Mark Anthony Spears (born February 28, 1986), known professionally asSounwave, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is a frequent collaborator of rapperKendrick Lamar, having worked on each of his projects since his2009 self-titled extended play. Sounwave has also worked with artists such asBeyoncé,Taylor Swift,Kali Uchis,Schoolboy Q,Mac Miller,Chloe x Halle, andBleachers. He has won sixGrammy Awards, including one forRecord of the Year.

Sounwave was born Mark Anthony Spears on February 28, 1986, inLos Angeles, California.^[1][2] His parents areelementary school sweethearts fromSelma, Alabama, and relocated to Los Angeles in the 1970s so his father could pursue a dancing career forSoul Train.^[3] Spears has two older brothers and was raised inCompton.^[3] He was first inspired to pursue music after hearing the instrumentals on "Up Jumps da Boogie" byTimbaland. As a child, Spears used aKorg drum machine and a karaoke machine to create music.^[4] From there, he purchased a4-track machine and began using thePlayStation video gameMTV Music Generator (1999) to produce songs.^[4]

Spears was discovered byTerrance "Punch" Henderson, co-president ofTop Dawg Entertainment (TDE), when he was 13 years old.^[3] After meeting with rapperBishop Lamont, he produced a song for him usingMTV Music Generator, which later received radio placement.^[4] He graduated fromCompton High School in 2005 and was gifted anAkai MPC by his cousin; it soon became one of his primary production tools.^[4] Spears first met rapperKendrick Lamar in a recording studio inGardena, California. Lamar was silent until Spears played a spin ofAalon's 1977 song "Rock and Roll Gangster", which made him rush to the recording booth and rap for two minutes straight.^[3]

One year later, Spears met TDE's founder and chief executive officer Anthony "Top Dawg" Tiffith, who was originally unimpressed with him, but Spears persisted and honed his craft, and later blew Tiffith away.^[5] Spears later reconnected with Lamar and became a member of TDE's in-house production teamDigi+Phonics, alongside Tae Beast,Dave Free andWillie B.^[5] His earliest work for the label includes production credits on Lamar's2009 self titled extended play andFlo Rida's second albumR.O.O.T.S.^[6][4]

Spears was one of the primary producers of Lamar's final mixtapeOverly Dedicated (2010) and his debut studio albumSection.80 (2011). For his work on the latter album, he was highlighted byComplex on their 15 New Producers to Watch list.^[7] He produced three songs on Lamar's second albumGood Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012): "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe", "M.A.A.D. City", and "Sing About Me, I'm Dying of Thirst". As a member of Digi+Phonics, he was highlighted byComplex for a second time and earned his firstGrammy Award nomination forAlbum of the Year for his work onGood Kid, M.A.A.D City.^[8][6] Spears also made contributions toSchoolboy Q's second albumHabits & Contradictions (2012),^[9][1] his third albumOxymoron, andIsaiah Rashad's debut albumCilvia Demo (both 2014).^[10][11]

Spears produced a majority of Lamar's third albumTo Pimp a Butterfly (2015), which several publications have named as one of the best albums of the2010s decade.^[12][13] At the58th Annual Grammy Awards, he wonBest Rap Song for co-writing the album's fourth single "Alright" and received a second nomination for Album of the Year.^[14] For Lamar's fourth albumDamn (2017), Spears wonBest Rap Album and picked up a third Album of the Year nomination at the60th Annual Grammy Awards.^[15] In 2018, he co-wrote, produced, and handledA&R for the film soundtrackBlack Panther: The Album,^[16] and contributed to singer-songwriterKali Uchis' debut albumIsolation.^[17]Black Panther: The Album received five nominations at the61st Annual Grammy Awards, including for Album of the Year, marking the first time a soundtrack album was nominated for the honor sinceO Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).^[18] Its lead single, "All the Stars", earned nominations for Best Original Song at theAcademy Awards,Golden Globe Awards, andCritics' Choice Movie Awards.^[19][20][21]

In 2019, Spears contributed to several singer-songwriters, includingBeyoncé's soundtrack albumThe Lion King: The Gift,Taylor Swift's seventh albumLover, andMary J. Blige's single "Know".^[22][23][24] The same year, he formed thesynth-popsupergroupRed Hearse with musician and producerJack Antonoff and singer-songwriterSam Dew.^[25] Their self-titled debut album was released throughRCA Records.^[26] For his work as the primary producer of Lamar's fifth albumMr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022), Spears won Best Rap Album for the second time at the65th Annual Grammy Awards, and earned a fourth nomination for Album of the Year.^[27]

Spears resides inWest Hills, Los Angeles with his partner, poet and songwriter Reyna Biddy, and their son, Umi.^[28][29]

Notable songs

Albums produced

• Beyoncé –The Lion King: The Gift (2019),Cowboy Carter (2024)
• Bleachers –Gone Now (2017)
• Chloe x Halle –Ungodly Hour (2020)
• Kali Uchis –Isolation (2018),Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) (2020),Red Moon in Venus (2023),Orquídeas (2024)
• Kendrick Lamar –Section.80 (2011),Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012),To Pimp a Butterfly (2015),Damn (2017),Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2022),GNX (2024)
• Taylor Swift –Lover (2019),Midnights (2022)

• Sounwave atIMDb

• 1986 births
• 21st-century African-American musicians
• 21st-century American male musicians
• African-American songwriters
• American hip-hop musicians
• American male songwriters
• Compton High School alumni
• Grammy Award winners for rap music
• Kendrick Lamar
• Living people
• Musicians from Compton, California
• RCA Records artists
• Songwriters from California
• Top Dawg Entertainment artists
• West Coast hip-hop musicians

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