Chicago-bred DJ/producer Gene Farris has been keeping the rave going with energetic, buoyant house tracks since the '90s, and he hasn't slowed down. Growing up in the birthplace of house music, as a teen he DJed underground parties during the scene's golden age, inspired by the greats around him like Lil' Louis and Cajmere a.k.a. Green Velvet a.k.a. Curtis Jones. In 1994, Farris' first release dropped on Jones' iconic Relief Records imprint, and the powerhouse Chicagoan pair would go on to become lifelong friends.

In 1998, the "Move Your Body" artist founded his own dance label, Farris Wheel Recordings, which has released hundreds of dance floor bangers from Farris and his ever-growing group of talented friends like Nathan Barato, Will Clarke, Sonny Fodera and, of course, Jones (and his many aliases).

In 2020 alone, Farris has dropped over a half-dozen tracks so far, his most recent one being the trippy tech-house slapper "Space Girl," his first single on Claude VonStroke's beloved Dirtybird Records. The Recording Academy recently caught up with the legendary house head to learn more about the new track, his relationship with VonStroke and his early years in Chicago's underground. We also got real about mask-wearing and handwashing, his love of Star Wars, how Jones is still one of his heroes and more.

Your new track "Space Girl" just came out on Dirtybird. I'd love to learn a bit of the backstory on the track, as well as your relationship with Claude VonStroke and his label.

How can I start? I'm a massive Star Wars fan. A massive galaxy, universe, Star Wars, "Star Trek," anything that has to do with outer space. The concept of "Space Girl" kind of came from that love for Star Wars, from my obsession as a child with Princess Leia. It is dedicated to Carrie Fisher and Princess Leia.

My relationship with Claude, oh man. First time I met the big guy was about five, six years ago, out here in Chicago, he was doing a show. I'd always been a fan of him obviously, and Justin Martin, Worthy, J.Phlip, the whole crew. I was just a fan of the whole thing that they were doing.

And finally, I was out in San Francisco when they were doing a Mezzanine party, maybe four years ago. I just popped in, ended up hanging out, smoking a doobie with Worthy. Got to meet J.Phlip and Justin and  they all just kind of welcomed me with open arms. And then Claude booked me for the Dirtybird Campout in San Francisco maybe three years ago. And then we just hit it off there. He came and listened to my set and I followed him around and listened to his sets.

I did a record with Riva Starr on the label, right before the Campout, we did a really big song for them. It was my first record on Dirtybird and it did really well. And then I did another song with Tim Baresko after that, called "Fly With Me," on another Dirtybird compilation.

And then I made "Space Girl." And I sent a couple tracks directly to Claude and when he heard "Space Girl" he was like, "Whoa. I definitely want to put that on Dirtybird." So it ended up being my first single with them. I'm super stoked about that.

And it's just the timing of the world right now. It could be worse, but at the same time it's a good thing because most records now, I believe they're going to have a little bit more longevity than they normally would because we'll be able to play them again once this is over. It'll be like brand new music again, most of the stuff that came out. And they'll have fan life, because a lot of the people who are listening to Spotify and stuff will listen to it and they'll know the songs when it comes back in the club.

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It really is such an unprecedented time for music. The clubs and the festivals are probably going to be the last thing that can safely come back. But I feel music is such an important thing right now because no matter who you are, it can be healing or let you escape for a moment.

Well, I think it's absolutely important. And back in the '90s raves, we all used to wear a mask and gloves anyway. I think [when things open up] the parties will be packed again and there will be a bunch of people wearing masks and the people who are really worried about things will be wearing gloves. I think it will be a couple of things that would change. People would probably bring their own cups to the clubs so the bartender could just pour the alcohol right in there. All the bartenders will have on mask, you won't know if a girl is hot or guy is hot. [Laughs.] I'm thinking, I'm optimistic, but hopefully by the end of July or August we should be back.

The good and bad thing—for DJs it's a good thing—Americans are really stupid. We love our money here [in the U.S.] more than we love people, that's proven. At some point everybody's just going to crack and everything's going to open. The important thing is for people like ourselves is to be safe and keep ourselves masked up and gloved up. If you're an entertainer and you gotta be in the middle of all this and if you're a patron as well, you need to be responsible.

