"The Recipe" is a song by American rapper
Kendrick Lamar. It was released on April 3, 2012, as the first single from his
major label debut ''
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'' (2012). The song, however, only made the deluxe edition of the album.
The song,
produced by
West Coast record producer
Scoop DeVille
Elijah Blue Molina (born October 15, 1987), better known by his stage name Scoop DeVille, is an American record producer, rapper and DJ. DeVille has produced records for rappers such as Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hussle, 50 Cen ...
, features a
guest appearance from Lamar's
mentor
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
, record producer and rapper
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...
, who also
mixed the record alongside
TDE's engineer
MixedByAli
Derek Ali (born November 1, 1989), better known by his moniker MixedByAli, is an American mixing engineer. His career began in Los Angeles in the late 2000s recording and mixing for Top Dawg Entertainment artists Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, SZA an ...
.
Background
On March 30, 2012, after speaking on his newly signed
joint venture deal
A deal, or deals may refer to:
Places United States
* Deal, New Jersey, a borough
* Deal, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* Deal Lake, New Jersey
Elsewhere
* Deal Island (Tasmania), Australia
* Deal, Kent, a town in England
* Deal, a ...
, which brought
Top Dawg Entertainment
Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) is an American independent record label founded in 2004, by CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Terrence "Punch" Henderson is president of the label. There are currently eleven artists signed to the label: the label's f ...
under
Interscope Records, Lamar announced on
Big Boy's Neighborhood that he would premier his debut single "The Recipe", to the morning
radio show on April 2.
The song heavily
samples "Meet the Frownies" as performed by
Twin Sister
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
.
Reception
The song has been well received by fans and critics alike. Carrie Battan of ''
Pitchfork'' summarized the song as an "anthemic Californian pride cut".
Nick Catucci of ''
Rolling Stone'' jokingly wrote "You might get a contact high from this" and went on to write "Lamar’s wafting number has rolling boulders for a beat, lines about sunlight slanting through shades and Dre explaining, 'How many ways am I killin' 'em? Shit, right around a billion.'"
Music video
On May 30, 2012,
Schoolboy Q
Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. In 2009, Hanley signed to Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and in late ...
released the
behind-the-scenes photos of the song's
music video, via his
Instagram.
However, the music video was never released. Another music video was released showing the duo performing the song at Coachella.
Remix
The song was later
remixed, featuring
verses from Lamar's
Black Hippy
Black Hippy is an American hip hop supergroup[Ab-Soul
Herbert Anthony Stevens IV (born February 23, 1987), better known by his stage name Ab-Soul, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Raised in Carson, California, he signed to indie record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) in 2007, where ...](_blank)
,
Jay Rock
Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1983), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. He signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a rec ...
and
Schoolboy Q
Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. In 2009, Hanley signed to Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and in late ...
. The remix was included as a
bonus track
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records col ...
on the
Spotify deluxe edition of the album.
Chicago rapper
Twista also made his own remix.
Track listing
;Digital single
Charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Recipe, The
2012 songs
2012 singles
Kendrick Lamar songs
Songs written by Kendrick Lamar
Dr. Dre songs
Songs written by Dr. Dre
Song recordings produced by Scoop DeVille
Songs written by Scoop DeVille
Aftermath Entertainment singles
Interscope Records singles
Top Dawg Entertainment singles
Songs about cannabis
Songs about Los Angeles