Anderson .Paak’s breakout album, Malibu, brought his avante guard brand of hip hop to a national audience – and a grammy nomination. Most people were introduced to him through hearing his feature verses (6 features!) on Dr. Dre’s hugely anticipated Compton album. His verses stood out among a plethora of guest appearances, and made him known across the hip hop community. .Paak is from the greater Los Angeles area, so it only made sense for him to contribute to the album along with other West Coast artists.

Today, he wears a number of hats and wears them all well (actually though, he’s bringing back turtle necks and wool caps, just check out the vintage style in some of his videos). He performs and records as the drummer of his band, The Free Nationals, sings and raps as Anderson .Paak, and he also constitutes half the group NxWorries alongside producer Knxwledge. Please don’t sleep on NxWorries – their album Yes Lawd! is incredible. You can listen to some of their music as well as his solo and featured tracks below.

His music is refreshing. Similar to the recent music from Frank Ocean and SZA, .Paak brings personal, detailed, and creative lyricism to the contemporary Hip Hop/R&B/Soul scene. And he even tends to creep into cheeky humor with songs like Silicon Valley, which explores an awkward sexual encounter he’s having with a woman who has undergone plastic surgery. He’s looking for a ‘heart that’s underneath – underneath the guarded insecurities.’ His brilliance lies in his ability to convey mature and substantial themes all while not taking himself – or his music – too seriously. You can tell he enjoys making these songs, and they’re definitely the better for it.

Check out the Intro to Anderson .Paak playlist below: