Mustard

L.A.’s rap landscape in the 2010s was irrevocably changed by Mustard and his arsenal of gut-punching beats. The innovative producer, born Dijon Isaiah McFarlane in 1990, first gained renown by bringing the minimal percussive jangle of the Jerkin' movement to the mainstream in 2011 with the regional Tyga hit “Rack City”. Mustard spread his signature blend of ice-cold synths and pummelling bass onto the national stage by linking up with two Atlanta rappers, 2 Chainz for 2012’s “I’m Different” and T.I. for 2014’s “No Mediocre”. But Mustard returned to his L.A. roots that year when he handled a majority of the production on YG’s Bompton classic, My Krazy Life. With a nearly telepathic connection between MC and producer, YG and Mustard worked methodically in the studio to develop a G-funk revival subgenre. Since Mustard had by then become synonymous with a more minimal production style, he surprised fans by pushing his sound ever closer to his collaborators’ on 2019’s Perfect Ten. The Migos-featuring “Pure Water” blends West Coast hedonism with ATL swagger, and on the Future-assisted “Interstate 10”, Mustard provides the molasses-thick beat Future so often raps over to emphasise the latter’s penchant for sipping cough syrup while recording. Mustard continues to explore how far he can push his style without entirely abandoning his City of Angels roots. “I want to do something that people think I can’t,” he explained to Apple Music. “...But I still love to give my fans that ratchet shit, too. I know that stuff like the back of my hand.”