How GNX's Beats Were Made

[@NavieD]

What was your favorite tune off the album? Also, here's my plugin ➡ www.notegrabber.com/

[@PlantNatives]

Reincarnated

[@TheGoatedboy1]

TV Off

[@TheGoatedboy1]

Or squabble up

[@antarchy1]

GNX.

[@718King]

None smh... the Heart part 6 is the only bearable....

[@chunkadelic1]

Didn’t like the GNX beat when I first heard it, then I HEARD it. I was able to appreciate it once I figured out the “1” was on the “2”😅

[@enigma9590]

@@chunkadelic1 that’s what I’m saying bro ! People like “the beat simple” but did y’all actually HEAR it tho

[@jakobsouza3520]

​@enigma9590 I think this beat is worse because it's complex. It's doing too much

[@adityarajeshwakade8279]

Its a fire beat

[@Lavanyapatil7454]

it was trash tbh yes you can use offbeat elements but a pinch is enough for it did not like the whole beat with the basic piano playing for 3minutes with no development not hating but thats just what i felt

[@issajoke2437]

​@@Lavanyapatil7454 oh thank God, we were all dying to know what you felt. Thanks for not leaving us in suspense. I can sleep peacefully now

[@T3o83DE]

Warning to BWB: You better not steal this video idea. We see you!

[@DadAmongMen]

Yesssss.

[@mdigitalbeatz5316]

He's stealing every video idea

[@BusyWeaverBeats]

I'm stealing as we speak

[@kennymilon5115]

He's coming 😂

[@NavieD]

😂

[@Cartman-Official]

The thing Mustard do with leaving gaps (sample stops then drums play for a bit) is something i always found interesting when DJ Premier did it. Example : Nas is like

[@eagleye4041]

tell em premier did it

[@lukeknowles256]

uhhh... i don't really hear the gaps except in the sample, but thats common sense artistry

[@stalwartzero7001]

I feel you but all of Premiers beats are pleasurable. I could listen to his entire discography even if I don’t love the rapper on every track. I’ve hardly been able to listen to Kendrick after Good Kid. This album sounds like the shi* you play in your music course and everyone awkwardly claps but no one ever brings it up to you. $2O Casio keys boards have better preset beats. Man had Ghostface on his album and cut the beat because his verse was too good and then had Beth Gibbons sing one shi* line just to try and look cool like when Kanye sampled King Crimson terribly. Are we supposed to credit Kendrick for buying beats by 2,OOO producers? There’s a lot of smoke in the credit being given

[@lugebeatzz8747]

​@@stalwartzero7001 That's a lot of gas for I don't like the new music. Rappers remove verses b'se of many reasons. It doesn't have to be the verse being dope.

[@stalwartzero7001]

@@lugebeatzz8747 I like bits and pieces but section 8O and good kid the only ones I really go back to again and again. Still think cutting Ghosts beat was atrocious and that Beth Gibbons feature was a literal joke. Probably the worst feature or recording of her in her entire discography. What I said still stands this albums sounds like it was made on a dated Privia. I’ve been composing, recording, producing, engineering, manufacturing and distributing music for over 2O years and every things I’ve printed sold out. It’s just an opinion. I don’t find anything on this album particularly unique or impressive. It’s not Kendrick’s lyric ability that’s turning me off. It’s the production.

[@panaroman8346]

Like the car, the album sounds are Experimental, as you described. When released, the Buick Grand National eXperimental (GNX) was unique for its time with the turbo inline 6-cylinder engine. Most cars at the time were inline 4, V6s, and V8s.

[@micknificent]

6:04 If you listen to Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” the drum and the chords follow that song almost exactly the same. The same with the song Luther. You can play Luther Vandross “If the World Were Mine” on top of Luther it follows the same chord progression almost exactly for the entirety of the song.

[@raimondnu3]

Fun Fact: Phil Collins made "In the Air Tonight" All off of his Nasty Divorce he was going through at the time. He mentioned all the words were the Pain that he went through.

