⁠"I started going crazy" - DJ Mustard on finding out about Kendrick Lamar using beats sent by him in Drake diss track 'Not Like Us'

DJ Mustard recently spoke to XXL Magazine about producing Kendrick Lamar’s recent hit, Not Like Us, which was a diss track targeting Drake. During the interview held in early June, DJ Mustard revealed that while the fans think the song is a collaborative effort, the beats of the song were actually sent to Kendrick by DJ Mustard.

Mustard claimed that he randomly sent some beats to Lamar, and when he heard Not Like Us for the first time, he was shocked to hear his beats in the song. Recalling how he was on the freeway when he first heard the song, he stated that while he was driving, he got many texts from people that read “Mustard on the Beat, Mustard on the Beat.”

Stating how he instantly called his manager, who revealed to him that “Dot just dropped a song, it’s your beat,” he shared his reaction and narrated:

“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.”

The song, Not Like Us was released on May 4, 2024. While the song is a diss track aimed at Drake, it is produced by DJ Mustard, along with Sounwave, Sean Momberger, and other artists.

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Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us grew popular at a time when DJ Mustard was gearing up to release his new album

As Kendrick Lamar released the song, Not Like Us, DJ Mustard shared in the interview that the song became extremely popular amongst the masses at a time when he is all set to release his new album, Faith of a Mustard Seed on July 26, 2024.

During the interview, he also opened up about how he sent Kendrick the beats:

“I made that beat on my manager’s birthday on April 6. I sent Kendrick maybe three beats that day. He just hearted it. I didn’t hear it ’til the song came out.”

Furthermore, he also talked about how he now feels “accomplished” 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. 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.”

Not Like Us brought a lot of fame to Kendrick Lamar and DJ Mustard, as many publications like Complex named it the best song in the Kendrick-Drake beef. Lamar released several tracks aimed at Drake, including, Euphoria, 6:16 in LA, Like That, and many more.

On the other hand, Drake also released his share of diss tracks in the rap war, including Push Ups, Taylor Made Freestyle, Family Matters, etc.

On the other hand, DJ Mustard, AKA Dijon Isaiah McFarlane is best known for many of his albums including 10 Summers, Cold Summer, The Ghetto, Perfect Ten among other mixtapes and singles like Ketchup, Money, Throw It Up, This D, Or Nah, Vato, Down on Me and even Why’d You Call.