Anderson .Paak’s breakout 2016 started with the release of Malibu, his second studio album.

Among the standout songs in Malibu was “The Bird.” This song is a fantastic starting point for anyone who is not familiar with .Paak’s work. It’s Anderson .Paak at his finest.

The California-based rapper’s essence comes is exemplified in “The Bird.” As opposed to discussing guns and gangs, .Paak distinguishes himself from the pack by preaching peace.

Set to a dulcet melody, Anderson .Paak discusses the hardships of his youth and how he was able to get through them to become one of music’s fastest rising names.



My sister used to sing to Whitney, mmm

My mama caught the gambling bug, mmm

We came up in a lonely castle, mmm

My papa was behind them bars, mmm



.Paak didn’t have his parents around at a young age. He had to rely on his sister and his friend Trevor to avoid falling into the temptations that his parents and other people in his neighborhood did, according to his own annotations on Genius.

The only possible knock on “The Bird” would be its production values. Anderson .Paak himself has admitted that Malibu was recorded on “a Mac mini with an old dented mic.” On the flipside, it can also be argued that the production did not take away from the song and only added to the sincerity and honesty that .Paak expressed.