And we need to wash our nasty-ass hands. The good thing that can be taken out of this is that we don't get to be nasty-ass humans anymore. We have to be a little bit more sanitary and that's okay. I don't mind not passing my joint on my left. If all my friends join, if they want to smoke, I'll roll them their own personal joint because I love them. I never was one to share my drinks or anything out of my cup, I don't really drink alcohol, but my water and stuff. The only thing that's drastically changed with me is that now I wash my hands like 98 times a day.

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I want to talk about another track you released this year: "Spirit of House" with ATFC. What elements where essential to you to bring in to it to reflect the spirit of house and its Chicago roots?

So ATFC is a good friend of mine. I was in London when I recorded the vocals for that. We were in the studio over there and he let me hear this real raw version, and it immediately hit my brain. I was like, "Oh, this was great. This is going to be old school but new school." Old-school wording and phrasing to get that vibe. But with a new-school production, new-school synergy. It still captured the sound of today but the sound of yesterday as well, with Chicago.

And as soon as I heard the piano chords he came up with, I knew exactly what to do. I was thinking about old Marshall Jefferson on the "Move Your Body" track. All his rhythms, and the rhythms of old Chicago and the original piano house, I would say. And it just clicked, everything just kind of worked. And the song did really well us.

Back in 1998, you launched Farris Wheel Recordings in Chicago. What was your original intention with the label and in what ways do you feel it's grown beyond that? 

Oh, wow. That's a great question. 1998 was many moons ago. I was a young, silly little boy and my whole original plan with Ferris Wheel was to have a label that my friends and I could put anything out on. For my close circle of friends at the time, it was five of us. I was just beginning to get a little bit of popularity at the time. And I was like, "I want to start a label for all these tracks that these labels keep turning down. I know they're good." My original idea was nothing more innocent than being able to have another outlet to release my music for myself and my friends.

How she's grown into her own little beast. She's outgrown that little dream; we've had probably 100 artists on the label over the years. Now, maybe more than that. We've had hundreds of releases, I'd say 150, 160. And I've had the opportunity to work with some of my heroes; Green Velvet's done a record on the label. Paul Johnson, Miguel Migs, Jay-J. So many people over the years, even the newer guys. Now we got Will Clarke on the label and this new kid that I got, he's massive now, John Summit. And DJ Sneak's done stuff on the label. We've had almost everybody from Chicago there, Derrick Carter's done remixes on there, Mark Farina's done a record on there.

Everyone from Chicago in the '90s, the golden era, has been on the label at one point in time. It's totally awesome. Now we get probably—nowhere near as many demos as Dirtybird I'm sure—but we get roughly 15, 20 demos a week. From the smallest artists all the way up to the biggest. I'm proud of her. She's my girl.

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What role do you see yourself having in sort of passing the torch or sharing your wisdom with the younger generation of DJ/producers?

That's another awesome question. Most of the people I work with, outside of Curtis a.k.a. Green Velvet and Barclay a.k.a. Claude VonStroke, are much younger than me. It's only a few of us from my generation who've found a way to stay relevant, stay current and stay inspired. It's not many of us left from my generation who've managed to keep going.

With the younger generation that I work with, it's not that I'm just giving all this knowledge, like I'm Yoda on their back giving them all these notes. It is more of a give and take thing. As I try to teach some of my younger friends, they don't listen to me. They're smart, they know not to listen to a word I say. [Laughs.] But I try to teach them some things or explain some things. I'm also learning from them about what's going on today, how to stay current and what's popular at the moment. It's not all just a one-sided thing of me just dumping wisdom on my little brothers.

It's just more sitting down and having talks with a lot of my younger friends and younger producers and stuff. We've put stuff up on the label, and we just kind of bounce ideas off each other, it keeps me current. If you get to an older age, you just don't go out as much. If you don't go out and don't have any younger friends, you only have the people who grew up in your era, you're losing a lot. I think it's going to be very difficult to stay current, to stay relevant under those circumstances unless you're a nerd and constantly on Beatport and things like that. Even then, you won't get the essence of the energy of the current music scene.