[@BornGiftedMusicGroup]

Well luther is a sample of that song The man in in the garden is def inspired by phil song & the progression of one mic

[@Gubelclashking]

Maybe because he sampled it 🤯

[@Dog-999i]

It sounds just like In The Air Tonight because it’s based on the Nas Song ‘One Mic’ which was inspired by that song. Nas himself said "I'm a huge fan of Phil Collins and I just wanted to take the vibe from 'In the Air Tonight'."

[@parasomnia6905]

Crazy good video, being able to SEE what the producers did visually is gonna help me a ton man, thanks a whole lot 🙏🏽

[@boseyboi]

I legit didn’t want this video to ever end

[@ianai787]

Yea it’s well done

[@MortalKombateditz]

This is what makes beat making so hard to get into, theres no real rules, you just have to find a way to make things sound good, this album shows it perfectly by including reversed sounds, using samples as just brief chops and making drum patterns just odd (rolling kicks, toms replacing kicks and snares even which I never even thought could be a possibility.) This is why I both love and hate music production as a "beginner" producer myself 😭

[@paulpujeter6340]

The rolling kicks is Bay Area thing. All this plays into cultural/musical references within the beat itself not just the lyrics and melodies

[@fira3reo]

U can use toms and use rolls on anything and the best thing to do is to mix a lot of things.. i get what you are saying but it depends on the Rapper to know what he likes, u can find toms or acoustic kicks that doesn’t sound too different and reversed stuff isn’t something new, i use Bandlab for fun and i do a lot of odd things

[@SKLZWL]

You can go old school & grab a pipe or stick and record the sound of it slapping against different surfaces. Infinite possibilities!

[@stalwartzero7001]

How is the Tom replacing a kick experimental? Especially if they’re using VSTs? If the pitch tune went that far on an actual 8O8 any of the tom’s could actually match the kick because it’s basically the same synth wave. Prince using tape and recording samples of drum machines without tune knob to then slow down and re sample.. that was innovative. The real vintage melotron, that was insanely inventive. This is child’s play

[@paulpujeter6340]

@ Who hurt you

[@onsite2406]

Most tracks were produced by Jack Antonoff. I think what stood out to me was the album’s overall simplicity and crispy production. Felt different and a standout from Kendrick’s typical releases (not saying that’s good or bad, just different). It all felt cohesive to me as a project. The only tracks I really liked though were squabble up, hey now, and dodger blue.

[@ruffmadman]

Bingo. The majority of this album was actually produced by Sounwave as well. But you can hear Jack's experience in pop production come out when you notice how detailed and crisp much of the production is compared to prior albums. Especially on Luther and Gloria. Those bits of guitar inn the beginning of these tracks are wonderful.

[@MTEMI_MUKI]

4:18 I was secretly hoping You'd Mention/Notice how Reminiscent "Man At The Garden" sounds to Nas's "One Mic" Great Analysis All The Same, Love It!

[@JasonBorn]

Man at the Garden is just Kendrick’s version of Nas -One Mic

[@Syckwun]

They both interpolate in the air tonight by Phil Collin’s

[@Syckwun]

It’s most likely his take on starring at the world through my rear view. Which also samples Phil Collin’s.

[@synsyre4549]

@@Syckwun no its most likely an interpolation attempt for nas given the context of the rest of the song

[@issajoke2437]

​@@synsyre4549 No it's definitely an attempt at Pac's Staring Through My Rearview given the West Coast affiliation and he already used Pac's beat for the song Reincarnated

[@Yam-b8n]

noteGRABBER was difficult at first, but once I got used to it, it was a lot of fun. from japan

[@NavieD]

[@fkanous6077]

@@NavieD ‼This makes me happy.

[@prod.californiajay]

@@NavieDI’d say maybe just add a lil manual pdf. I know I’d read tf outta it. Been a big help for bass lines and lead rhythms for me 🫡

[@TrackHustlersENT]

I can’t even get it to work on S1. I installed it twice but it just don’t show up. I’m not even gonna get the free trial I guess

[@fredericks3756]

These patterns and structures are similar to the loops I would be making until 5am, then delete then next day, on reflection, 10 years ago. WHY!

[@NavieD]

Hahah that's funny

[@fredericks3756]

​@@NavieD ...but completed loops on my channel!

[@runegeezy]

Because they're trash.

