Mark Anthony Spears, known professionally as Sounwave, is an American hip-hop producer and songwriter from

Compton, California Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporate ...

, and an original member of the Californian hip-hop label

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 ...

. Sounwave has worked on every

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

studio album since Lamar's 2009 self-titled EP, including the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-nominated album '' Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'', Grammy Award winning ''

To Pimp a Butterfly ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in studios throughout the U ...

'', and the multi-Grammy and Pulitzer Prize–winning album ''

Damn Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite ...

''. He has received two Grammy Awards: Best Rap Song (2015) for " Alright", and Best Rap Album (2017) for ''Damn''.

Early life

Hailing from Compton, Sounwave credits " Up Jumps da Boogie" by

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

as the first hip hop instrumental he ever listened to. From the age of ten, he started using a

Korg , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, t ...

drum machine to make simple drum beats. From there, he graduated to a 4-track machine and then to the MTV Music Generator for

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

. After using that for a while, he hooked up with rapper

Bishop Lamont Philip Brandon Martin (born October 31, 1978), better known as Bishop Lamont, is an American rapper from Carson, California. He was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment record label and released one project under the label, eventually l ...

from

Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...

, and a song he produced for him with MTV Music Generator received local radio placement.

Career

2005–2008

In 2005, Sounwave was originally discovered by Top Dawg Entertainment co-founder Terrence "Punch" Henderson, who had him meet with TDE CEO Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith. Tiffith was originally unimpressed with Sounwave; however, Sounwave persisted and honed his craft, which ended up "blowing away" Tiffith. It was then he became a member of

Digi+Phonics Digi+Phonics is an African American hip hop production team, composed of California-based record producers Tae Beast, Sounwave, Dave Free and Willie B. They currently serve as the main in-house producers for Carson-based record label, Top Dawg ...

, an American

hip hop production Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and ...

team, composed of fellow

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

-based

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

s Tae Beast, Dave Free and Willie B. They served as the main in-house producers for

Carson Carson may refer to: People *Carson (surname), people with the surname *Carson (given name), people with the given name Places ;In the United States *Carson, California, a city *Carson Township, Fayette County, Illinois *Carson, Iowa, a city *Ca ...

-based

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the prod ...

worked significantly on projects from all the members of hip hop supergroup

Black Hippy Black Hippy is an American hip hop music, hip hop Supergroup (music), supergroup

, who are also signed to Top Dawg and is composed of rappers

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 re ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

2009–2016

Sounwave's earliest work for

surfaced on the self-titled ''

'' and

's compilation track "Fa Sho", in 2009 and 2010 respectively. In 2011, Sounwave produced the bulk of Lamar's mixtape/album '' Section.80'', which landed him on ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

''s "15 New Producers to Watch" list. He also produced three songs on Lamar's critically acclaimed second album '' Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'' (2012). Sounwave is known for producing Kendrick Lamar's hit single "

Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" ( edited for radio as "Trick, Don't Kill My Vibe" or simply "Don't Kill My Vibe"), is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album '' Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'' (2012). The song, p ...

", among other songs such as " M.A.A.D. City", " A.D.H.D" and

's "There He Go". In 2014, he earned a placement on Top Dawg Entertainment artist

Isaiah Rashad Isaiah Rashad Joel McClain (born May 16, 1991), is an American rapper. His first big break was performing on the 2012 Smoker's Club Tour with rappers Juicy J, Joey Badass and Smoke DZA among others. He is a founding member of the Chattanooga hip ...

's '' Cilvia Demo'' and produced "Hoover Street" and "Prescription/Oxymoron" on Schoolboy Q's ''Oxymoron''. Outside of his work with artists in the Top Dawg Entertainment label, he worked with

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single "Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital down ...

on the song "Finally Here" from the latter's second album '' R.O.O.T.S.'' (2009). Sounwave is also credited with production on four tracks on Schoolboy Q's fourth studio album, ''

Blank Face LP ''Blank Face LP'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Schoolboy Q. It was released on July 8, 2016, through Top Dawg Entertainment and distributed by Interscope Records. The album serves as his second release under a major record label t ...

''.

2016–present

In 2016, Sounwave worked alongside Lamar and Top Dawg Entertainment CEO Tiffith as co-writer, A&R, and producer of '' Black Panther: The Album'', the official soundtrack to the film ''

Black Panther A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been ...

''. His work on the film's single " All the Stars" with Lamar and

SZA Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA ( ), is an American singer and songwriter. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she began making music in the early 2010s, releasing two extended plays before signing with the hip ...

earned nominations for Best Original Song for the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

, and

Critics' Choice Movie Awards The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Writt ...

