Thundercat

Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner surfaced early in the new millennium as the premier bassist among numerous boundary-pushing musicians who blended electric jazz, punk, R&B, and hip-hop. His agile, off-kilter, rhythm-driven bass work has driven tracks for Sa-Ra, Erykah Badu, and Flying Lotus, several of which also showcased his soft, melodic singing. Though his recording credits span countless sessions rich with standouts—he earned his initial Grammy among the vocalists on Kendrick Lamar's "These Walls"—Thundercat commands equal notice for his bold solo releases. Projects including The Golden Age of Apocalypse (2011), Apocalypse (2013), Drunk (2017), and It Is What It Is (2020) have fused disparate styles while pulling lyrical themes from science fiction, death, romantic loss, and pop culture, particularly video games, manga, and anime. Following It Is What It Is earning Best Progressive R&B Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Thundercat has expanded in fresh directions by joining Silk Sonic and Gorillaz, interpreting Ryuichi Sakamoto, and partnering with Kevin Parker (aka Tame Impala) on "No More Lies" (2023), his first standalone solo single in three years.

Raised in Los Angeles, Thundercat benefited from an upbringing steeped in music. Father Ronald Bruner, Sr., an established drummer, has played and recorded with acts such as Diana Ross, the Temptations, and Helen Baylor while also leading his own dates. Older brother Ronald Jr., likewise a drummer, gained prominence through Grammy-winning performances alongside Stanley Clarke. Youngest sibling, keyboardist Jameel Bruner (aka Kintaro), gained recognition as part of the Grammy-nominated Internet. The Bruners have combined forces in multiple configurations.

Thundercat launched his professional path in the early 2000s. Still attending high school, he performed with the brief-lived No Curfew before linking with Ronald Jr. in skate-punk originators Suicidal Tendencies, stepping into the role vacated by Robert Trujillo after the latter joined Metallica. Onstage the younger Bruner exhibited flair and precision, executing some of Trujillo's three-finger lines using only his thumb. Drawn to the full sweep of Los Angeles's progressive scene, he soon partnered with several of its leading figures. Throughout his extended run with Suicidal Tendencies, he and Ronald Jr. toured alongside Stanley Clarke and participated in Young Jazz Giants and the Next Step, ensembles that included Kamasi Washington, Cameron Graves, and Miles Mosley. Thundercat further contributed to numerous Sa-Ra-related efforts such as The Hollywood Recordings and Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love, Erykah Badu's New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War, and Shafiq Husayn's Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka, plus Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma, Bilal's Airtight's Revenge, and Miguel's All I Want Is You. In this era he also appeared live with conductor Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, who directed the Suite for Ma Dukes orchestra, a modern ensemble revisiting J Dilla's Donuts.

After forging a close creative alliance with Flying Lotus, Thundercat signed to the artist's Brainfeeder imprint as a headliner. Flying Lotus executive-produced Bruner's 2011 debut, The Golden Age of Apocalypse. Issued the same year Thundercat appeared on releases by Snoop Dogg and Ty Dolla $ign, the album drew widespread praise for its nimble basslines and extensions of 1970s fusion pioneers such as George Duke and Jaco Pastorius. Following further work on Flying Lotus' Until the Quiet Comes, Thundercat delivered a moodier follow-up, Apocalypse, in 2013, captured in the wake of losing close friend and collaborator Austin Peralta. The set marked his first Billboard 200 entry. Across that year and the period immediately afterward, session highlights encompassed key input on several Mac Miller projects, Flying Lotus' You're Dead!, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly and untitled unmastered., Kamasi Washington's The Epic, and Terrace Martin's Velvet Portraits. He played on Lamar's "These Walls," recipient of the 2015 Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

While juggling live and studio obligations, Thundercat carved out time to shape new material, issuing the interim 2015 EP The Beyond/Where the Giants Roam. Playful full-length Drunk arrived in 2017, spotlighting Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald on the single "Show You the Way." After peaking at number 50 on the Billboard 200, Thundercat issued a chopped-and-screwed edition, Drank, handled by OG Ron C and DJ Candlestick. By the close of the decade he had further augmented his session résumé with appearances on albums by Childish Gambino, Mac Miller, N.E.R.D, Janelle Monáe, Kali Uchis, Anderson .Paak, and Danny Brown.

Thundercat opened the following decade with It Is What It Is, an album deeply shaped by Mac Miller's passing. Tracks such as "Fair Chance" and the title cut honored his late friend and collaborator. Standouts "Dragonball Durag" and "Funny Thing" supplied ample humorous counterbalance. His most commercially successful release, it debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200 and captured the Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album the subsequent March. During 2021 and 2022 he broadened his footprint through guest spots on Flying Lotus' "Black Gold," Silk Sonic's "After Last Night," and Kaytranada's "Be Careful," among others. He also co-produced H.E.R.'s "Bloody Waters," reimagined the Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like an Eagle" for the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack, "remodeled" Ryuichi Sakamoto's "Thousand Knives," and appeared as the Modifier in an episode of The Book of Boba Fett. In 2023, after featuring on the title track of the Gorillaz album Cracker Island, Thundercat issued the Tame Impala collaboration "No More Lies."