# Anderson .Paak
**Anderson .Paak** is the stage name of Brandon Paak Anderson (born 1986), an American singer, rapper, drummer, songwriter, and producer from [Oxnard, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/oxnard-california), known for blending soul, funk, hip-hop, and R&B. He broke through as the most featured vocalist on [Dr. Dre](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-dre)'s 2015 album *Compton*, then built a string of acclaimed albums, *Venice* (2014), *Malibu* (2016), *Oxnard* (2018), and *Ventura* (2019), before reaching a wider audience as one half of the duo [Silk Sonic](https://www.edgepedia.org/silk-sonic) with Bruno Mars. Per the Recording Academy, he has won 9 Grammy Awards from 15 nominations.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Brandon Paak Anderson, 1986, Oxnard, California[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926) |
| Breakthrough | Co-wrote and sang on six tracks of Dr. Dre's *Compton* (2015), more than any other guest[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/10/anderson-paak-interview-malibu-dr-dre) |
| Solo albums | *Venice* (2014), *Malibu* (2016), *Oxnard* (2018), *Ventura* (2019)[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anderson-paak-mn0003274605) |
| *Malibu* reception | Reached No. 5 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart; Metascore of 85 from 18 critic reviews[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926) • [4](https://www.metacritic.com/music/malibu/anderson-paak/critic-reviews?sort-by=date) |
| Silk Sonic | Duo with Bruno Mars; "Leave the Door Open" topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won four Grammys at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year[5](https://tracknack.com/profile/artist/anderson-paak) • [1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926) |
| Grammy total | 9 wins from 15 nominations, spanning R&B, General, Rap, and Dance/Electronic categories[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926) |
| Other groups | NxWorries with producer Knxwledge; the Free Nationals, his live band[6](https://www.mi.edu/artist-career-services/success-stories/anderson-paak/) |
## Early life and musical beginnings
.Paak grew up in Oxnard, a coastal city northwest of Los Angeles, until age 8, when his family moved to nearby Ventura, where he attended Foothill Technology High School[7](https://www.biography.com/musicians/brandon-paak-anderson). His mother, the daughter of a Black man and a Korean woman abandoned during the [Korean War](https://www.edgepedia.org/korean-war), was adopted by an American who brought her from Seoul to [Compton, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/compton-california), in the 1950s; his father was a Black man from Philadelphia[7](https://www.biography.com/musicians/brandon-paak-anderson). Family instability followed: when .Paak was 17, his mother and stepfather were arrested and charged for not declaring gambling winnings, and his mother served seven and a half years of a 14-year sentence[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/10/anderson-paak-interview-malibu-dr-dre).
**Drumming came first.** He began playing drums in earnest at a church in Oxnard when he was 11 years old[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926), and as a teenager played in his church band while getting into bedroom music production[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anderson-paak-mn0003274605). At 21 he moved to Los Angeles and studied drumming at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, where he later worked as a drum teacher's assistant[7](https://www.biography.com/musicians/brandon-paak-anderson) • [6](https://www.mi.edu/artist-career-services/success-stories/anderson-paak/). There he formed the Free Nationals with two fellow MI students, guitarist Jose Rios and keyboardist Ron Avant[6](https://www.mi.edu/artist-career-services/success-stories/anderson-paak/).
He began releasing music under the moniker Breezy Lovejoy, issuing the EP *Violets Are Blue* in 2010[5](https://tracknack.com/profile/artist/anderson-paak), before dropping that name for Anderson .Paak. He has explained that the period before the dot is a reminder: "I want to make sure that dot is always there to remind me and to remind others"[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926).
