Anderson .Paak has 8 Grammy wins to his name, and that doesn’t even begin to encompass his talents, which extend far beyond the music industry.
For starters, the singer, songwriter, producer, and director has his hands in a plethora of things, including directing his own movie called K-POPS!, which stars his son. He’s also lending his voice to the popular Nickelodeon series Baby Shark, appearing as Anderswim .Shaark (so clever).
The viral “Baby Shark” song first exploded on Youtube around the same time .Paak made his mark on the R&B and Hip-Hop realm. After finding much success as a solo artist, he joined forces with fellow superstar Bruno Mars as they launched the duo Silk Sonic. Their debut single, “Leave The Door Open,” immediately hit the #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, later taking home a Grammy for Song of the Year.
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The Source had the pleasure of chatting with Anderson .Paak at the Get Lit Gala in Los Angeles, California. Taking place at Skirball Cultural Center, the event was hosted by Get Lit, an education nonprofit whose mission is to increase literacy, mobilize youth, and energize communities through the lens of poetry and visual media.
I love your outfit, it’s on point. Do you have a stylist?
I do, shout out to Crystal Miles. She’s a little bit of my everything-ist. I got a lot of Gucci suits I ain’t worn yet, so this is a good one to wear tonight.
This is Gucci? How much we talking?
Shoot, I don’t even remember honestly. Hopefully I got a discount on it. We’ll figure it out.
How’s it feel to be here at the Get Lit Gala?
It feels great. It’s amazing, it feels good. It’s my first time being honored for anything, I’m so glad they had a budget. It looks really good. We’ll see how it goes. It’s really early on, so I’m liking it already.
What was the moment you fell in love with Hip-Hop?
The moment I fell in love with Hip-Hop was the first time I saw “Nothin’ But A G Thang” video with Snoop and Dre. Snoop ironing his shirt. I’m like yeah, I want to be that guy!
How’d it feel for Questlove to say you were him 25 years ago?
Finally! Nah, it felt great. He’s one of my musical heroes. Just to be anywhere in the room with him and be mentioned around him, collect all the jewels that he passes down, it’s amazing.
Talk about performing “Leave The Door Open” with Shaq in Vegas. Is his inclusion in the Silk Sonic lineup still pending?
Well he’s terrible, so no. He’ll never be in Silk Sonic. He is someone who’s very tall and very iconic as well, and he gave it his best shot. I don’t know if he passed the audition, but we sure had a great time. He’s forever Shaq Diesel the Aristotle, but I might have to stick with Bruno until further notice. The auditions are still open!
What can we expect from Anderswim .Shaark (his appearance in Baby Shark)?
You can expect a lot of teeth.
