Anderson .Paak

Silk Sonic Covers Con Fun Shun’s 1983 R&B Hit ‘Love’s Train’ For V-Day

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With most of us still a bit hungover from yesterday’s Super Bowl festivities, it’s understandable that there hasn’t been that much Valentine’s Day celebration. After all, who’d want their brand-new, holiday-themed song washed away by the rush of conversation about that incredible performance? Fortunately, there’s one band that remains undaunted by the prospect — and they’ve got the perfect remedy for the above condition.

Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars, who teamed up last year as the romantic duo Silk Sonic, once again joined forces to play into their lover-man schtick for the most romantic holiday, offering a new song about love and all its benefits. Tapping even deeper into the 70s-and-80s-inspired funk aesthetic from which they derive their air of casual cool, this time they directly lift from their influences, covering Bay Area band Con Funk Shun’s 1983 R&B hit, “Love’s Train.”

For a generation of funk and R&B fans, this is Con Funk Shun’s signature hit, and for the most part, Andy and Bruno play it straight, with buzzing bass and soaring horns backing their velvety vocals. Of course, the song is secretly perfect for them — while it masquerades as a love anthem, it’s as much about the messiness as anything on their debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic, as it was originally penned about a woman two of Con Funk Shun’s members tried to woo at the same time.

Listen to Silk Sonic’s cover of “Love’s Train” above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Anderson .Paak Made A Surprise Super Bowl Halftime Show Appearance And Dropped Hilarious Merch For It

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Anderson Paak Eminem 2022 Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show
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It’s official: Both members of Silk Sonic — Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — have performed during a Super Bowl Halftime Show. Mars headlined the 2014 event and popped up during Coldplay’s performance in 2016, and last night, .Paak served as a drummer for Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, and Mary J. Blige’s (and 50 Cent’s) halftime spectacle. While .Paak’s appearance was unexpected, it wasn’t unprecedented, as he and Dre have forged a working relationship in recent years.

Getting to perform at the Super Bowl is one of the biggest achievements in music, so .Paak is pretty thrilled with the whole thing. He wrote on social media, “WOW WHAT A RUSH CONGRATS TO EVERY SUPER HERO ON THAT STAGE!! BIG SHOUT OUT TO @drdre LOVE YOU BRO AND THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME BE APART OF HISTORY!!! BE SURE TO PICK UP SOME MERCH OTW OUT!! AND HIT MY LAND LINE FOR ALL DRUM INQUIRIES ! Note: I ONLY PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES AND FOR DIAMOND SELLING ARTISTS. RATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ON ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.”

As for that merch, it’s pretty great, as it’s a t-shirt with a portrait of .Paak and text that reads, “We’re with Eminem’s drummer.” The shirt is available for pre-order now.

He also shared a clip of Eminem’s performance of “Lose Yourself” (during which he drummed) and wrote, “YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT!!! THE @rams ARE WORLD CHAMPS!!! SALUTE @eminem @drdre IT WAS SUCH AN HONOR!!! @snoopdogg @eminem @kendricklamar @therealmaryjblige YALL KILLED THAT SH*T!!!! [trophy emoji].”

Ahead of the performance, he also posted a photo of himself with Lamar.

Check out the full Super Bowl Halftime Show here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Eminem And Dr. Dre Link Up On The ‘GTA Online’ Song ‘Gospel’

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A couple months ago, some fresh Dr. Dre music popped up on GTA Online as part of a new story, “The Contract,” in which Dre himself was an actual in-game character. Snoop Dogg called it “great f*cking music” and now fans can more easily judge for themselves, as the tunes are available on streaming platforms starting today.

Among those is “Gospel,” a collaboration with Eminem. Both rappers come through with some standout lyrics, like when Dre appears to address his recent divorce settlement by saying, “Lookin’ for my next gold digger / This summer here gon’ be colder than winter.” Meanwhile, Eminem flexes some of his classic wordplay with lines like, “B*tch, I’m badder than cake mix,” and, “Yeah, and me and Dre are like dog hair / We’re both in our lab coats like retrievers.”

Aside from the Eminem collaboration, among the new Dre GTA songs is “Black Privilege”; “Diamond Mind” with Nipsey Hussle and Ty Dolla Sign; “ETA” with Snoop, Busta Rhymes, and Anderson .Paak; “The Scenic Route” with Rick Ross and .Paak; and “Fallin Up” with Thurz and Cocoa Sarai.

Listen to “Gospel” above and check out the other GTA Online songs below.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Silk Sonic Brings Soulful Radio And Funky ‘Fits To ‘Fortnite’

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Silk Sonic In Fortnite
Epic Games

Over the years, Epic Games’ Fortnite has increasingly become a home not just for legions of gamers but also for musicians who enjoy the game’s combination of third-person shooter and building mechanics. Those musicians have also partnered with Epic Games for in-game appearances like Travis Scott’s 2020 concert, which broke the game’s streaming record, and Ariana Grande’s 2021 concert.

