Los Angeles, CA · hip-hop · West Coast · ratchet

Mustard

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The West Coast's ratchet-era architect — a DJ set stacked with his own hits ('Not Like Us' included), a decade of radio in an hour.

Mustard, born Dijon McFarlane in Los Angeles on June 5, 1990, was raised mostly by his mother after his father was deported to Jamaica while he was young. His uncle, Tyrei Lacy, a DJ and parental figure, let him spin records at a family party at age eleven, and he was soon DJing parties as a student at Dorsey High. His stage name comes from Dijon mustard.

He moved from parties into production in the early 2010s. His signature sound is sparse and bass-heavy, built on simple synth lines, handclaps and a bouncing rhythm often traced back to Bay Area hyphy and LA ratchet music, and it dominated West Coast rap radio for several years.

Working closely with YG, Mustard produced early singles such as "Snitches Ain't Shit" and "You Broke," and put out a 2010 compilation called Let's Jerk through Thump Records before Tyga's "Rack City" brought him wider notice in 2011.

He has since released albums under his own name: 10 Summers in 2014 for Republic and Roc Nation, which narrowly entered the Billboard 200, Cold Summer in 2016, which failed to chart, and Perfect Ten in 2019 for Interscope, which reached the top ten behind the singles "Ballin'" and "Pure Water."

His production of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" in 2024 became his first No. 1 on the Hot 100 and won five Grammy Awards, arriving just before his own album Faith of a Mustard Seed. He founded the label 10 Summers Records in 2014, signing acts including Ella Mai, Kiana Ledé and RJMrLA.

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hip-hopWest Coastratchet