Anderson .Paak (born 1986 in Oxnard, California) is an American singer, rapper, and drummer who broke out on Dr. Dre's Compton and never looked back. Malibu (2016) and Ventura (2018) are the essential solo records, and his Silk Sonic duo with Bruno Mars took Record and Song of the Year at the 2022 Grammys. Shop Anderson .Paak vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Brandon Paak Anderson was born in Oxnard, California on February 8, 1986. He worked as a session drummer in Los Angeles before launching a solo career under the name Breezy Lovejoy and then, from 2014, as Anderson.Paak. His breakthrough came through featuring extensively on Dr. Dre's Compton (2015), after which he signed with Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. His albums Malibu (2016, Steel Wool/OBE/Empire) and Ventura (2018, Aftermath) established him as a major figure in contemporary R&B and hip hop. In 2021 he formed the duo Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars, whose debut album An Evening with Silk Sonic won Record and Song of the Year at the 2022 Grammys.
Anderson.Paak's sound combines R&B, soul, hip hop, and funk with live drumming, vocal harmonies, and groove-based arrangements that draw on 1970s soul traditions. He frequently sings and raps while drumming, and his production and collaborator network spans Dr. Dre, Madlib, Knxwledge (as the duo NxWorries), and Bruno Mars.
Steel Wool/OBE pressings of Malibu and Aftermath pressings of Ventura and Oxnard have been issued in multiple variants. An Evening with Silk Sonic has appeared in standard and limited color editions.
Listeners new to Anderson.Paak typically start with Malibu (2016) or Ventura (2018).
