BeatRoute Magazine BC Edition June 2019

AN A nderson .Paak moved from couch
surfing to crowd surfing in 10
short years, becoming one of this
decade’s most important and respected
hip-hop and soul singers.
His star continues to rise, as his
latest stacked world tour demonstrates
with guest appearances from acts
like Thundercat, Vince Staples and Earl
Sweatshirt.
.Paak was homeless, bouncing from
couch to couch just a decade ago while
pursuing his music dreams, relying on
relationships he built in the LA music
scene to keep afloat. Never having a place
of his own but always a place to go, .Paak
was given the support to go from being an
unknown musician to a Grammy-nominated
superstar.
“My close friends were always letting
me use their studio or letting me use their
couch. If I didn’t have those
relationships I don’t know if I
would’ve been able to get over
that bridge,” says .Paak, soft
spoken and clearly drained two
weeks into his Best Teef In the
Game tour.
Although he’s exhausted, that doesn’t
keep .Paak from enthusiastically running
with every question; delivering each answer
with excitement and humble honesty.
On his life before fame, he doesn’t speak
of himself, but of the people who loved
him.
“When I didn’t have a spot of my own it
was the people around me who were like,
‘You’re super dope, we love you. You can
stay here and what I have is yours.’ I think
that’s what determines if people are going
to give up or keep going, those relationships.”
If not for the support, .Paak wouldn’t
have released his debut album Venice,
which earned him the attention of his
longtime hero Dr. Dre. After hearing an impromptu
freestyle from .Paak, Dre featured
him on Compton (2015). Three years later,
Dre was producing .Paak’s outstanding
back-to-back acclaimed releases. Oxnard
was a banging hip-hop record that allowed
.Paak to experiment with his own unique
rap flow, dropping the soul grooves for a
gritty hip-hop production. Ventura, a return
to form with a heavy focus on soul and
beautiful instrumentals from his band, The
Free Nationals.
The process was a loaded one with
“
When I didn’t have
a spot of my own
it was the people
around me who
were like, ‘You’re
super dope, we
love you. You can
stay here and what
I have is yours.”
ANDERSON .PAAK
Wednesday, June 19
PNE Amphitheatre (Van)
Tix: $59.50, ticketmaster.ca
help from legends in the game, including
the prolific André 3000. .Paak’s laughter
breaks through a yawn when talking about
3000.
“There’s so much that goes into one
verse because that’s not just a verse to
him, it’s like a whole album. Even after we
got it, it wasn’t over because he called and
was like, ‘I don’t know if I should be on the
song. I don’t know if I did a good job.’ and I
was like, ‘The fuck are you talking about?’
We had to have a little pep talk and even
when it was about to release he still was
doubting it and I had to reassure him, but
now it’s done.”
Getting a single verse from 3000 was
a year-long process, but .Paak says it’s
one of the craziest verses he’s ever heard.
Viewing him as a hermetic legend, .Paak
felt lucky despite the ordeal.
Big name collaborations have been a
part of a series of goals .Paak
set for himself. Back when
he was living in Kentucky, he
laid his dreams out, making a
promise to himself that with
his debut album he would sell
10,000 records, buy the clothes
he wanted, a new car, make a million
bucks and then make it big. He’s taken the
time to look back on his accomplishments
and says he’s realizing it’s time for the next
logical step.
“I had all these things working out and
I turned around and was like, ‘What the
fuck? You did all of this shit?’ So it was
time to make a new goal: After this tour, I
really want to hop on the production shit,
helping other artists; helping them write
and helping them produce.”
He measures his words, falling silent
between answers to give each one proper
thought. “I feel like I’ve just been putting
out music, so now I just want to lay low.”
In particular, .Paak wants to help his
band, The Free Nationals, in their journey
to becoming a powerful entity and breaking
out on their own. The band has been
a huge source for his signature soul and
groove sound.
Beyond the artistry, the touring, the
Grammy nominations and critical acclaim
he is Brandon Paak Anderson; father
of Soul Rasheed Anderson and Shine
Anderson. His two sons are his biggest inspiration
to take a step back from touring
and songwriting.
“Touring and putting on shows is great,
but I also want to be my best self, so that’s
what I want to keep building on and not
just being a performer. I also have to get
that family time. I have two sons back
home and they’re absolutely beautiful,
man.”
.Paak began humbly with nothing but
a pearlescent smile and an undeniable
talent. Now famous for both, he is one of
the most exciting acts in music today. The
happiness and contentment is apparent in
the way he speaks; knowing he has a story
he’s enthusiastic to tell.
There might not be any new music from
.Paak in the near future, but expect to see
his name plastered on producer credits
between now and his next highly anticipated
release. ,