I have a lot of younger friends, thank goodness. I have a wide range of friends of all ages, creeds, colors, gay, straight, all of it. I still get to know what's going on with the scene and everything today. I still go out, my wife's only 28 years old.

I think my biggest advice for anyone in my age group is to get a young friend. Hang out with somebody who you don't think you can learn anything from, party with those guys and kind of see where their headed at with the music and you'll learn some things you can incorporate in the music that you're making.

And on the flip side of that, the young guys who want to learn some stuff from us, I say just be open; a lot of us are older and a little bit outdated, but give us time. Some of these older guys are definitely willing to work with some of the young generations.

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Well, the real question is, do you have a TikTok account?

I do not have a TikTok account because I thought it was lame. [It's] absolutely nothing to do with age, [I] just feel like, "this is lame, I can't do this." With that being said, my managers, who sometimes call me an old fart, they're telling me, "G, you need to get a TikTok." I'm like, "Aw, come on, man." But don't be surprised if you see me get a TikTok account.

It's crazy, essentially how you chart on Billboard now is if you have a popular song on TikTok.

Wow. Unbelievable. Maybe I should do that with "Nursery." The Eeny, meeny, miny, moe song. Put that on TikTok, that probably will go viral. [Laughs.] That'll fly right in.

When you were first starting out, who were your biggest influences? And was there someone you saw that made you feel like you had a place in making dance music?

Absolutely. My biggest influence, I had only one the person I looked up to, fanboyed, when I was in my teens was Lil' Louis. He was my hero. I grew up listening to all his tracks from "French Kiss" to "Blackout" to "I Called You," "Club Lonely," "War Games," "Jupiter." I was, and still am, a massive Lil Louis fan. He was my biggest influence for sure.

Seeing him play was the first time I ever saw anyone DJ in front of a 1000 people, which was a lot back then. He blew my mind and I was like, "I got to figure out a way to be like that." I was already DJing at the time, but I needed to figure out how to get where I was as a 16-year-old kid to that, to him.

Somebody else who had a massive influence on my life is one of my best friends, Curtis, Green Velvet. He put out my first record in 1994 on his label Relief Records. He took me to Europe for my first time, to [London's] Ministry of Sound, my first gig in Europe. I even work with him a lot still today and we still talk regularly. And before I even got to meet him, he was already a hero of mine. I mean this was the guy who made "Percolator" for God's sake. He's also had a massive influence on me and played a pivotal part of my life.

I would say, those two guys as well as DJ Rush, he's a Chicago guy. I would say those three are people that inspired me to want to do this, to try to be a world-renowned producer and DJ.

When you look at the evolution of house music from its birthplace in the '80s Chicago underground to this huge multi-subgenre, global thing, what does that mean to you?

I think it's great. I have dreamed my whole life about house music being a global thing that is as big as hip-hop. That everybody knows about it and knows the songs. My dream is that it's as massive as Lady Gaga or anything else. We're getting there for sure. But you still want it to have an underground feeling.

I was just talking to DJ Pierre about this. He's like the godfather, he's one of the people who started this. We were talking about how massive it is, but how it still has the basic element that was started in Chicago. The basic elements of a dark room, low lighting, massive strobes hitting every now and then, massive sound. And not so much lighting on the DJ; all those elements of the dark room, big sound and the low lighting started in Chicago. The whole structure of the party itself, the underground, the warehouse, the feeling, all of that started here. Those elements are still the key elements to any festival, any party, any club you go to in the world with electronic music.

If you go to a hip-hop show, it's a bit different. The stage is much more lit, really focused on the artists. Rock concerts are lit up like a Christmas tree. EDM even, the big commercial stuff, it's just kind of lit up, cannon balls are going off and it's just a completely different thing than what we do. We kept the essence of the raw warehouse, underground feeling.

Do you feel that there's something that needs to happen with house to ensure it honors the people who created it and where it came from?

In a sense, it's definitely important for the youth to know and the world to know that the music started in Chicago. That is absolutely important. But it's also very important for us as Chicago artists to stay current so people know who we are. They can have interviews and talk to people like you and inform them on what it was and what things are. They have the opportunity to keep the torch going. It's not the world's opportunity to bow down to Chicago, it's definitely the world's opportunity to know where it's from and that we did start house music and electronic music for the most part.

