Anderson .Paak 11,045

Brandon Paak Anderson, a.k.a. Anderson .Paak, is a singer, songwriter, producer, and drummer from Oxnard, California. He released his debut EP, Violets Are Blue, under his original moniker, Breezy Lovejoy, in 2010. He eventually began using his new stage name and released O.B.E. Vol. 1 in June 2012 and Lovejoy in October 2012.

Before his 2014 album Venice, .Paak officially changed his name to Anderson .Paak. When asked if his name change was symbolic of a turning point in his career by Consequence of Sound, he stated:

Yeah, that was the case. […] and I felt like it was time to transition to a different name.

With his name change, .Paak was reborn. Venice, released a full two years after his last project showcased .Paak’s incredible versatility. “Milk n' Honey” showed .Paak’s storytelling ability. In “The City,” .Paak shows he can create a West Coast anthem. “Drugs,” the single that got .Paak noticed by Dre, is perhaps .Paak’s most telling song of his sound, with powerful vocals and progressive production on full display.

2015 was a standout year for .Paak, thanks to his guest features. Appearing on six songs from Dr. Dre’s Compton project, as well as two songs on The Game’s The Documentary 2.5, his popularity began to skyrocket. In late 2015, .Paak released two EP’s: The Anderson .Paak EP in collaboration with The Blended Babies and Link Up & Suede as one half of NxWorries with producer Knxwledge.

Riding the success of 2015, 2016 saw .Paak collaborate with many big name artists. Anderson was featured on Macklemore’s “Dance Off”, Domo Genesis' “Dapper”, KAYTRANDA’s “Glowed Up,” Snakehips “Money On Me”, ScHoolboy Q’s “Blank Face”, and Mac Miller’s “Dang!”.

In January of 2016, .Paak released his second album, Malibu. The album, sixteen tracks in length, is .Paak’s strongest work to date, showing the growth he’s made since his Breezy Lovejoy days. The album was met with incredible praise, receiving an 85 on Metacritic, making it one of the most well-received albums of the year.

After the release of Malibu, .Paak announced that he signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment. Paak was also a member of 2016’s XXL Freshman Issue.

He released his third studio album, Oxnard, on November 16, 2018. He would release two singles prior to the project: “Tints”, featuring Kendrick Lamar, and “Who R U?”, produced in part by Dr. Dre. The album was received well by critics, and debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200. The song “Bubblin” won “Best Rap Performance” at the 61st Grammy Awards on May 17, 2019.

On April 12, 2019, he released his fourth studio album, Ventura. The star-studded project features such artists as André 3000, Smokey Robinson, Lalah Hathaway, and more. Ventura would become Paak’s first US Top Ten hit, debuting at #4 on the Billboard 200.