[@fredericks3756]

That’s a “Why!” did I delete them. Great album

[@jonathanreasor70]

To be fair one of the big reasons these work is that Kendrick is able to ride them. I wonder if it'd be hard to find a rapper or vocalist who could utilize them well

[@enigma9590]

What’s crazy is I’ve been doing most of these lately. This gives me even more hope for my music production

[@BlowWord.]

I wish you actually talked about the stems of the Heart part 6 , cuz if i’m not mistaken that’s not a direct sample it’s actually a recreation & it’s sooo fucking gorgeous . Best one to me

[@mauhu]

I think they used stem separation and added effect and possibly layers, when I turn up the volume I can hear the stem separation artefacts: parts of the vocals are still hearable when they’re not supposed to be, and parts of the instrumental sound a bit muffled at times

[@BlowWord.]

@ Still amazingly clear given the original record mixing nonetheless .

[@markcarey67]

The sequencing of tracks on this album is fantastic. The way the bangers balance the vibe cuts balance the deep cuts is peerless.

[@toopienator]

Fun fact: man at the garden actually uses the same or a very similar midi to Nas's "One Mic." If you go listen to that song, you'll probably hear it. May be different sounds but the midi itself it almost a one-to-one recreation of that song's midi

[@bravehart426]

yeah I caught it right away. Nice to see Kendrick giving some props to Pac and Nas throughout the album

[@mavikjan]

I fell in love with gnx song first time I heard it. My face literally was 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 I looped the song million times Ig. I wanted to understand the beat sm, thanks for the video.

[@camo9hour642]

Hey now is also my favorite, love that bouncy mustard beat!

[@Skyblue_ttv]

I love Hey Now so much for it's uniqueness

[@bennywise410]

2:19 the first beat isnt empty, it's the last beat. you put the 1 in the wrong place. its pretty obvious when listening to the track

[@bennywise410]

2:00*

[@shmokey59]

Yep different start points

[@Houseoffam47]

Yhh true

[@mauhu]

You not knowing music theory is sooo surprising

[@prince_moxie]

Yeah i agree with this one. I hear the first part of the piano riff as a pickup bar. For example the (triplet) piano rhythm would be 4-e-a 1, a-2-e-a. The three is empty for sure, but the ones are all landed by a kick

[@BornGiftedMusicGroup]

Smart move with note grabber getting us hooked on the lesson of a current hot topic and plugging your plug in 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🤣

[@BenniTroll]

Squabble up is just too good. I think you forgot to mention the FX drop on every 16 bars which keeps you locked in, and the bass is just so alien somehow😅

[@PooriaAkhiBeats]

gnx: 00:50 hey now: 03:05 man at the garden 04:13 tv off: 06:52 reincarnated: 09:06 heart pt6: 09:27 squabble up: 09:51

[@joelkim302]

Just one technicality, the GNX pattern starts on the 4th beat so the beat without drums is the last one

[@6semper]

As if the pattern was being played in reversed right?

[@markbuckman1211]

You don’t see kick rolls unless of course you listen to baby keem where he does it CONSTANTLY

[@temibeats]

Karim Benzema always keeping me inspired come on now🙌

[@solonbeatz]

I already like the album but after this video I enjoy even more

[@brandonborgerding182]

dropping the 1 incredibly innovative

[@kyleharrison2286]

Bro that Debbie Deb track has probably been played at every house party in CA for the last 30 years lol

[@MrJavonnthomas]

I love the title track that mf go crazy😂 I never thought it sounded bad just simple

[@Jhonnyjhom]

Been waiting for this vid since the album dropped let's go

[@NavieD]

I got it ready for you sir!

[@jesuahdistributions]

It's crazy how streamlined rap music has become to have an album like gnx be examined and stated to have "uncommon ideas".

[@FreeBayArea]

Agreed

[@lyobty]

i love you so much (no diddy) cuz you basicly taught me how to make beats thank you man

[@NavieD]

I love you too (yes diddy)

[@LunaticNikbro]

@@NavieD 💀

[@cym634]

what did you think the "D" stood for?😄

[@TrackHustlersENT]

Damn u made it mad ghey sayin no diddy

[@peterkeleher]

moment you post im watching - love your stuff!