I believe we have to earn our stripes. I don't think anyone should sit on their oats of what they've done 20, 30, even 40, 50 years ago. There are some like Frankie Knuckles obviously, R.I.P., and Ron Hardy, RIP, and Lil' Louis as well. These are people I would say are the Mount Rushmore of house music, Larry Levan as well, he was from New York City. I think everybody else needs to try to stay as current as possible so you can keep the torch going on as long as you can, if you're still on active duty. [Laughs.]

It's a balance of honoring the past, but then also being, "Yo, we're still dope. And here's why."

We are still dope. And we have a lot of really dope people from Chicago right now here. You got myself, you have Green Velvet, you have Derrick Carker, you have Mark Farina, J. Worra. I think J.Phlip's is from Chicago too. We're lurking in the bushes, we're doing some things. [Laughs.]

With all the craziness in the world right now, what is one thing that gives you the most hope?

The thing that gives me the most hope right now is the music. I hate to sound corny but out of all of this, the one thing that hasn't stopped is the output of new music. Also, the return of the bedroom DJ, I'm loving that right now too. Everybody's back DJing, they got live streams going on and everybody's still in love with the music. And the people who aren't doing that are the fans who are tuning in still. I think that is making me very hopeful that once the ban is lifted, that the parties are going to be berserk, they're going to be off the chain.

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Curtis Jones is a dance music legend, whose multiple monikers only begin to demonstrate his deep and varied influence in the genre.

Jones has been active as a producer and DJ for decades, and is among a cadre of dance music acts forging a connection between the genre's origins and its modern iterations. Crucially, he  joined Chicago house legends Honey Dijon and Terry Hunter on Beyoncé's house-infused RENAISSANCE, providing a sample for "Cozy." He’s also produced tracks with house favorites Chris Lake and Oliver Heldens, and DJed with Dom Dolla and John Summit.

Jones contributed to the aforementioned collaborations, young and old, as Green Velvet. He’s been releasing dance hits like "Flash" and "Answering Machine" under that name since the mid- '90s. He is also currently a staple of the live circuit, his signature green mohawk vibing in clubs and festivals around the globe — including at his own La La Land parties in Los Angeles, Denver, Orlando, and elsewhere.

Green Velvet is appropriately braggadocious, even releasing the popular "Bigger Than Prince" in 2013. But by the time Jones had released the heavy-grooving tech house track, his artistry had been percolating for decades as Cajmere.

Where Green Velvet releases lean into acid house and Detroit techno, Cajmere is all about the traditional house sound of Jones’ hometown of Chicago. When Jones first debuted Cajmere in 1991, Chicago’s now-historic reputation for house music was still developing. Decades after the original release, Cajmere tracks like "Percolator,” have sustained the Windy City sound via remixes by prominent house artists like Will Clarke, Jamie Jones, and Claude VonStroke.

"I love doing music under both of my aliases, so it’s great when fans discover the truth,” Jones tells GRAMMY.com over email. Often, Jones performs as Cajmere to open his La La Land parties, and closes as Green Velvet. 

But beyond a few scattered performances and new tracks, Cajmere has remained dormant while Green Velvet became a worldwide headliner, topping bills in Mexico City, Toronto, Bogotá and other international dance destinations. He’s only shared two original releases as Cajmere since 2016: "Baby Talk,” and "Love Foundation,” a co-production with fellow veteran Chicago producer/DJ Gene Farris.

This year, Jones is reviving Cajmere to headliner status with his new live event series, Legends. First held in March in Miami, Jones' Legends aims to highlight other dance music legends, from Detroit techno pioneers Stacey Pullen and Carl Craig, to Chicago house maven Marshall Jefferson. 

"My intention is to shine a light on those who sacrificed so much to keep house music alive," Jones writes. "The sad reality is that most of the legendary artists aren’t celebrated or compensated as well as they should be."

Given that dance music came into the popular music zeitgeist relatively recently, the originators of the genre — like the artists Jones booked for his Legends party — are still in their prime. Giving them space to perform allows them to apply the same innovation they had in the early '90s in 2024.