## Breakthrough: Compton and Malibu
The turning point came through NxWorries, his collaboration with producer Knxwledge, whose single "Suede" went viral in early 2015 and came to Dr. Dre's attention; Dre played it repeatedly before having an A&R staffer invite .Paak to audition[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/10/anderson-paak-interview-malibu-dr-dre). The resulting session led to *Compton* (2015), on which .Paak co-wrote and sang on six songs, more than any other guest, including [Snoop Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoop-dogg), Eminem, Ice Cube, and [Kendrick Lamar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kendrick-lamar)[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/10/anderson-paak-interview-malibu-dr-dre). .Paak later reflected, "If he'd called five years ago, I don't think I'd have been ready"[7](https://www.biography.com/musicians/brandon-paak-anderson).
**Malibu made his name.** Released independently on Steel Wool in January 2016, *Malibu* was widely acclaimed, earning a Metascore of 85 based on 18 critic reviews[4](https://www.metacritic.com/music/malibu/anderson-paak/critic-reviews?sort-by=date). The Guardian called it "sunny yet substantive," noting his ease with both breezy club grooves and [James Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-brown)-esque funk yelps alongside autobiographical verses about family hardship[8](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/22/anderson-paak-malibu-review). The album reached No. 5 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart and brought his first two Grammy nominations, for Best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album, at the 59th [Grammy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/grammy-awards), where he also made his Grammy stage debut performing a medley with [A Tribe Called Quest](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-tribe-called-quest), Consequence, and Busta Rhymes[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926). That same month he signed with Dre's Aftermath Entertainment[2](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/10/anderson-paak-interview-malibu-dr-dre) • [6](https://www.mi.edu/artist-career-services/success-stories/anderson-paak/). In 2016 he also released *Yes Lawd!* as NxWorries, and Time later described him as that year's breakout star[9](https://time.com/5932845/black-protest-music-2016/).
## Oxnard and Ventura
His first two albums for Aftermath were created in parallel. *Oxnard* (2018), a more rap-forward record with guests including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and [Busta Rhymes](https://www.edgepedia.org/busta-rhymes), was a commercial success despite mixed reviews; critics most often felt the production gloss and big-name features had buried the appeal of his earlier work[7](https://www.biography.com/musicians/brandon-paak-anderson) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/11/anderson-paak-ventura-review-rapper-album-oxnard). It earned a Metascore of 73[11](https://metacritic.com/music/oxnard/anderson-paak/user-reviews).
*Ventura*, recorded around the same time and released in April 2019, five months later, was widely read as a riposte. The Guardian described it as "the work of someone intent on fixing the flaws in its predecessor," centered on a stripped-down take on mid-1970s Philly soul[10](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/11/anderson-paak-ventura-review-rapper-album-oxnard). The two albums together earned him three Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Album for *Ventura*[3](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anderson-paak-mn0003274605).
## Silk Sonic
With [Bruno Mars](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruno-mars), .Paak formed Silk Sonic, a duo paying tribute to their shared love of 1970s soul; the pair's collaboration traces back to 2017, when they toured together[7](https://www.biography.com/musicians/brandon-paak-anderson). Their debut single, "Leave the Door Open," reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021 and preceded the album *An Evening with Silk Sonic*, released November 12, 2021[5](https://tracknack.com/profile/artist/anderson-paak) • [12](https://www.laphil.com/people/anderson-paak). The single earned more than 460 million streams and 350 million official video views, and at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards it won four awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best R&B Performance[12](https://www.laphil.com/people/anderson-paak) • [1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926).
## "Lockdown" and other work
In June 2020, .Paak released "Lockdown" on [Juneteenth](https://www.edgepedia.org/juneteenth), a protest song inspired by his participation in a Los Angeles demonstration against police brutality. It won the Grammy for Best Melodic Rap Performance, and its Dave Meyers-directed video was nominated for Best Music Video; the song appeared on year-end lists from NPR, The FADER, Complex, and President Barack Obama's annual favorite-music list[12](https://www.laphil.com/people/anderson-paak). In October 2020 he was named Vans' first Global Music Ambassador, an ongoing partnership including footwear collections inspired by his [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california) roots[12](https://www.laphil.com/people/anderson-paak).
