him five beats, he takes two of these beats and makes two different songs and puts them together and I look like the genius.

Music is collaborative, you know what I'm saying? And there's no ego with me or him. So it's like, even with him, if he gets Jack Antonoff or Sounwave to do something to the record, I trust it because I don't have an ego when it comes to this s---. Whatever's for the best of the record. I think that's all on that same path with this whole thing. It's like, "Ah, OK, it makes sense." It's like a light bulb that goes off. So those were two beats that I had and they just put them together.

Would you ever consider "MUSTAAARRRDDDD" as a tag in the future?

Yeah, but I'm just like, that's a special tag, man. So maybe if it's on some s--- with Kendrick. I've thought about it but I haven't done anything yet and put it as a tag.

Plenty of artists have used your work this year and done their own thing over it. What was your reaction to Tyler, the Creator's "That Guy" freestyle?

Tyler ass is crazy, man. I text Tyler and he's like, "Do you have that beat?" And I'm like, "Yeah." That was it. And it came out and he was just like, "Yeah, I'm actually crazy." I was like, "Yeah, I bet." He's one of the best, too. He slid. And I've never heard Tyler or anything like that, so it was just hard.

Could you see yourself doing something with him?

Hell yeah. I'm praying and hoping, but same thing with him: I send him beats whenever I'm like, "Maybe Tyler will like this." I don't know if he's actually done anything [with them], but I'll definitely just text him beats and be like, "Man, hope to think he'll do something."

Is there a specific joy that comes from not hearing a song in full until after the fact?

I actually think it's better like that, with certain artists though. With certain artists, I want to have input and maybe I could make the record better, but certain artists are in it. Like producers. If it was Tyler, I wouldn't be surprised if he produced on a beat that I gave him because he's a producer, so I would be happy for him to produce with me on the record.

It's likely that the songs you made this year will be performed at the Super Bowl, at stadiums throughout the country on this Grand National Tour. Are you looking forward to seeing this moment?

Whether [Lamar] performs one of my songs or not, I think that I'm just a fan of what we've done and what he's done in general. Even if we didn't have a song or songs, I would be really interested to see what he's going to do. And I'm just like everybody else, I don't know what's going to happen, but I can't wait to see what he actually does. He's one of the greatest. So it's like seeing that and thinking about that. I'd probably do a backflip.

Related: Kendrick Lamar and SZA Announce Massive Co-Headlining 2025 Grand National Tour of U.S. Stadiums — See the Dates!

Looking back at last year as a whole — Faith of a Mustard Seed, "Not Like Us" taking off — what has it meant for you and your legacy? Is that something you think about?

Yeah, I think about it a lot. But I don't know the answer to that right now. I think when I'm doing certain stuff, I know. I don't know how to explain it. When you think about your legacy and it's like, "Man, I know people are going to talk about this forever.” And then when you go back and you look at my discography and "Oh, he did this and he did this." That's how I look at it.

Like Quincy Jones and Dr. Dre and Kanye West, and I'm just like, "Oh wow, Kanye did that and then he did that and he did that." And this is like knowing people will one day go and look at what I did. It is mind-blowing, man. I don't really have words for what. It's surreal.

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