Jones says the Miami Legends launch was an amazing success."Seeing the passion everyone, young and old, displayed was so inspiring."

Curtis Jones, center, DJs at the Miami Legends party ┃Courtesy of the artist

The first Legends party also served as a celebration of Cajual Records, the label Jones launched in 1992 as a home for his Cajmere music. Over the past three decades, Cajual has also released tracks from dance music veterans such as Riva Starr, as well as contemporary tastemakers like Sonny Fodera and DJ E-Clyps. 

Furthermore, Jones’ partnership with revered singers such as Russoul and Dajae (the latter of whom still performs with him to this day) on Cajual releases like "Say U Will” and "Waterfall” helped to define the vocal-house style.

Like the Cajmere project, Cajual Records has been moving slower in recent years. The label has only shared four releases since 2018. True to form, though, Jones started another label; Relief Records, the home of Green Velvet's music, shared 10 releases in 2023 alone.

Jones says he's been particularly prolific as Green Velvet because "the genres of tech house and techno have allowed me the creative freedom I require as an artist."

Now Jones is making "loads of music” as Cajmere again and recently signed a new distribution deal for Cajual Records. The true sound of Chicago is resonating with audiences in 2024, Jones says, adding "it's nice that house is making a comeback."

Jones remembers when house music was especially unpopular. He used to call radio stations in the '80s to play tracks like Jamie Principle's underground classic "Waiting On My Angel,” only to be told they didn’t play house music whatsoever. In 2024, house music records like FISHER’s "Losing It” were certified gold, and received nominations for Best Dance Recording at the 66th GRAMMY Awards. Jones is embracing this popularity with open arms.

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"The new audience it’s attracting is excited to hear unique underground-style house records now. This is perfect for my Cajmere sets,” Jones says. "I never saw Green Velvet being more popular than Cajmere, and both sounds being as popular as they are even today.” 

While Jones is finding success in his own artistic endeavors, he points to a general lack of appreciation for Black dance artists in festival bookings. Looking at the run-of-show for ARC Festival, a festival in Chicago dedicated to house and techno music, legendary artists play some of the earliest slots. 

For the 2023 edition, Carl Craig played at 3 p.m on Saturday while the young, white John Summit, closed the festival the same night. In 2021, the acid house inventor, Chicago’s DJ Pierre, played the opening set at 2 p.m. on Saturday, while FISHER, another younger white artist, was the headliner.

In 2020, Marshall Jefferson penned an op-ed in Mixmag about the losing battle he is fighting as a Black DJ from the '90s. He mentions that younger white artists often receive upwards of $250,000 for one gig, whereas he receives around $2,000, despite the fact that he still DJs to packed crowds 30 years after he started.

Jones is doing his part to even the playing field with Legends, and according to him, things are going well after the first edition. "Seeing how much respect the fans have for the Legends was so special,” Jones says. "Hopefully they become trendy again.” 

The story of Curtis Jones is already one of legend, but it is far from over. "I feel it’s my duty to continue to make creative and innovative tracks as well as musical events. I love shining the light on new upcoming and emerging artists as well as giving the originators their proper dues,” Jones says. 

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As one of the longest-running and biggest selling bands in music history, GRAMMY-winners Chicago have staked a claim as the ultimate “rock band with horns” since their debut album was released over a half-century ago.

Since those early days and throughout a run of instantly-recognizable songs from “25 or 6 to 4” to “You’re the Inspiration” and “If You Leave Me Now” (which won the GRAMMY for Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus at the 19th Annual Awards Ceremony), vocalist and songwriter Robert Lamm has remained an unchanging frontman in an ever-changing lineup.

It’s an ongoing legacy that continues this holiday season with their latest album Greatest Christmas Hits which extrapolates Lamm and company’s penchant for recording seasonal tunes accented by their unique sound, a creative kick that began in 1998 with Chicago XXV: The Christmas Album.

Along with holiday hallmarks like “Winter Wonderland,” the new album also features guest artists like Dolly Parton who joins in with the band on the Paul McCartney staple "Wonderful Christmas Time.”

Lamm spoke to GRAMMY.com about their long legacy, songwriting and choosing the right seasonal songs to give their personal spin.

You and the band recently performed on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Would that rank up there as one of the more unique places you've performed?

