Jack Antonoff Reveals How One Text Message Led To Kendrick Lamar Relationship 

BY Aron A.
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Kendrick Lamar performs during the second day of Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn. on Friday, Jun. 16, 2023.
Kendrick Lamar performs during the second day of Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn. on Friday, Jun. 16, 2023. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Add HNHH as a preferred source on Google
Jack Antonoff helped produce a majority of the songs on "GNX."

Sounwave deserves his dues, am I right? Kendrick Lamar’s long-time collaborator has played a critical role in the impeccable career trajectory we’ve witnessed since the Kendrick Lamar EP. And in a lot of ways, his role with Kendrick and TDE as a whole contributed to how they developed such consistent quality with each release. 

Sounwae also helped bring Jack Antonoff into Kendrick’s creative world. During an interview with Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, the Taylor Swift collaborator and Bleachers member explained how that creative relationship was all a coincidence that started with a text from Sounwave. 

“I have a band with a guy named Sounwave and a guy named Sam Dew. Wave grew up with Kendrick and has produced all his albums, and they were upstairs at Electric Lady one day, and I was downstairs working on something, and Wave texted me,” Antonoff recalled. “He's like, 'Come upstairs and mess around.' I go upstairs, start playing some chords. Didn't leave for three years."

For Kendrick, Sounwave wasn’t just a collaborator responsible for his biggest hits but someone who also brought along other collaborators to the fold, such as Jack Antonoff. Antonoff’s relationship with Kendrick birthed a large portion of GNXroughly 11 out of 12 songs, and even the ominous “6:16 In LA,” which he produced alongside Sounwave.

Jack Antonoff Discusses “Secret World” With Kendrick Lamar 

It seems like there’s a high chance that we’ll hear more from Kendrick Lamar and Jack Antonoff in the future. DJ Akademiks recently suggested that Kendrick Lamar might be releasing new music in the near future. With the summer approaching, hopefully, we’ll get some new music from Dot. Check out Jack Antonoff discuss his relationship with Kendrick Lamar at the 1:22:30 mark above. What's your favorite Kendrick Lamar x Jack Antonoff collaboration? Let us know in the comment section below.

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.

Comments 0