. Outside of Top Dawg Entertainment, Sounwave has collaborated with Beyoncé,

Mary J Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

, and many others. In 2019, Sounwave co-wrote and co-produced the song "London Boy" for

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

's seventh studio album '' Lover'' (2019). Additionally in 2019, he along with singer and songwriter Sam Dew and producer/musician

Jack Antonoff Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. Antonoff is the lead singer of rock band Bleachers, and is the guitarist and drummer in the pop rock band Fun. He was p ...

released a project titled "Red Hearse" under the same name.

Songwriting and production discography

Songs

2011

* " A.D.H.D" –

* " Hol' Up" – Kendrick Lamar * "

No Make-Up (Her Vice) No (and variant writings) may refer to one of these articles: English language * ''Yes'' and ''no'' (responses) * A determiner in noun phrases Alphanumeric symbols * No (kana), a letter/syllable in Japanese script * No symbol, displayed � ...

" – Kendrick Lamar * "

The Spiteful Chant ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

" – Kendrick Lamar,

2012

* " m.A.A.d city" – Kendrick Lamar

2013

* "

Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" ( edited for radio as "Trick, Don't Kill My Vibe" or simply "Don't Kill My Vibe"), is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album '' Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'' (2012). The song, pr ...

" – Kendrick Lamar

2014

* " Break the Bank" – Schoolboy Q

2015

* " Alright" – Kendrick Lamar * "

King Kunta "King Kunta" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kendrick Lamar, taken from his third album, ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' (2015). It was released as the album's third single on March 24, 2015. Lamar co-wrote the song with Thundercat, whi ...

" – Kendrick Lamar * "

Complexion Complexion in humans is the natural color, texture, and appearance of the skin, especially on the face. History The word "complexion" is derived from the Late Latin ''complexi'', which initially referred in general terms to a combination of thi ...

" – Kendrick Lamar * "

Mortal Man ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in studios throughout the ...

" – Kendrick Lamar *Two Matches –

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper and record producer. Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of fifteen. In 2010, h ...

2016

* "

That Part "That Part" (stylized as "THat Part") is a hip hop song by American hip hop recording artist Schoolboy Q featuring Kanye West. It was released on May 13, 2016 by Top Dawg Entertainment and Interscope Records, as the lead single from Schoolboy ...

" – Schoolboy Q,

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

* "

John Muir John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist ...

" — Schoolboy Q

2017

* " Element" – Kendrick Lamar * " Feel" – Kendrick Lamar * "

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

" – Kendrick Lamar * "

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

" – Kendrick Lamar, Zacari * "

Loyalty Loyalty, in general use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, country, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only anothe ...

" – Kendrick Lamar,

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...

* "

Lust Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It ca ...

" – Kendrick Lamar * " XXX" – Kendrick Lamar * " Yah" – Kendrick Lamar *"Goodbye" –

Bleachers Bleachers (North American English), or stands, are raised, tiered rows of benches found at sports fields and other spectator events. Stairways provide access to the horizontal rows of seats, often with every other step gaining access to a row ...

(additional production) * "Foreign Girls" –

(additional production)

2018

* " All the Stars" – Kendrick Lamar,

* " Big Shot" – Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott * "

" – Kendrick Lamar * " Bloody Waters" –

Anderson .Paak Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to rel ...

, James Blake * "

I Am I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * " I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" ( ...

" – Jorja Smith, Kendrick Lamar * " King's Dead" –

, Kendrick Lamar,

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currentl ...

, James Blake * "

Opps Opps or OPPS may refer to: * Bacha Khan International Airport (ICAO airport code OPPS), Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan * "Opps", a 2018 song by Vince Staples and Yugen Blakrok from the soundtrack album '' Black Panther: The Album'' * "Opps ...

" – Kendrick Lamar,

Vince Staples Vincent Jamal Staples (born July 2, 1993) is an American rapper and singer. Staples was once a close associate of Odd Future, Mike G and Earl Sweatshirt in particular. He is currently signed to Motown and Blacksmith Records. Staples rose to p ...

, Yugen Blakrok * " Paramedic!" – Kendrick Lamar, SOB x RBE, Zacari * "

Seasons A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...

" –

Mozzy Timothy Cornell Patterson (born June 24, 1987), known professionally as Mozzy, is an American rapper from Oak Park, Sacramento, California. He is signed with CMG, Interscope Records, Blackmarket Records. He started rapping in 2004 under the n ...

Sjava Jabulani Hadebe (born 2 December 1983), known professionally as Sjava, is a South African singer, rapper, and actor. He began his acting career in 2005, starring in several drama series and films including ''Gugu and Andile, uGugu no Andile'' (2 ...