Well, there was a circus venue in Paris, and it was a very fancy night for some reason. I guess Chicago had made an impression in Paris, so one day they called us to play in a big top [tent] there. It was quite beautiful and strange.

Do unique spaces make performing more fun, or are you 'on guard' because you're out of your element?

Actually, it wasn't upsetting or scary or anything like that. It was curious, but then we got down to business.

I think the tendency is to group all of your songs together. As a result, a chronology is lost on people. They forget that "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" was the first song you recorded for your debut album. Did that feel like being the first batter of a baseball game scoring a home run?

Well, thank you. Yes, I feel that way. In the early days when we were first recording, a lot of the songs were songs that I had written, and I had no idea what was going to happen with them. We did have a great producer in James William Guercio and most of us had not ever been in a recording studio, so that was the most nervous thing for everybody. It was in a seriously good studio in New York and he had to show us where to stand and what instruments should be put here and there. So it was that kind of thing, all very new.

It was almost like the songs were secondary to figuring out how to do this and record. So thankfully it turned out fine. A number of songs from that first album became popular and for a recent performance, we brought out a lot of songs which were on that first album; we never played most of them for most of our career. We pulled them out to examine them; songs that were very strange rock songs.

When you look back at your peers from the early days, not too many are still touring or recording.

Or still alive.

That must give you a unique perspective on music, success and the industry?

I think we feel mostly very lucky. Obviously 55 years into a career where we really never stopped, the thing that changed was the various people who have come into the band and left for one reason or another. 

That was always something we had to figure out how to do, for someone to come in and be a drummer, bass player or singer even. Being open to learning the repertoire, which obviously throughout every year got larger and larger and larger. That was something we had to learn how to do again. We've done a lot of learning over the years [Laughs].

I know you have lectured at NYU and Stanford University about songwriting. Is there one big lesson you'd give to aspiring songwriters?

Wow, I'm making this up now as we speak, but I think that you have to believe in what you're writing. You have to like it, or love it. I've always tried to not repeat myself ever in writing songs, whether it's the lyrics or the musical structure. 

I have always said, "Don't repeat what you're doing." I've always thought that writing a song is like learning something completely different than I've ever done. Writing the song, I've learned something. It might be a small thing, or it might be a big thing. 

I love writing songs. I didn't know I was going to be a songwriter, I was just a guy in a rock band. For a long time I thought that's what I was. But I'm a songwriter.

So as a songwriter, what are you looking for when you choose to cover a Christmas song? There are millions to choose from, as evidence in your new Greatest Christmas Hits album.

There are millions of bad Christmas songs [Laughs]. I have to like it, the guys in the band have to like it. Like when we did "The Christmas Song," Mel Torme's composition, which is a great song and he's a great musician. But I was living in New York at the time when we had decided to do the first Chrisrtmas album. It's not that we wanted to disguise these songs as something else because these songs are legitimate, popular songs done by many, many people. What we had going for us as a band is that we have a sound. We have a way of arranging things that is us, so the combination of a good song and the arrangement by Chicago, that's the deal.

When it comes to the new Christmas album, the bulk of the songs are remastered. What's the remastering process like for an artist?

As recording technology has blossomed in the digital age, in the beginning it was a little tedious. Between the actual digital equipment on the one hand but also the playback equipment was very different. So the guys who do that for a living are extremely creative and extremely top-drawer. There's a lot of bad recording out there and there always has been.

This Christmas album is one of the only albums you released that isn't numbered. Where did the idea come from to start, and continue numbering?

I have to give credit to our original producer, James William Guercio, who produced probably among the greatest Chicago albums. He suggested, "Let's not get caught up in tricky, phony titles for the albums." So by and large we stayed with the numbering because we want to have people considering collecting the albums, like other collectors of music. We wanted to have it be somewhat more respectable.

What about your inspiration for a song like "Saturday in the Park," which lays out scenes in a park like a little musical? 

We were in New York when I think we were recording our third album. It was summer and those were the days when Central Park was open on the weekends to the public and I think that was a fairly new development in the city. 

