In a new interview with Zane Lowe, the Oxnard musician also admits to being late to J Dilla’s catalog and recounts the time Chaka Khan made him rehaul his whole studio setup.
Anderson .Paak is the latest guest on Apple Music’s The Zane Lowe Show.
Going over his towering 200-song submission to the host’s ongoing At Home With playlist series, .Paak delved into the records that were in rotation in his childhood home and how they laid the foundation for the direction his own music has taken.
From there, the conversation pivots to .Paak’s Stones Throw ties, which is a logical landing zone for some musings on the influence of the late J Dilla. “I was a late learner to Dilla and that whole scene,” .Paak admits. “When I was coming up, I was really heavy into the 2000s era and that kind of just went over my head,” he explains. “When I was in high school, it was all about Jay-Z, Nelly, Ludicrous, and Missy. And then when I got older and got into Dilla, it was like that’s all I wanted to listen to,” .Paak tells the Apple Music host.
The Oxnard musician goes on to offer an update on the next NxWorries album with Knxwledge (“We’re working on a new one. I was just over there the other day. You know what I’m saying? We’ve been getting it in. We’ve got a bunch of stuff that we’re really happy about,”) reveal how a chance session with Chaka Khan forced him to rehaul his entire studio setup (“I was playing her some music. She says, ‘Stop. Cut the music off. What is going on with your sound system boy? You got to get your speakers right’,”) and discuss his genuine love of collaborating with other rappers and producers.
You can hear Anderson .Paak’s interview with Zane Lowe below. Hold tight for his next dispatch.