Smokey Robinson is one of the most renowned pioneers of R&B. The Motown legend, now 83 years old, continues to shine his light on the genre. This was most evident at the Grammys on Feb. 5. Here, he joined his pal Stevie Wonder on stage for a titillating performance of hits like "The Tears of a Clown," which Wonder co-wrote with Smokey. Aside from playing his own bops, though, Robinson has made efforts to connect with the newer generation.
Anderson .Paak has been reigning as one of R&B's and hip-hop's best acts to offer since the early 2010s. Solo albums like Oxnard, Ventura and Malibu have captivated modern fans of these genres, as well as seasoned vets. These vets include guys like Dr. Dre, whose Aftermath Records signed .Paak while he was on his ascent. Dre has also collaborated with .Paak on a handful of occasions, most notably for songs like the recently-released "ETA," "Deep Water" and "Mansa Musa." Along with joint records of their own, though, Dre has helped .Paak get in touch with other legends. This includes the aforementioned Smokey Robinson.
Smokey Speaks On Paak Collab
In April 2019, Anderson .Paak released his fourth official studio album Ventura. The album includes features from icons like Andre 3000, Nate Dogg, Brandy, Jazmine Sullivan and, of course, Smokey Robinson. Paak and Smokey's song "Make It Better" earned huge streaming numbers, and is one of the most celebrated track Anderson has ever released. The song was also accompanied by a thrilling music video. This was all thanks to Dr. Dre, who set up these two R&B talents. In a new interview with VladTV, Robinson goes into more more detail about this encounter, and how he enjoyed working with Paak.
"It was fun. Actually, (Dr.) Dre called me and he said, 'Man I got a young artist that I want you to come and write a song with.' And Dre's my friend, my brother, so I went and I met Anderson and he had started that song. He gave it to me and I took it home and finished it up and we recorded it. It was fun working with him," Robinson said. Throughout the rest of the interview, Smokey also discussed why he does not want to quit touring in his old age. Robinson still loves interacting with fans of his, and surely Paak was one of his most passionate followers. It's no wonder why he had Dre recruit Smokey for his song so he could "Make It Better."
[Via]