Coming off the heels of dominating Dre’s Compton project, Anderson Paak is far from killing 2015.
Hip Hop has been blessed with a gang of experimental albums this year. Releases like Kendrick’s TPAB weaved in the genre’s jazz roots, while Busdriver pushed the art rap banner even further with Thumbs. Paak’s resume is deeper than most would assume. Starting under the moniker Breezy Lovejoy, he spent a good amount of time grinding with his LA family (Dumbfoundead, Wax, Busdriver, Open Mike Eagle, etc). Working with full exposure to these artists’ unique styles, Paak was given the perfect setting to mold a fresh sound.
Amazingly, not only has Paak taken advantage of that placement, he’s carved out a lane with the mainstream as its final destination. Mixing together Rap and Soul like shrimp and grits, Paak has found a recipe guaranteed to win him the appeal of everyone from radio heads to the staunchest of back packers.
It’s not hard to see his success, when he lands ScHoolboy Q in the guest spot. It’s on this track, “Am I Wrong” that Paak sits back in a smooth beat courtesy of POMO, kicking out gems like “Am I wrong to assume that if she can’t jump, then she can’t hoop?” ScHoolboy Q’s feature is also very much on point, taking on a beat that I wouldn’t except Q to even feel comfortable on.
The 9th Wonder produced, “The Season/Carry Me” has Paak really flexing his vocal chords across the first half of the track, before sliding down into a funky rap flow after the beat switch. With story telling prowess inching on KRS’s tier channeled into this Soul Rap mix, Paak seems to be incapable of landing a misstep.
art by your homie, Arthur Banach
Check out more on Instagram
@wildhxir
