Anderson .Paak is establishing himself as one of the modern greats, especially with his Malibu album, which featured a soundscape of production provided by 9th Wonder, Kaytranada, Hi-Tek and more, along with guest features from Talib Kweli, The Game, ScHoolboy Q and The Free Nationals United Fellowship Choir. Several took note of the Aftermath Entertainment artist’s body of work, including Mayday! members Wrekonize and Bernz.
Bernz put his fellow rapper onto the Californian artist after hearing “Suede,” a popular cut from .Paak’s Nx Worries project with producer Knxwledge.
“It was some cool slick talking shit and it was really funky,” Bernz says during a segment of Best Albums. “He sounds like an old school artist.”
Wrekonize was able to appreciate .Paak just before he made it onto the national stage as a heavily-featured guest on Dr. Dre’s Compton soundtrack, the LP that is supposedly the Compton legend’s last. He didn’t recongize the “Suede” singer was the same person who belted out melodies for the N.W.A member.
“I didn’t really realize it was the same person because it just sounded so big and epic on Compton,” the Strange Music artist shares. He then explained how he backtracked into .Paak’s catalogue and was really able to see his growth. “So I feel like I went back and listened to Venice and to me, Venice sounded like he was just starting to find, he wasn’t really there yet, the album, the material wasn’t as well balanced. But then when he got to Malibu, you could see the progression from those two albums. Because Compton obviously is a different kind of project, so you don’t get to see his command over the music. Whereas from Venice to Malibu you see a big change.”
Wrekonize applauds how .Paak has developed his own artistry in what he sees is a natural way. He blends rock, R&B and rap into his style that few can compare to. .Paak received even more credit in Wrekonize’s eyes on a specific line in the Malibu cut “Heart Don’t Stand a Chance” where he showcases his musical knowledge.
“He’s got a very distinct sound, which is like hard to do,” he says. “It’s not something you can try to do. You just have to naturally have, you got a distinct voice. His range of influences seem to be wide. When he mentioned Hall & Oates on the album, I was like oh, I love this guy. It’s amazing. But I think the distinct nature of his voice and his attack, the way he attacks his singing and his rapping and the balance of it is what makes him stand out. It doesn’t sound like anyone else really.”
While he lets Wrekonize do most of the talking, Bernz shares in the sentiment that Malibu is a great album.
“That album is really friggin perfect,” he says. “It’s like a perfect Sunday album, Sunday barbecue album.”