Anderson .Paak is climbing up the music ladder.
The 31-year-old hip-hop and R&B artist from Oxnard, California comes from humble beginnings. Paak grew up with a father in the Air Force and a mother who ran a strawberry stand. While he was young, Paak witnessed his father brutally attack his mother. His father was eventually charged with assault and battery, placing him in prison for 14 years.
During his lowest points, Paak told Gigwise that he kept looking forward. “There’s gotta be a better ending to this,” he said. “It can’t be like this.”
He was right.
Paak let his life circumstances fuel him. His current net-worth is estimated to be around $650,000. Now let’s see how he’s come this far.
2011 – 2015
Prior to his music career, Paak worked on a marijuana farm in Santa Barbara. In 2011, he was left homeless with his wife and son when he was suddenly let go from the job.
Luckily, Paak was taken under the wing of Shafiq Husayn from the rap group Sa-Ra. Husayn gave the budding artist access to his studio, where he produced his 2012 debut album, O.B.E. Vol. 1, under the name Breezy Lovejoy. Later that year, Paak went on tour as a drummer for American Idol contestant Hailey Reinhart.
Paak started gaining attention after the release of Venice, his debut album under the name Anderson .Paak. The album, released on October 28, 2014, blends jazzy vocals with critical lyrics and instrumentals.
In 2015, Paak began working with Knxwledge as the duo NxWorries. Their song, “Suede,” went viral, landing in the hands of hip-hop legend Dr. Dre.
Let’s just say, Dre was impressed.
2016
2016 was a big year for Paak. On January 15, he released his second studio album, Malibu. The album featured several solo songs like “Come Down” and “Heart Don’t Stand Chance,” as well as dual performances with big-name artists. “Am I Wrong,” featuring fellow West Coast rapper Schoolboy Q, has reached over 26,000,000 plays on Spotify.
Malibu also peaked at number 79 on the Billboard 200 chart, as well as number nine on Rolling Stone’s list of 20 Best R&B Albums of 2016.
On January 30, Dr. Dre welcomed Paak to his record label, Aftermath Entertainment. The two artists previously collaborated on several songs for Dre’s 2015 album, Compton.
2017
Paak isn’t stopping there. After winning two 2017 Grammys for Best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album, the rising star continues to put out tracks. In May, he released a remix to “Come Down,” featuring Schoolboy Q and Ty Dolla $ign.
Paak is currently on tour with two upcoming shows in Memphis, Tennessee and Auckland, New Zealand.