[@JPort561]

its easy to make creative changes to the structure of your beats when you already have a platform. Most producers would input these beats in their daws and say this is trash why am i reinventing the wheel, people will say the beat is trash, or the classic "off beat". Sad

[@NavieD]

I dunno if I would agree. Look at someone like JPEGMAFIA. He was pushing the envelope even before he became popular.

[@michaelbaz3867]

dunning kruger much?

[@JPort561]

@@NavieD all I'm saying is it rarely ever works out that way that people succeed breaking the norm

[@viceworldtony]

@@michaelbaz3867 fame bias much?

[@richibucki]

Agree. Imagine if ALC or CONDUCTOR were not famous and just upload their 8bar beats to youtube. No views and people will say boring beats.

[@mikep777]

You are a blessing brother! Thank you for putting us on some serious game

[@MohamedCherifBOUCHELAGHEMdz23]

5:34 are drum patterns from Nas song “one mic”

[@sinuspatient8434]

his producers need more credit damn !!!

[@lorddpablo9651]

Live musicians was used on gnx to complement the samples

[@brokenlad7151]

Never thought Karim Benzema will start a youtube channel. Legend❤

[@therapcave]

I cannot wait to purchase note grabber. You the man, Navie!

[@Frigo683]

Awesome video like alaways. Kendrick is my favourite rapper so this video is coming at a great time !

[@GhettoAceTypeBeat]

The third beat is literally ‘One Mic’ by Nas 🔥

[@boseyboi]

Note grabber needs to record without needing to press record. Needs graph measuring where bar hits. And auto quantizing with quantize measure change. And lastly thank you so much! I always said if wave candy could just push settings further. And scale up the bottom end more it would be perfect. Forget about anything over c5 after we full zoom! Haha

[@shadow.arceus]

5:31 is it me or does it sound like it was inspired by Nas- One Mic?

[@vincenzo4389]

High quality vid, gained a sub

[@mywrldofsin]

thanks for this video, one of, if not my favorite song off the GNX album is 'gnx'

[@vegsbeats]

That Meds in squable up 😊😊

[@jmccain753]

That's the Nas "one mic" beat pretty much

[@Efeamuge]

I genuinely thought you would say the name of the song 9:20

[@danacmakesmusic]

So much of these beats reminded me of Devin Malik’s production

[@MCHJ]

This album is the perfect mix of The Bay and LA production styles.

[@stalwartzero7001]

Wesley Willis had better beats

[@theoriesbanana]

Mustard has always been amazing but the stuff that's come out this year cements him as one of the GOATs

[@_hamza001]

I never knew Karim Benzema was a producer.

[@SelimSavid]

What shocked me most in this vodeo was finding out you pretty much made WaveCandy 3.0 😂😂 that's dope definitely have to get that

[@PlantNatives]

Say bro I love your content. Keep up the good work.❤

[@NavieD]

Thank you my friend :)

[@para31]

6:25 doesn't removing the snare just split the tempo in half

[@azmilog]

excellent work thank you!

[@Jack-ud3vz]

The lengths producers go to literally code an entire app which turns chords into midi notes, all to avoid learning music theory 😂 I feel you though I've been fucking around with music for 20 years and I'm really learning the rules of harmony this year. It's funny how far you can get with an attentive pair of ears though.

[@Adrianinhd]

Sounwave’s production was top tier on this album.

[@harambo88]

very informativ, one little thing: nowadays the generic producer would put 32tel hihat not 16tel.

[@Jay12Dizzle]

Those kicks and snares combo are common for Caribbean/jamaican instrumentals

[@jhonimations_studios]

video suggestion: "what every producer can learn from danger mouse"

[@Desxire]

This is a very well made vid

[@TheFuture36520]

Gnx beats sounds like a regular show cartoon 🔥

[@marsfootballtv2359]

That drum technique is similar to a style of Reggae you know reggae has many drum patterns. At first i remember thinking Kick and Snare hitting at the same time and the kick is on the second beat sub beat 3?? The way it was used in Reggae is that space at the start is left for the skank and sub bass they hit first then the snare and kick follow.

