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He answers that he only needs headphones and an MPC to construct the spine of some of the most indelible anthems in recent memory. I ask if there’s a studio inconspicuously lurking behind a rotating wall of his new digs. “I’ve been coming here for peace and quiet to work.” “We’ve been working on my house and it’s taken longer than expected,” Sounwave, 32, says about his spot in the Valley. On this weekday afternoon, the only occupants are Sounwave and two employees, one of whom brought delicious fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. Idling in the corner, a Kobe Bryant “Robojam” souvenir action figure offers the reminder that Top Dawg and his artists are arguably the most famous new Lakers courtside fixtures of the decade. He’s currently upstairs in TDE’s downtown headquarters, a surprisingly tranquil two-story aerie adorned with neon signs of the company logo, flat-screen TVs, magazines with TDE artists on the cover and plaques commemorating the imprint’s numerous releases.
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All remaining free time goes to his family and girlfriend, who is eight months pregnant with their first child.
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He uses social media sparingly and seems almost monastically devoted to music. A few slender gold necklaces loop inconspicuously around his neck. He’s modestly attired in a blue hoodie, grey designer sweatpants, a Dodgers cap and a neat but not manicured beard and goatee. Sounwave exudes a serene calm, low-key affability and ego-free energy. Yet you’d be hard-pressed to find a producer as artistically vital but semi-anonymous as Sounwave. Today’s star composers under 30 – DJ Mustard, Metro Boomin, Mike Will Made It – are nearly as well known as their top-billed collaborators. There is no “If Sounwave don’t trust you” production tag to inspire memes. Instead, he’s so self-effacing and averse to self-promotion that doesn’t even have his own Wikipedia page. If he desired, Sounwave could easily reap millions farming his beats out to the corniest names in popular music. In the last year, he’s expanded beyond the boundaries of hip-hop to contribute to records from Bleachers and St. He’s contributed beats to albums by Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad. City” and “King Kunta” Schoolboy Q’s “That Part,” “There He Go,” “Raymond 1969” and “Blank Face.” The liner notes from the chart-topping Black Panther soundtrack include his name on all but three songs. It’s heavier than you’d think.Įven if you don’t know his name, you might know the songs: Kendrick Lamar’s “Alright,” “Love,” “Loyalty,” “Element,” “A.D.H.D,” “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe,” “M.A.A.D. sunlight filters through the plate glass windows. He goes silent for a second, smiling broadly, reverently marveling at the achievement.
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He plays it cool, but there’s only so cool you can play it when the package contains a Grammy – Sounwave’s Best Rap Album trophy for producing over half of Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer-willing landmark Damn. Sounwave’s excitement lands somewhere between Christmas morning and a YouTube unboxing video. “Is that what I think this is?” Soundwave replies.Ī nod. “I think you’ll be pretty happy with this,” the TDE staffer slyly winks. As if on cue, a Top Dawg Entertainment employee politely interrupts producer Mark “Sounwave” Spears, who was telling the story about how he linked with rap icon Kendrick Lamar more than a decade ago.