In the wake of Anderson .Paak's Oxnard, the affable rapper sat down with Complex for an extensive conversation. Throughout the discussion, .Paak opens up about Oxnard's behind-the-scenes process, Dr. Dre, J. Cole, Mac Miller, and more.
Anderson .Paak took a moment to speak on his relationship with Dr. Dre, who played a pivotal role in shaping Oxnard. "That's my big bro, like my big uncle. People say we look alike. You spend that much time with somebody, it's crazy. Besides the music, that's just the greatest mentor, someone I can just hit up," he explains. "He just the richer, older version of me. It's awesome, it's cool. I know he has a lot of trust in me, and I have a lot of trust in him. We're both learning from each other, which is the cool thing."
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He also shares insight into the Compton recording process, reflecting on the time Dre had him "drown" on the album highlight Deep Water. "I had a bottle of water, I was like [gargling sound]. He was like, “When you do it, just be more panicked!” I was like, “Man, is he trying to tell me something? He doesn't want me on the album.” Like, you don't have to drown me, okay, you can just tell me. He had me drowning on the track, that was crazy." Those who remember the track are likely aware of .Paak's contribution, which closed out the Kendrick Lamar assisted banger in a cinematic fashion.
He also praises Mac Miller, whom he paid tribute on Oxnard cut "Cheers." "I feel like he is here with me. I feel like he is on this album. I feel like he was really was a big help with helping me finish the album," explains .Paak, before sharing some insight into Mac's Swimming. "When he passed I was really almost to the end of it. I remember the last time we got to hang out, I sat there at Conway and listened to his album and [I remember] how proud he was about that album. Jon Brion came through and he played me the whole album. He just had the biggest smile on his face, because he knew this was the one that he always wanted." It's no surprise; Swimming certainly feels like a magnum opus.
For more from .Paak, be sure to check out the entire interview over at Complex; it's a good one.