Reason Reason is the capacity of Consciousness, consciously applying logic by Logical consequence, drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activ ...

* "

The Ways ''I Modi'' (''The Ways''), also known as ''The Sixteen Pleasures'' or under the Latin title ''De omnibus Veneris Schematibus'', is a famous erotic book of the Italian Renaissance in which a series of sexual positions were explicitly depicted in ...

" – Kendrick Lamar, Khalid,

Swae Lee Khalif Malik Ibn Shaman Brown (born June 7, 1993), known professionally as Swae Lee, is an American singer and rapper. Known for his wide vocal range and genre-bending, Swae Lee is one half of the hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd with his brother Slim ...

* " X" – Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q,

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, ...

, Saudi

2019

Nile The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...

" – Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé *" London Boy" –

*" holy terrain" –

FKA twigs Tahliah Debrett Barnett (born 17 January 1988), known professionally as FKA Twigs (stylized as FKA twigs), is an English singer, songwriter, and dancer. Born and raised in Cheltenham, she became a backup dancer for numerous famous musicians af ...

2020 * " Fair Chance" –

Thundercat Thundercat or Thundercats may refer to: * Thundercat (snowmobile), a series of snowmobiles produced by Arctic Cat * Thundercat (musician), stage name of Stephen Lee Bruner, an American musician * ThunderCats, a media franchise, featuring a fictio ...

Ty Dolla $ign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

Lil B Brandon Christopher McCartney (born August 17, 1989), professionally known as Lil B and as his alter ego The BasedGod, is an American rapper. Lil B has recorded both solo and with Bay Area group The Pack. His solo work spans several genres, i ...

* " Overseas" – Thundercat, Zack Fox * " Intro" –

Chloe x Halle Chloe x Halle are an R&B duo composed of sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey. At a young age, the sisters performed in minor acting roles before moving from Mableton, Georgia, to Los Angeles in 2012. The two began posting music covers to YouTube and ...

* " Forgive Me" – Chloe x Halle * " Ea'alah" – Spillage Village, JID,

EARTHGANG EarthGang (stylized EARTHGANG) is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu (aka Johnny Venus) and WowGr8 (aka Doctur Dot – born Eian Parker). They are co-founders of the musical collective Spillage Village, with JID, H ...

2021 * " vent" – Baby Keem 2022 * "

N95 An N95 filtering facepiece respirator, commonly abbreviated N95 respirator, is a particulate-filtering facepiece respirator that meets the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) N95 classification of air filtrat ...

" – Kendrick Lamar * " Lavender Haze" – Taylor Swift * "

Karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively ...

" – Taylor Swift * "

Glitch A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. The term is particularly common in the computing and electronics industries, in circuit bending, as well as amon ...

" – Taylor Swift

Albums

*'' Section.80'' – Kendrick Lamar (2011) *''

'' – Kendrick Lamar (2018) *'' Lover'' –

(2019) *'' The Lion King: The Gift'' – Beyoncé (2019) *''

Midnights ''Midnights'' is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on October 21, 2022, via Republic Records. Announced at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards, the album marks Swift's first body of new work since her 2020 ...

'' – Taylor Swift (2022)

Awards and nominations

** Nomination: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) – " All the Stars " (2018) *

s ** Won: Best Rap Song – " Alright" (2015) ** Nomination: Album of the Year – '' Good Kid, M.A.A.D City'' (2013) ** Nomination: Album of the Year – ''

'' (2015) ** Nomination:

Song of the Year Song of the Year may refer to: * Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year * Dove Award for Song of the Year * Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year * Grammis Song of the Year * Grammy Award for Song of the Year * Latin Grammy Awa ...

– " Alright " (2015) ** Nomination: Album of the Year – ''

'' (2017) ** Nomination:

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

– " All the Stars " (2018) ** Nomination: Album of the Year – ''

'' (2018) ** Nomination:

– " All the Stars " (2018) ** Nomination: Best Rap Song – " King's Dead " (2018) ** Nomination: Best Song Written for Visual Media – " All the Stars " (2018) *

Guild of Music Supervisors Awards The Guild of Music Supervisors Awards recognize music supervisors in 14 categories, representing movies, television, games and trailers. '' Compton'', '' Carol'' and '' Furious 7'' were among the winners of the 2016 ceremony, while '' La La Land'' ...

** Nomination: Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song) – " All the Stars" (2018)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sounwave (Mark Anthony Spears) African-American male rappers African-American songwriters Grammy Award winners for rap music Juno Award for International Album of the Year winners Living people Musicians from Compton, California Rappers from California Songwriters from California Top Dawg Entertainment artists West Coast hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians American male songwriters