The Kendrick Lamar Mustard meme pairs lyrics from “TV Off”—a track off the rapper’s 2024 album GNX—where he screams “mustard,” for over five seconds enthusiastically and intensely with an image or GIF.
Where does the Kendrick Lamar Mustard meme come from?
On Nov. 22nd, 2024 rapper Kendrick Lamar dropped a surprise 6th album, titled GNX. The 7th song of the album, “TV Off,” includes Lamar referencing “mustard,” one of the DJ/producers who collaborated and produced the album. At about two minutes in, Lamar screams “mustard” for almost 5 seconds, making it an intense and memorable moment from the album.
@ucheomaaa M U S T A R D 🍔🧽 Send this to a bottle of mustard. #gnx #kendrick #animation ♬ tv off – Kendrick Lamar
What does the Kendrick Lamar Mustard meme mean?
This meme’s virality is less about its meaning, and more about promoting Kendrick Lamar’s work and sentiment. Those who use the meme are primarily trying to communicate intensity, enthusiasm, or excitement about something, or appreciation for Kendrick Lamar’s music.
@munyachawawa Never forget Kendrick’s mustard 🙅🏽♂️🌭 #kendricklamar #gnx #djmustard ♬ original sound – Munya Chawawa
DJ Mustard reacts
DJ Mustard is the stage name of Dijon Isaiah McFarlane, a rapper and producer who worked with Lamar GNX alongside Jack Antonoff, SZA, and more. Most notably, however, Mustard worked on Lamar’s mega-viral and controversial hit “Not Like Us,” a diss track fueling Lamar’s longtime rivalry with Drake.
The reference to Mustard in “TV Off” is not only a viral meme in and of itself but has made Mustard famous, in a very big way.
Mustard is delighted by the attention and thrilled to be collaborating with Lamar. “I’ve been literally trying to get a song with him for years,” the producer said in an interview with Billboard. As for the meme itself? He loves it. “That sh*t was elite. So fire. Like, is that a new tag?”
Origins and spread
On Nov. 22nd, 2024, Kendrick Lamar dropped GMX, whose various tracks were then almost immediately shared on YouTube. Later that day, fans began discussing the “mustard,” shoutouts, including both @Vintage_Steez and @SlimeBigMoney. These X users originally made and referenced the impending prevalence of the meme, using the character Goku from Dragon Ball Z to illustrate the jubilant uttering of “mustard” on Lamar’s track.
From there, X and TikTok users leaned into the mustard meme, (including big brands like McDonald’s and artists like Lizzo) elongating the word to include many letters, which reflects the intensity of the audio clip and the meme’s overall vibe.
Cultural context
The Kendrick Lamar Mustard meme isn’t just about celebrating Lamar’s album. It comes at an endpoint of a long and bitter rivalry between Lamar and Drake that erupted in March of 2024 after Lamar was featured on a scathing diss track targeting Drake on Future and Metro Boomin’s album We Don’t Trust You. Many of the variations of the meme allude to this rivalry.
Related memes:
- The best memes and reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s savage pop out concert
- Meme History: Drake memes
- The ‘Drake The Type of Guy’ meme, explained
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