Today, Epic announced the game’s latest musical partners: Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars — known collectively as Silk Sonic. Rather than playing an in-game concert, though, Silk Sonic will offer their music to gamers another way, via an in-game radio station that will play their hits like “Leave The Door Open.” Their debut hit previously featured in the game as an emote, or a dance that the player’s avatar can perform on command. Emotes have been a big part of the game’s success, as the game itself is free, but players can buy emotes via mini-transactions with real money.

The radio station can be accessed when a player uses one of the vehicles in the game and will be hosted by Bootsy Collins, who is featured on Silk Sonic’s debut album, An Evening With Silk Sonic. In addition, new skins will allow players to dress their avatars in funky, ’70s-style outfits inspired by Andy and Bruno.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Anderson Paak x Producer Knxwledge New Album

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Anderson Paak

Anderson Paak announced on his Instagram page that he is in “album mode” with NxWorries. The Instagram video shows Paak’s son dancing and enjoying the unreleased song. NxWorries is one half of a duo with producer Knxwledge. This upcoming project comes six years after Yes Lawd! In October 2016. The album consisted of the singles […]

Bruno Mars And Anderson .Paak Are Taking Silk Sonic To Las Vegas For A Residency

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Anderson Paak Bruno Mars Silk Sonic 2021 American Music Awards
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Silk Sonic had one of 2021’s most beloved albums with An Evening With Silk Sonic, but they didn’t really get to tour behind it. Sure, they performed songs from it during various award shows and TV appearances, but that’s not the same as a full-blown concert. Now, though, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have a run of shows lined up, as they’ve announced a Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live. Currently, the residency consists of 13 shows between February and April.

Mars wrote on Twitter, “Its happening! The sexiest party of the year! Them Silk Sonic Boyz are performing Live in Las Vegas!” .Paak added on Instagram, “The terms are locked and Vegas might not ever be the same Jack!! You’re invited to the hottest show in Sin City!”

Check out the full list of dates below.

02/25 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
02/26 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/02 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/04 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/05 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/16 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/18 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/19 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/23 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/25 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/26 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
03/31 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live
04/02 — Las Vegas, NV @ Dolby Live

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Yes, Lawd! Anderson .Paak Sings, Dances, And Drums With Elmo And Cookie Monster On ‘Sesame Street’

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You gotta give it up to Sesame Street and the stellar slate of musical guests that have already appeared in the show’s 52nd season. The lineup of artists once again looks like it was picked by a team of people who clearly have their finger on the pop culture pulse. First, it was Billie Eilish and her ode to the Number 2 (the actual number, not… you know) with the Count. Then it was Kacey Musgraves‘ bouncy disco-pop tune about colors. And now in the latest episode, the multi-talented Anderson .Paak joined Elmo and Cookie Monster to sing about the many Holidays we all celebrated (in case you didn’t know, holiday starts with the letter “H.”)

.Paak began by walking down the step of the timeless Sesame Street stoop with flannel pants, a cardigan sweater, a newsboy cap, and an ear-to-ear smile that never leaves his face. He’s quickly joined by Elmo and Cookie Monster as .Paak leads the trio through a laundry list of notable holidays, paying homage to all denominations in the process. Among them they nod to M.L.K. Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Hannuakah, Ramadan, Diwali, Passover, Dia de Los Muertos, and Cookie Monster’s personal favorite, Christmas. “Ooh that makes me jolly!” he says while taking a bite out of a cookie shaped like a Christmas tree.

Paak closes out the song on the drums, and the best moment in the clip comes when he and Elmo prank Cookie Monster. “The world is out of cookies!” .Paak says to a noticeably distressed Cookie Monster. “No I’m serious! Ain’t no more cookies in the world, fam!” before Paak and Elmo shout in unison: “APRIL FOOLS.”

Nice work, Sesame Street. Nice work.

Watch Anderson Paak’s appearance on Sesame Street above.

Kelly Clarkson Belts It Out While Covering Silk Sonic’s ‘Leave The Door Open’

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The Kelly Clarkson Show has been airing for a couple years now, and during the program’s run, its titular host has established herself as a real force in daytime television. She hasn’t lost touch with her music roots, though, as the show’s “Kellyoke” segment regularly has Clarkson putting her spin on recognizable tunes with her covers. On today’s episode, she took on Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s Silk Sonic hit “Leave The Door Open” and showed that she can really sing just about anything.

Clarkson’s backing band delivered a serviceable performance of the soulful song, and Clarkson, being the pro that she is, dominated the track with her powerful vocals, whether she was belting it out during the climactic moments or keeping things reserved and smooth during more low-key sections.

Clarkson has had a handful of memorable moments on her show this year. She successfully covered some of this year’s other biggest hits, like Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” and Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever.” Of course, she also had a particularly illuminating conversation with country legend Clint Black, in which she described a time that she narrowly avoided voiding her bowels on stage, saying, “I got some kind of wrecked up from some kind of food and I literally… we were in an arena, and I shouldn’t tell this story, but like I said, my man: I don’t have a filter. I had to run backstage to my quick-change. I grabbed this poor trash can and boy, I destroyed it. It was bad. It was bad, Clint.”

Watch Clarkson sing “Leave The Door Open” above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.