Anderson .Paak‘s long-awaited Oxnard (Nov. 16) album has finally reached the online music circuit along with a dose of commentary on his latest .Paak House Radio show.
With both released Friday (Nov. 16), the extraordinary musician delivers funk and R&B vibes with tracks focusing on lust like “Headlow,” love and compassion on “Smile/Pretty” along with life’s constant worries on the lead single, “Tints.”
Paak also uses the album to paint a picture of his close yet distant views from Oxnard, the So-Cal city the multifaceted artist came up in. But though the album favors the town, spotlighting it in its title, there is an absence of nostalgia but hints of underlying sentimentality. In a press release, the artist opened up about the lessons he learned with mentor Dr. Dre on the road to Oxnard.
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“I feel like he [Dr. Dre] along with the team assembled, brought the best out of me,” he said. “We had fun tackling every mood and genre. We learned so much since Malibu. We’ve seen the world twice and now it’s time to bring it back home. Same man, new car!”
On the latest episode of .Paak House Radio, the vibrant artist welcomed friends and collaborators to his crib like Thundercat, comedian Zach Fox, SiR and J.Cole. While on the phone with Cole, the two discussed how their collaboration “Trippy” was a matter of chance and fate. The song is a lovely ode to social norms on love, status and ego.
“I had went to see Dre just on some random sh*t in LA, he was playing a bunch of your joints. This was the joint that stuck out. When he played that song, I was like, ‘Yo, what the f**k is this?'” he said. “All the sh*t he was playing was crazy though, by the way. I was like, “Oh my God, this n*gga album is crazy.” But he played that joint and I was particularly like, “Yo, that’s the one.”
Cole also penned his verse at a friend’s house, who happened to live on Oxnard St., where .Paak grew up.
“It just showed me right then and there, it didn’t even show me that I was on my path, which it showed me that, but it really showed me that ‘Okay, you’re on your path,'” he added. “Whatever you’re doing- To me, that was like the confirmation for the sh*t you had going on was strong, with this album, you know what I mean?”
The LP, comprised of 14-expertly-produced tracks arrives at 56-minutes. Intertwining itself between genres, Oxnard reaches the depths of jazz influence, while dipping its toes in Carribean culture, and staying true to the Cali vibes associated with Dr. Dre’s recording artists. He also pays tribute to Mac Miller on “Cheers” with Q-Tip.
To celebrate the release of Oxnard, the artist is throwing a now sold out, old-school carnival in Oxnard Saturday (Nov. 17). Events include with games, food, and rides with a live performance, a Q&A with a very special guest and screening of a mini-doc about the album.
Stream Oxnard below and listen to his latest episode of .Paak House Radio here.
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