His reach extends to film and other media. He appeared in *Trolls World Tour* (2020), contributing "Don't Slack" with [Justin Timberlake](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-timberlake)[13](https://time.com/5802181/best-new-music-tones-and-i-margo-price/), and his songs "King James" and "Fire in the Sky" were featured in Marvel's *Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings* (2021)[7](https://www.biography.com/musicians/brandon-paak-anderson). In 2024 he joined Ryan Tedder and Gwen Stefani on "Hello World," the official song of the Paris Olympic Games, and performed during the opening ceremony[14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvuCsOTQUeE) • [15](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/83/21/03734/2024-08-14.pdf). He has since expanded into filmmaking: his directorial debut *K-Pops!*, a comedy-drama in which he stars as a washed-up musician who travels to South Korea for a K-pop competition and discovers the lead contestant is his estranged son, co-starring his own son Soul Rasheed[16](https://naacp.org/articles/anderson-paak-brings-humor-heart-and-k-pop-big-screen) • [17](https://www.archivecenter.net/kaitArchive/attach/140000/140532/20251106152247712.pdf).
## Awards and recognition
The Recording Academy lists .Paak with 9 Grammy wins from 15 nominations[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926). Beyond the Silk Sonic sweep, his wins include Best Melodic Rap Performance for "Lockdown" (2021), Best R&B Solo Performance for "Come Home" with André 3000 (2020 ceremony), Best R&B Album for *Ventura*, and Best Rap Performance for "Bubblin'"[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926) • [7](https://www.biography.com/musicians/brandon-paak-anderson). In 2025, *Why Lawd?* by NxWorries, his duo with Knxwledge, won Best Progressive R&B Album at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards[1](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926). He has also launched his own label, APESHIT, in partnership with UMG, with the stated aim of propelling new talent[12](https://www.laphil.com/people/anderson-paak).
## References
1. [Anderson .Paak Grammy Awards and Nominations, Recording Academy](https://www.grammy.com/artists/anderson-paak/19926)
2. [Anderson Paak: 'If Dre had called five years ago, I don't think I'd have been ready', The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/10/anderson-paak-interview-malibu-dr-dre)
3. [Anderson .Paak Biography, Discography & Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anderson-paak-mn0003274605)
4. [Malibu Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/music/malibu/anderson-paak/critic-reviews?sort-by=date)
5. [Anderson .Paak albums, discography & credits, Tracknack](https://tracknack.com/profile/artist/anderson-paak)
6. [MI Success Story: Anderson .Paak, Musicians Institute](https://www.mi.edu/artist-career-services/success-stories/anderson-paak/)
7. [Anderson .Paak - Early Life, 'Venice' & Silk Sonic, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/musicians/brandon-paak-anderson)
8. [Anderson .Paak: Malibu review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/dec/22/anderson-paak-malibu-review)
9. [How Black Musical Artists Revolutionized the Sound of Protest in 2016, Time](https://time.com/5932845/black-protest-music-2016/)
10. [Anderson .Paak: Ventura review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/apr/11/anderson-paak-ventura-review-rapper-album-oxnard)
11. [Oxnard Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://metacritic.com/music/oxnard/anderson-paak/user-reviews)
12. [Anderson .Paak, LA Phil](https://www.laphil.com/people/anderson-paak)
13. [The 5 Best Songs of the Week, Time](https://time.com/5802181/best-new-music-tones-and-i-margo-price/)
14. [Hello World (Song of the Olympics) Official Video, Olympic Games on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvuCsOTQUeE)
15. [Entertainment section, University of Florida clipping archive](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/83/21/03734/2024-08-14.pdf)
16. [Anderson .Paak Brings Humor, Heart, and K-Pop to the Big Screen, NAACP](https://naacp.org/articles/anderson-paak-brings-humor-heart-and-k-pop-big-screen)
17. [Film notes mentioning K-Pops!, archive center PDF](https://www.archivecenter.net/kaitArchive/attach/140000/140532/20251106152247712.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › West Coast rap (Bay Area and Los Angeles) › Los Angeles and Southern California rappers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license