[1][2] On March 30, 2012, after speaking on his newly signed joint venture deal, which brought Top Dawg Entertainment alongside Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records for Kendrick Lamar's releases, Lamar announced on Big Boy's Neighborhood that he would premier his debut single "The Recipe", to the morning radio show on April 2.

[2][3] The song heavily samples "Meet the Frownies" as performed by Mr Twin Sister.

Carrie Battan of Pitchfork summarized the song as an "anthemic Californian pride cut".

[4] Nick Catucci of Rolling Stone jokingly wrote "You might get a contact high from this" and went on to write "Lamar’s wafting number has rolling boulders for a beat, lines about sunlight slanting through shades and Dre explaining, 'How many ways am I killin' 'em?

The song was later remixed, featuring verses from Lamar's Black Hippy cohorts – Ab-Soul, Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q.