Anderson .Paak has one of the most diverse discography’s in the game. From Kendrick Lamar to Kaytranada he’s taken over both the rap world and electronic game as a go-to feature. He seems to have an enviable knack of making his collaborators rise to the occasion, making every song he appears on feel like an occasion.
Today, he releases a new collaboration with Rick Ross. It’s the first time the pair have appeared together and while we get acclimated, we thought we’d take a trip through our favourite .Paak features from the past.
15. Realla W/ TokiMonsta
Producer TOKiMONSTA and Anderson .Paak have a few bangers together but Realla is something special. The 2014 cut came before .Paak really broke through but it’s a simmering, intimate R&B cut with gorgeous production.
14. OooWee W/ Rapsody
Anderson .Paak featured twice on Rapsody’s 2017 record Laila’s Wisdom but it was this one that really cut through. It’s .Paak in his element, running rogue on an organic, guitar-driven hip-hop beat. There’s something about the way Rapsody and .Paak swap verses that just feels right.
13. Bubblin’ (Remix) W/ Busta Rhymes
.Paak’s Bubblin’ was frantic enough without Busta Rhymes on it but this remix took it to another level. One of the fastest rappers in the game was always going to take this decadent beat to another level. Rhymes runs over this one like it’s his playground.
12. Brother’s Keeper W/ Pusha T
Oxnard was full of big name collabs but few came to the table like Pusha T did. This is around the same time as Pusha’s excellent DAYTONA and he just has such a massive presence on Brother’s Keeper. He addresses his brother and rap-mate No Malice’s absence from the rap scene, rapping “I couldn’t be prouder.”
11. Tints W/ Kendrick Lamar
.Paak is no stranger to the dancefloor but Kendrick Lamar hasn’t dabbled much recently. Tints felt like a refreshing, light-hearted moment from Lamar. When you’re in .Paak’s arena, his charisma is contagious. Tints is a sleek, glossy flex scientifically designed to make you feel good.
10. Wrestlemania 20 W/ Westside Gunn
An underrated 2018 moment from .Paak on Westside Gunn’s Supreme Blientele record. Here .Paak is given the opportunity to sing over thick, luscious soul samples which is him in his absolute element.
9. Animals W/ Dr. Dre
.Paak’s mainstream breakthrough came on Dr. Dre’s comeback record Compton. Dre has championed .Paak for a while now and you can hear why on a song like this. He takes on this vintage hip-hop beat and bodies it with a detouring flow and an instantly memorable hook.
8. Unique W/ GoldLink
GoldLink and .Paak were coming up at the same time just as hip-hop was dipping its toes in the electronic world, particularly elastic beats like this one. Unique is the result of two artists dripping in charisma. They both dance over this ‘80s-rooted beat with a glide that’s hard to ignore.
7. Lyk Dis W/ Knxwledge
Back in 2016, .Paak joined forced with Knxwledge for his second record of the year and coined the holy mantra ‘YES LAWD!’. The whole project was full of chopped beats under .Paak’s soulful preachings but no other song reached the heights of Lyk Dis. It feels like a remixed motown tune, bridging the future and the past effortlessly.
6. Dapper W/ Domo Genesis
.Paak ruled the dancefloor in 2016. He featured on most hip-hop songs with a groovy beat and Dapper was one of the best. From Mac Miller to Wiz Khalifa, Genesis’ debut record Genesis had big features but none were as memorable as .Paak’s. Once again, he glides over the beat with an impossible cool.
5. The Waters W/ BJ The Chicago Kid
In 2016, it felt like .Paak had two sides - dancefloor stormer and Motown legend. The Waters - a Malibu highlight - combines Smokey Robinson’s soul with Kendrick Lamar’s runaway bars. The flow is mindblowing and it takes a great artist to bookend that with a memorable hook which BJ handles masterfully.
4. Bloody Waters W/ James Blake and Ab-Soul
Lamar’s Black Panther soundtrack was a feature-heavy blockbuster. It’s difficult to rise to the top in a class like that but .Paak’s contribution instantly stood out. Beginning with a melancholic Blake feature, .Paak goes toe-to-toe with Ab-Soul, a rapper who is a natural fit for .Paak. It’s a crime there’s not more from these two.
3. Am I Wrong? W/ ScHoolboy Q
Arguably, .Paak’s most adored single, Am I Wrong? ruled the summer of ‘16. Over a wobbly, groovy POMO beat, .Paak sounds like he’s freestyling - moving whichever way the beat takes him. It’s a free-flowing, lucid moment that adds elastic to every limb in your body. ScHoolboy Q is not an obvious choice for a beat like this but Pomo switches it up and Q comes through with an appearance that is prolific.
2. Glowed Up W/ Kaytranada
In 2016, as we’ve said, Anderson .Paak was jumping on plenty of beats that sounded like they could’ve been produced by Kaytranada. When they finally came together though, it wasn’t for an obvious dancefloor cut. Glowed Up sounds like it’s suspended in air. It’s a hypnotising, slow-moving track that .Paak takes on with a mind-bending flow. Then we’re brought back down to earth with a soulful, drum-driven outro.
1. Dang W/ Mac Miller
On Mac Miller’s incredible 2016 disc The Divine Feminine, he explored a different tempo. It was a tender, sensual record with the fingerprints of girlfriend Ariana Grande all over it. Dang was the first taste and it still feels special to this date. Pomo and .Paak were reunited over a trumpet-touting, bass-beating instrumental that feels both extroverted and intimate. Miller’s performance is top-notch too. He’d never hit accents like this. Those who had underrated Miller could finally see the musicianship.
