Anderson .Paak

Already on an ascent, Anderson .Paak received his widest spotlight to date when the multifaceted singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, and drummer appeared more frequently than any other vocalist on Dr. Dre's Compton. Before that exposure, the emerging talent had issued projects under the alias Breezy Lovejoy, then delivered Venice (2014), the opening installment in a run of vibrant albums that fused contemporary soul, funk, hip-hop, and adventurous pop to frame imaginative journeys and autobiographical insights conveyed through incisive wit. The groundwork evident on Compton reached fuller realization with Malibu (2016), a Top Ten R&B/hip-hop chart arrival that earned a Grammy nomination in the urban contemporary category. Paak sustained his momentum across the next two Aftermath releases, Oxnard (2018) and Ventura (2019), a pair of simultaneously recorded albums that secured three Grammy Awards, one of which was Best R&B Album for the latter. Equally active as a guest artist, Paak has attracted the interest of Shafiq Husayn, NxWorries, Chance the Rapper, Mac Miller, Bruno Mars, Silk Sonic, and Rapsody for collaborative work.

Born Brandon Paak Anderson in Oxnard, California, the artist played drums in his church band as a teenager and experimented with bedroom production. Following a stint teaching at a music school, he oversaw operations at a marijuana farm farther north in Santa Barbara until an abrupt dismissal left him and his family without housing. Support from Sa-Ra's Shafiq Husayn, who brought him on as an assistant, helped restore stability; in that role Paak handled duties from videographer to producer, and the resulting studio access allowed him to lay down his own recordings. Between 2010 and 2012 he issued the three-song Violets Are Blue and the compact albums O.B.E., Vol. 1 and Lovejoy under the Breezy Lovejoy moniker. During those years he also served as drummer on tour for American Idol alum Haley Reinhart and appeared on scattered tracks, a few of which carried the Anderson .Paak credit.

He adopted his current performing name with the November 2013 Cover Art EP, which presented inventive reinterpretations of rock material by Neil Young, Toto, and the White Stripes. In the following year he joined Shafiq Husayn on "It's Better for You," co-produced Watsky's All You Can Do, and released Venice that October. At the time his most ambitious and wide-ranging statement, the album explored electro-pop, trap, and footwork textures. Its visibility surged once Dr. Dre dropped Compton in 2015. Paak contributed to six tracks on the number-two pop-charting set and collaborated not only with Dre but also with Ice Cube, Eminem, Marsha Ambrosius, and Kendrick Lamar.

Five months after Compton arrived, Paak returned in January 2016 with Malibu, his second official album. Boasting input from 9th Wonder, Rapsody, and Kaytranada, it opened at number nine on the Billboard R&B/hip-hop chart; nine months later he issued Yes Lawd!, a full-length made with producer Knxwledge as NxWorries. Malibu soon picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album, while Paak himself contended for Best New Artist. Additional guest spots during this stretch included Kaytranada's 99.9%, Chance the Rapper's Grammy-winning Coloring Book, ScHoolboy Q's Blank Face, Mac Miller's The Divine Feminine, and Rapsody's Laila's Wisdom.

As Malibu cuts were placed in Everything, Everything, Pacific Rim Uprising, and Marvel's Iron Fist, Paak further extended his featured résumé with appearances on Chris Dave and the Drumhedz and Black Panther: The Album. Later in 2018 he unveiled the singles "Bubblin" and the Kendrick Lamar-assisted "Tints" via his long-developing Aftermath arrangement; those tracks preceded the November arrival of Oxnard, which debuted at number six on the R&B/hip-hop chart and came within one position of the Billboard 200's top tier. "Bubblin" captured the 2018 Grammy for Best Rap Performance. The sessions proved fertile enough to yield Ventura in April 2019. Leaning more toward R&B, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number four. Its lone guest-rap entry, "Come Home" featuring André 3000, earned that year's Grammy for Best R&B Performance, and Ventura itself took Best R&B Album. In 2020 Paak released the singles "Lockdown," "JEWELZ," and "Cut Em In," the last of which featured Rick Ross. He joined Bruno Mars and Silk Sonic in 2021 for "Leave the Door Open" and "Skate."