With its allusions to Low End Theory-styled electronic beats, chirpy radio pop and house, Brandon Anderson Paak's impressive, genre-blending debut, Venice, exemplifies R&B's post-Internet metamorphosis. But his roots run deeper than your typical Bandcamp rookie. Born in Oxnard and raised a Southern Baptist — he still plays drums every Sunday at St. Paul Baptist Church — Paak toiled in L.A.'s underground for years as Breezy Lovejoy, from busking as a session musician with innovative soul producer Shafiq Husayn to rapping and singing with experimental hip-hop crew Hellfyre Club. Around 2012, he switched to his government name. "It was hard for me to imagine introducing myself working with certain idols like Dr. Dre and Kanye West and introducing myself as Breezy Lovejoy. It made me cringe a little bit," he says.
A1 | Waves |
A2 | Milk And Honey |
A3 | The City |
A4 | Might Be |
B1 | Miss Right |
B2 | Put You On |
B3 | Already |
B4 | Dogtown |
C1 | I Miss That Whip |
C2 | Get Em Up |
C3 | Paint |
C4 | Drugs |
D1 | Mike Doralude |
D2 | Luh You |
D3 | Right There |
D4 | Off The Ground |