Thundercat is a popular American bassist, singer, and lyricist. The first wave of popularity covered the artist when he became part of Suicidal Tendencies. Today he is associated as the singer who performs the sunniest soul in the world.
Reference: Soul is a genre of music of African-American origin. The genre originated in the United States in the 1950s on the basis of rhythm and blues.
As for the awards, in 2016 the song These Walls won the Grammy Award. After 5 years, he was again nominated for a Grammy in the Best Progressive R&B Album category for his new studio album.
Thundercat says that the basis of his tracks are thoughts that belong to the class of unplayable aloud; thoughts that are part of everyone's life, but do not always receive due attention.
Childhood and youth of Stephen Lee Bruner
The artist's date of birth is October 19, 1984. Steven Lee Bruner (real name of the artist) was born in Los Angeles. By the way, he was brought up in a traditionally creative family, which undoubtedly influenced the choice of profession.
Ronald Bruner Sr. (the singer's father) played the drums skillfully. Once he was listed in the teams of The Temptations and Diana Ross. Music was often played in the Bruner house. Plus, Stephen watched his father work. Since childhood, he warmed the dream of becoming a musician.
By the way, all three of Stephen's brothers are Grammy nominees or winners. The older brother plays in The Stanley Clarke Band, the younger is a former keyboardist for The Internet.
The first minor success came to Stephen in his teens. Then he was part of a little-known team. In high school, following his brother, he joined the Suicidal Tendencies.
The creative path of Thundercat
Since 2011 Stephen has positioned himself as a solo artist. Around the same period of time, the premiere of the LP The Golden Age of Apocalypse took place. It was included by Sean J. O'Connell of LA Weekly in their "Top 5 L.A. Jazz Albums of 2011" list. In general, the disc was warmly received by critics and music lovers. In addition to his solo career, the artist is starting to collaborate with Flying Lotus. He took part in the recording of several LPs of the singer.
In 2013, the musician pleased the "fans" with the release of his second studio album. The album was called Apocalypse. The compilation was released on the label Brainfeeder. A year later, Thundercat released a double video on the MySpace website for tracks 10 and 11 from the album. The album was produced by Steven himself and Flying Lotus.
Reference: Brainfeeder is a label based in Los Angeles, California founded by Flying Lotus in 2008 and specializing in electronic music and instrumental hip-hop.
A couple of years later, he became one of the co-authors of Kendrick Lamar's LP To Pimp a Butterfly. By the way, the record took the lead on the Billboard 200 chart. The record was recognized as the best album of 2015 (according to Rolling Stone).
In 2015, the mini-compilation The Beyond / Where The Giants Roam was released. The work received high marks from music critics. During this period of time, he collaborates with other artists and writes compositions for them.
Drunk album release
Some time later, he released his third studio album. Longplay was called Drunk. The compilation features Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, as well as Kendrick Lamar и Pharrell Williams. The album is topped by as many as 23 tracks, but Drunk's running time is less than an hour.
A remix of ChopNotSlop by OG Ron C., DJ Candlestick and The Chopstars called Drank was released as a special edition purple vinyl LP.
In 2020, the artist pleased with the release of another studio album. Longplay It Is What It Is, dedicated to the memory of rapper Mac Miller, received critical acclaim. Recall that, since 2013, Mac Miller and Thundercat have regularly worked together. The artist has featured on Mac's songs In The Morning and What's The Use?, and also performed with Mac at the NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert.
The compilation won a Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album. Guest verses: Lil B, Ty Dilla $ign, Childish Gambino and Steve Lacy.
Thundercat: personal details
The musician does not comment on his personal life. Social networks also do not allow you to assess whether his heart is busy or free. It is known that he is not married (as of 2022), but he has an adult daughter named Sana.
Religious themes often appear in his music. Stephen does not hide the fact that he believes in God - he is a Christian.
Thundercat: our days
In 2022, he continues to develop his solo career. The artist leads social networks, where the latest news most often appears. On the eve of the New Year holidays, he held several performances in America.
