Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d city is widely regarded as a classic album, arguably one of the best in recent memory. Highly conceptual to the point where repeat listens are basically necessary, Kendrick Lamar's vision ensured that every song played a pivotal role in the character study. Even "Backseat Freestyle," the project's most in-your-face banger, develops the protagonist in an interesting and immersive way.
Recently, the track's producer Hit-Boy sat down with HipHopDX for an interview, where he shared an interesting revelation about the history of "Backseat Freestyle." "I actually did a couple sessions with Kendrick before, we did a couple ideas," he reveals. "We went to Vegas for a few days, and locked into the studio. None of them songs ended up being in the mix."
Ciara">Amy Sussman/Getty Images
"He came back like 'I need some more beats.' That was in the batch of the beats I gave him...next thing I know, I'm out in Texas, he emailed me the song like we got one. I listened to it, I'm like this n***a spazzing for real."
"I didn't expect it, cause somebody recorded a song to that beat," he continues. "Actually, Ciara recorded an r&b song to that beat. The song was called 'Hit-Boy,' so I was dumb hype on it, she's saying my name! But that shit wasn't supposed to go down."
Though it would have been interesting to see how Ciara approached Hit-Boy's instrumental Kendrick's contribution was undeniable. Not only was "Backseat Freestyle" an integral part of the GKMC narrative but a standalone banger in its own right. Check out Hit-Boy's convo with HipHopDX below.