Mustard Admits He Was "Nervous As S***" To Perform At Kendrick Lamar's "Pop Out"

BYZachary Horvath1148 Views
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Sounds Like You Summer
LOS ANGELES, CA - JULY 29: DJ Mustard performs onstage at Pandora Sounds Like You Summer at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on July 29, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for Pandora)
Mustard was the opening act, so we can see why he felt this way.

Mustard has been having one the best years of his career so far. 2024 has mostly been dominated by the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, and he was in the thick of it. His biggest contribution came as the mastermind behind the instrumental for "Not Like Us." It's viewed as the dagger of the battle, and it's probably the biggest song of the year. There's also a great chance it takes home a ton of awards at the 2025 GRAMMYs, as Kendrick did submit for nomination consideration.

In addition to the song itself, Mustard was also involved with its accompanying music video, appearing in a few scenes. But arguably, the California native's most important piece of involvement came during the Pop Out. The show was truly a uniting moment for the West Coast hip-hop scene, and it may go down as one of the greatest rap shows this century. Yes, it was amplified by Kendrick playing a lot of the diss tracks but seeing all of the Cali MCs support him and one another was truly special.

Mustard Recounts His Experience At The Pop Out

That is probably something that led to Mustard feeling extremely anxious about the show. According to HipHopDX, a feature with Billboard was recently published and in the interview him and the publication talked about various topics. Some of those included Kendrick's reaction to the "Not Like Us" beat, advice from Timbaland, and more. One of the conversations surrounded that night at the Pop Out, and he came clean and revealed his true feelings being the opener. "I was nervous as s***. It just didn’t feel real," he expressed. We can totally see that, especially given the circumstances, but he set the tone for the remainder of the show.

What are your thoughts on Mustard saying that he was really nervous to perform at the Pop Out? How would you feel if you were in the producer's shoes? Is the Pop Out one of the most important rap concerts ever? We would like to hear what you have to say, so leave your thoughts in the comments. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Mustard. Finally, stay with us for everything else going on in the music world.

About The Author
Zachary Horvath is one of the Music Freelance News Writers at HotNewHipHop and has held that title since August 2023. Prior to this position, he held another freelance gig covering local high school football, girls and boys varsity basketball, in addition to recapping Cleveland Cavaliers games remotely. He's taken the previous experience and used it to become a jack of all trades at HotNewHipHop. Zach has thoroughly enjoyed tackling some of the trending topics in sports, with a larger focus on hip-hop and pop culture. Some of those include Bronny James's draft stock, a multitude of angles swirling around the Drake and Kendrick Lamar beef, as well as Diddy's arrest and lawsuits. Separate from the headlines that everyone wants to hear about, he was fortunate enough to help spread Zaytoven's current thoughts at the time around mid-December in 2023. Even though being able to give his expertise on these stories is fulfilling, being able to share his passion for releases trumps that ever so slightly. Having the chance to express his excitement indirectly about what he thinks our readers should be checking out/revisiting grows his passion for writing that much more.
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