In a recent interview with Complex, Kendrick Lamar’s trusted collaborator Terrace Martin shared the stories behind several of the tracks from the MC’s surprise release.
“Untitled 06,” for example, was apparently produced by Adrian Younge, a retro-soul stylist known for his work with Ghostface Killah and Bilal. “It’s from earlier in the process of recording To Pimp a Butterfly,” Martin explains. “I just remember walking into the studio room at No Excuses, where we did the record, and seeing Ali, Kendrick, and everybody playing this one. I thought they were playing an old bossa nova record from Antônio Carlos Jobim, or a Stan Getz record, but then I heard singing on it, and rapping. It was Kendrick. That’s the record when I first thought, ‘Whoa, we might be going to some different dimensions.’ I heard it that one day, and I just heard it again on my Spotify 11 minutes ago.”
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Martin saves the most praise for Swiss Beatz’s son, who helped with “Untitled 7:” “He’s gonna be bigger than everyone. Last night on Instagram, I was like, ‘Is this a joke?’ And then I read what Alicia wrote on Instagram about her baby. That made me cry, reading what they said and listening to his music. That is what this music is about. Representing family, unity, youth, the next, the new, the fresh.”
Read the full interview here.