[@fl3xy_b3atz]

The heart 6 for me its the dopest

[@Dverse_Dave]

Great work bro

[@madebyaugust]

I ain't no benzema a music producer now

[@mauhu]

For the song GNX, interpreted the empty part to be at the end of the bar instead of the start

[@morenofranco712]

I'd love to know what every producer can learn from GNX by Kendrick Lamar, I guess I'll have to wait for a BWB video on the topic

[@stephenthakid]

Well done on this video

[@nluturk]

Bro took my video idea‼️‼️ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jp good video bro🙌🏾‼️

[@JBreezzBeatz]

Amazing video Navie!

[@tHEbELLVILLEaDDITION]

Don't know where all the hate for this album coming from. This is some of the best rapping and music production coming out currently. Only comp to what Kendrick has done this year is Tyler the Creators new album. As always, thanks Navie D for putting the specs out there for the rest of us.

[@yeahWhatever301]

@@tHEbELLVILLEaDDITION I don’t think it’s hate- I think Kendrick is not as good as he once was. It seems like all the over praising has over inflated his ego to think anything he does is Great- it’s not though. This album does not sound good to many hiphop fans.

[@tHEbELLVILLEaDDITION]

@@yeahWhatever301 Respect

[@sweetsteez]

He's pissed at people that are talking about him without knowing shit.. Not caring about perfect enunciation because he's pissed.. It's not every song he's doing it.

[@hellucination9905]

Album is just bland and boring; it oftentimes sounds like a parody of older rap.

[@SlamBradley]

I'm surprised Navie didn't mention that "Man At The Garden" was an homage to Nas' "One Mic"

[@KhaledBeatz92]

Notegrabber is good, but I think it would be alot better if it had a export midi option where you can jsut export all the midi by clicking and dragging, going one by one highlighting the notes can be tedious. If it had this option I would buy it, i just finished my trial version of it.

[@scottymac3634]

Love this. Also notegrabber. I wanted something like it since I saw the FL Studio plug-in it’s based on in a series of tutorials on uhe's zebra 2 synth.

[@jorgechaydez5918]

This is normal west coast beat production. FUNK

[@XBNg]

MUSTAAAAAAAAARRRRRRD 🔥

[@NavieD]

Favorite condiment?

[@XBNg]

@ yessir

[@полное_пузо_хинкалей]

are you planning on making a separate video about Mustard and/or his work with YG?

[@NavieD]

Nah, not at the moment

[@destineeworldtv3161]

Scott bridgeway produced squabble up

[@NuisanceOne]

This was great could you do a video like this for Schoolboy Q Blue Lips please that album also has wild production

[@cocodillove]

Thanks friend!

[@kevindega]

Great vid!

[@keejay12]

The only other beat i recall where the kick didn't start off on the 1 was Hustle Hard by Ace Hood.

[@Houseoffam47]

3:15 Naa bro those samples are in arcade

[@dasuslord]

GNX is as simple as beats go

[@elias6113]

4:50 wait until this guy finds out he made a whole new plugin when he could have just used wave candy

[@paxtonpods]

Wave candy is an FL exclusive plugin. His was made so people using other daws can have a similar tool.

[@yvngkeekz]

Where did you get these sounds?? The drums

[@DojoOfCool]

Makes me think of an old music quote...; Music is the space between the notes. Leaving space is something new music makers are afraid to do.

[@CrispyParrot]

The gnx piano doesn't start on the 1. The 1 is on the fourth note

[@julianverweij1637]

Finally hey now getting some love

[@KhaledBeatz92]

I MISS NOTE GRABBER

[@kritagya.sharma]

3:50 almost said DAMN BABY

[@johnlennon193]

when i first heard the beat on 'man at the garden' to me it sounds like an inspiration of drake's old beats he used to hopped on like that dark underwater r&b sound with the moody synths toms and minimal drums it could be something off of his 2009 so far gone mixtape or take care is it just me?

[@olleheyb]

“80s electrofunk” = freestyle

[@wayback1010]

How did you get the recreations so accurate

[@NavieD]

I use stem splitters to pull all the actual sounds from the beat. That really helps.