Two years ago, DJ Mustard dropped 10 Summers, putting everyone on notice that the summer was his. But for some reason, this year he hadn’t planned on putting anything out. Between dealing with personal issues and being on tour with Rihanna, a new album wasn’t on his mind. But his boys and frequent collaborators YG, Ty Dolla $ign, and RJ had other plans; Cold Summer was the organic result. Check out why Mustard had no choice but to pull a Beyoncé and drop this project for the fans.

You collaborate with YG, Ty Dolla $ign , and RJ three times each on Cold Summer. What is it about each of their styles that makes you want to keep working with them?

That’s the home team. That’s who I started with. As far as YG and Ty, it’s easiest for me to work with them, it’s my comfort zone. They’re focused into the music [in the studio]. I don’t know how to describe it. They’re the same in the studio as they are out. They’re tryna get it done and they’re both perfectionists. And RJ, I know it’s gonna make him sound good and he knows how to rap on my beats, so it’s cool to have those guys to always be able to run to.

Who would you like to collaborate with that you haven’t yet?

I really want to work with Beyoncé and Jay Z. Together, separate, whatever. I don’t have, like, no wish list. I hope to work with everybody!

Cold Summer still boasts your signature sound. What sounds are essential to creating something that feels authentic to the West Coast?

It’s the bassline. That G-Funk vibe, from the cracks all the way down to the kicks. The 808s. It’s gotta be in you. You can’t make it if it’s not in you.

Are there any other current trends in music that you are, or are not, a fan of?

I’m a fan of all music because it inspires people in other ways. I might not listen to everything, but I’m not not a fan of anything. I feel like that’s being a hater.

So what other artists are you currently listening to?

Torey Lanez. RJ’s TNB mixtape where he’s like taking everybody else’s beats; like how Wayne did on Dedication, it’s like RJ’s series of that. Ty’s new album that just dropped, Campaign.

We’ve already heard “Don’t Hurt Me” with Nicki Minaj and Jeremih . Can you tell us what the next single will be?

I don’t know, man! This project was moreso just to let the people pick. I didn’t do it for the single or for what’s gonna be the big hit. This is just for my fans, to show people that I ain’t forgot where I came from and can still come back and do that type of music. The next single is whatever people gravitate to the most.

Well what song are you most excited for people to hear?

“Another Summer” [feat. Rick Ross, John Legend, and James Fauntleroy]. I didn’t do no interviews last year and I was going through a lot and never got a chance to tell everybody what I was going through, so [this is] for people to see what I was working on and I got through it, so it’s just talking to the people, just basically I’ve never expressed myself on a song.

Your first album was 10 Summers, you have an upcoming mixtape with YG called 400 Summers, so can you can tell us about this album title, Cold Summer?

I didn’t think I was gonna drop anything this summer. I wasn’t planning to. And being that it was a cold summer in L.A., you know, a lot of shit was going on. People was going to jail, people were dying, all type of shit was going on in L.A. And then I went on tour with Rihanna and I feel like this was a big summer for me, but in the beginning it was a lot of other shit going on as well. So it was like, man, this is a cold summer — in a good way and in a bad way. I got to do Coachella and bring YG out. Basically, it was like my theme is the summer and I always told my fans that I was gonna drop something every summer, but I felt like I was kinda letting them down when I wasn’t planning on dropping anything.

But when I came off the tour, slowly but surely it started coming together and people started pulling up to the studio and I was like, this is a dope project. So I hit the label, like, “Yo, I’m done” and everybody went crazy, like, “You just dropping the project outta nowhere? You’re not prepping it or anything?” And I was like, “Nah, this is more so for my fans, the people that were asking me, Why ain’t I?”

Check the tracklisting below.

And hear Cold Summer here: iTunes | Google Play | TIDAL