thundercat

On It Is What It Is, the bassist examines the loss of his best friend, Mac Miller, through a deep-dive, jazz-fusion opus.

Thundercat

It Is What It Is

Bassist Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, is a sparkle in the sea of creators. Known for his integral role in shaping the sound of Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Thundercat’s music has virtuosic runs on par with Miles and Jaco, bound by ’70s funk grooves underneath a falsetto.

It Is What It Is— inspired by the death of Thundercat’s friend, rapper Mac Miller—captures the existential turmoil of our times. Thundercat’s psychedelic flair takes things higher on tracks like ā€œInterstellar Love,ā€ where saxophone (played by longtime pal Kamasi Washington) and drums interplay while Thundercat’s swanky-smooth bass lines chauffeur this eclectic jazz-fusion-jam.

Guitarist Steve Lacy—who appears on the track ā€œBlack Quallsā€ alongside Childish Gambino— recently described Thundercat in The New York Times: ā€œHe’s the coolest bass player that ever walked the Earth.ā€ In a year where all bets are off, an R&B tilt-a-whirl with soulful silver linings provides sweet escapism.

Must-hear tracks: ā€œInterstellar Love,ā€ ā€œDragonball Duragā€

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