Because we were in New York, I always in those days carried around a Beaulieu Super 8 camera just for the hell of it. I shot a lot of footage of what I was seeing and what I was experiencing on that particular day: the park being open like that and people really enjoying the park experience in Manhattan, which is still really great. I was trying to capture that and when I finally got home and looked at the film, I just described what I was looking at to write the lyrics.

What about writing a lyric like "Saturday in the park, I think it was the Fourth of July." Including "I think" adds a deeper layer to it, because you could have just as easily said that it was the Fourth of July.

Well, yeah. And that's because I actually had two consecutive years where I was filming the park. So it was either the Fourth of July, or it may have been the fifth of July the following year. And I also just liked it lyrically, whether it was accurate or not.

Going back to your debut, it was released in 1970. Does it feel like that was a fortuitous time to come onto the scene? If you came out in the mid-60s, maybe it wouldn't have been received at the time because the industry was dealing with the effect of the Beatles. But if you came out in the mid-70s, you would have gotten lost in disco.

Yeah, we would have been lost in the shuffle in the mid-70s and we virtually were by the end of the 70s. We really had to figure out how to survive. We wanted to keep recording, but it was tricky.

Was there a pressure to have a more disco sound?

For a minute, yeah; for as long as disco lasted. We actually came in during the later end of that trend and it was futile. It was awful. We've done other recordings without trying to be disco or thought of as disco. We had done subsequent recordings for subsequent albums that would have qualified but we were past it, and so was everybody else.

Is there a song in your entire discography that you thought should be a bigger hit?

Well, yeah. As the songwriter or the arranger or even the vocalist or instrumentalist of any particular song, there's a lot of them. They're my babies and I'd like people to be introduced to the babies they have never heard before. 

So, is there a song you'd tell people to stream right now?

I can't answer that, there's just too many. I haven't had enough coffee [Laughs.]

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Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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The Star Wars franchise means so much to so many, and music has played a massive role in this space-opera phenomenon.

Try to imagine Darth Vader ominously descending a spaceship ramp without "The Imperial March." Or a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn in their acrobatic duel with Darth Maul without "Duel of the Fates." If you're wired a certain way, you probably have chills just seeing those track titles.

And if you're that deep of a Star Wars head, today's a big day for you. May 4 informally marks Star Wars Day — the punny date comes from "May the Fourth be with you." 

And partly given that franchise scorer John Williams has won a whopping 25 golden gramophones, GRAMMY.com is keenly aware of how the music of Star Wars has touched generation after generation.

Read on for five little-known facts about the Star Wars score you probably don't know. And if you do? The force is strong with this one.

Randy Newman's Uncle Supervised The Original Trilogy Score

If you're unaware of Newman outside of Disney-Pixar tunes, his catalog goes so, so much deeper — as well as his pedigree in cinema. The seven-time GRAMMY winner's uncles, Alfred, Lionel and Emil, all loomed large in Hollywood film scoring; Lionel was the musical supervisor for the original Star Wars trilogy; today, a Fox building is dedicated in his honor.

"The Imperial March" Doesn't Appear In The Original Star Wars

Indeed, your memories are incorrect on this one. Vader's timelessly evil theme wouldn't appear until The Empire Strikes Back; he had a different theme in A New Hope.

The Famous Silent Battle Between Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader Originally Had Music

Would the showdown between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, in The Empire Strikes Back still be impactful with music? Probably. But it gets a whole new zhuzh without it — just slashing lightsabers and eerie chamber sound effects. In this case, less was more.

Music Was Removed In The Scene Following Yoda's Death

Without the old master around, Dagobah is a lonely, lonely place indeed. (There seems to be a running theme: they knew when not to add music.)

"Duel Of The Fates" Was Inspired By An Epic Celtic Poem

"Under the tongue root, a fight most dread, and another raging behind in the head." 

That sure sums up the fight for Anakin Skywalker's soul, but it's actually an archaic Celtic poem whose title translates to "Battle of the Trees."

John Williams translated it into a variety of languages, landing on a sort of faux-Sanskrit: "Khara Matha Khara Rath Amah." The syllables formed the seed of the hair-raising "Duel of the Fates" — listen, and you'll hear it. 

The result was one of the deepest moments in the entire Star Wars music universe — which is saying a lot, given the competition.

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