Anderson Paak

Brandon Paak Anderson (born February 8, 1986), better known by his stage name Anderson .Paak (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and drummer. He released his debut mixtape, ''O.B.E. Vol. 1,'' in 2012 and went on to release '' Venice'' in 2014. In 2016 he followed up with '' Malibu'', which received a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammy Awards, followed by '' Oxnard'', in 2018. At the 61st Grammy Awards, Paak won his first Grammy award for Best Rap Performance with the song " Bubblin". He won two more Grammy awards in 2020 for Best R&B Album with '' Ventura'' and for Best R&B Performance for "Come Home" (featuring André 3000).

Apart from his solo career, Anderson formed the duo NxWorries in 2015 with record producer Knxwledge. He is frequently accompanied by the band Free Nationals, who play a variety of instruments, such as electric guitar, bass, piano, keyboards and drums, and also serve as backing vocalists. In 2021, he formed the duo Silk Sonic with fellow singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. The duo's debut single, "Leave the Door Open", became Anderson's first single to reach number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and was the recipient of four awards at the 64th Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Early life

Brandon Paak Anderson was born on February 8, 1986, at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, California. He is of mixed African American and Korean heritage. Anderson's mother was born in South Korea during the Korean War to an African American man who is presumed to have been a soldier. She was abandoned in a Korean orphanage and adopted by an African-American family in Compton, CA.

At age seven, Anderson saw his estranged father attack his mother: "My little sister and I went out front and my pops was on top of my mom. There was blood in the street. He was arrested and that was the last time I saw him. I think he did 14 years."

Shortly after he started his senior year of high school, his mother was criminally convicted of major fraud. "I got a call in class: 'They arrested your mom today.'" Anderson's mother pleaded guilty to defrauding investors of millions using her produce distribution company. She received a seven-year prison sentence.

Career

2009–2013: Career beginnings

Anderson began producing music from his bedroom as a teenager, while attending Foothill Technology High School. His first experiences performing were as a drummer at his family's church. In 2011, prior to being a successful working musician, Anderson became homeless with his wife and infant son after he was dismissed from his job at a marijuana farm in Santa Barbara. Early in his career, Anderson used the stage name Breezy Lovejoy.

In 2011, Anderson had started earning acceptance in the Los Angeles music world as he worked on his debut album. Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra and Los Angeles based rapper Dumbfoundead helped Anderson recover financially from losing his job in Santa Barbara by employing him as an assistant, videographer, editor, writer and producer. He completed ''O.B.E. Vol.1'' and released the album on June 30, 2012. He became the drummer for former ''American Idol'' semi-finalist Haley Reinhart. After the release of ''O.B.E. Vol.1'', Anderson changed his stage name to Anderson .Paak; he claims that the dot stands for "detail," the need to pay attention to detail.

On November 27, 2013, Paak produced and recorded ''Cover Art'', an all-covers EP. Paak was inspired by the white artists of the 1950s who achieved commercial success by remaking songs written by Black blues and R&B singers, while hardly ever compensating the original artists. ''Cover Art'' reversed the process and transformed folk and rock classics from white musicians into a mold of soul, funk, jazz, left-field pop, hip-hop, and R&B. The album was released by the independent Hellfyre Club and OBE labels. Paak was the lead producer for Watsky's 2014 album ''All You Can Do'' and is featured on three of its sixteen tracks.

2014–2017: ''Venice'' and ''Malibu''

On October 28, 2014, Paak released '' Venice'', his debut album as Anderson .Paak, on OBE and Steel Wool. Paak performed on six songs on Dr. Dre's 2015 album '' Compton'' and two on The Game's ''The Documentary 2.5''. In 2014, Paak also joined Jhené Aiko on her 'Enter The Void' tour. In October 2015, he announced that he had recorded material with Schoolboy Q and 9th Wonder

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