Steven Ellison (born October 7, 1983), known by his stage name Flying Lotus or sometimes FlyLo, is an American record producer, DJ,

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

and rapper from Los Angeles. He is also the founder of the record label

Brainfeeder Brainfeeder is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California, founded by Flying Lotus in 2008, focusing on electronic music and instrumental hip hop. It has signed artists such as Ras G, Samiyam, The Gaslamp Killer, Thundercat, The ...

. Flying Lotus has released seven studio albums''

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

'' (2006), ''

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

'' (2008), ''

Cosmogramma ''Cosmogramma'' is the third studio album by American music producer Steven Ellison as Flying Lotus, released by Warp Records on May 3, 2010. Recording sessions began in October 2008 in Ellison's apartment in Los Angeles, immediately following hi ...

'' (2010), ''

Until the Quiet Comes ''Until the Quiet Comes'' is the fourth studio album by American electronic music producer Flying Lotus, released on September 26, 2012 by Warp Records. Flying Lotus was inspired to create the album by psychedelic music, African percussion, and ...

'' (2012), ''

You're Dead! ''You're Dead!'' is the fifth studio album by American music producer Flying Lotus, released on October 6, 2014 by Warp Records. Flying Lotus recorded the album at his home in Los Angeles, using Ableton Live and other instruments and software. Li ...

'' (2014), ''

Flamagra ''Flamagra'' is the sixth studio album by American record producer Flying Lotus (Steven Ellison), released on May 24, 2019 by Warp Records. It is his first album since 2014's ''You're Dead!''. The lead single, the spoken-word "Fire Is Coming" feat ...

'' (2019) and ''

Yasuke Yasuke ( or ) was a man of African origin who served as a retainer and weapon-bearer to the Japanese daimyō Oda Nobunaga. In 1579, Yasuke arrived in Japan in the service of the Italian Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, Visitor of Missi ...

'' (2021)to critical acclaim. He has produced much of the

bumper music Bumper music, or a bump, is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to refer to short clips of signature songs or theme music used to buffer transitions between programming elements, typically lasting no longer than fifteen seconds. It is ...

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...

and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...

programming block. He also contributed remixes for fellow Plug Research artists including

Mia Doi Todd Mia Doi Todd (born June 30, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. She was described by ''Dusted Magazine'' as "one of those artists that seem to function not just as creators in their own right, but as connecting links between other musicians." ...

. In 2012, Flying Lotus began rapping under the persona Captain Murphy, based on the ''

Sealab 2021 ''Sealab 2021'' is an American adult animated television series created by Adam Reed and Matt Thompson for Cartoon Network's late-night programming block, Adult Swim. Cartoon Network aired the show's first three episodes in December 2000 before t ...

'' character of the same name. Ellison kept this fact a secret for several months, finally revealing his identity several weeks after the release of his first rap mixtape: '' Duality'' (2012).

Early life and education

Flying Lotus was born Steven Ellison on October 7, 1983, in Los Angeles, California. He is the grandnephew of the late

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the instru ...

Alice Coltrane Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few har ...

, whose husband was

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of br ...

. Additionally, he is the grandson of singer-songwriter

Marilyn McLeod Marilyn McLeod (May 27, 1939 – November 24, 2021) was an American songwriter and occasional singer. McLeod began her career as a songwriter for Motown. Together with Pam Sawyer, she wrote the 1976 Diana Ross hit "Love Hangover". Early life Mc ...

, who is notable for having written

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

's "

Love Hangover "Love Hangover" is a song by the Motown singer Diana Ross, recorded in 1975 and released as a single on March 16, 1976. It rose to number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and Hot-Selling Soul Singles. It also hit number one on the Record World ...

" and

Freda Payne Freda Charcilia Payne (born September 19, 1942Some sources give a birth year of 1945, but this appears to be an error as all sources agree that she is older than her sister Scherrie, born 1944.) is an American singer and actress. Payne is best ...

's "I Get High (On Your Memory)" and is

's sister. His great aunt Alice has been called by one writer "the biggest influence on Ellison's music". A DNA test revealed that Ellison is a descendant of the Tikar people of

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

. Ellison attended

Los Angeles Film School The Los Angeles Film School (informally LA Film School) is a for-profit college in Los Angeles, California offering associate and bachelor's degrees in majors relating to the entertainment industry. The school encompasses the Los Angeles Recordin ...

and

Academy of Art University The Academy of Art University (AAU or ART U), formerly Academy of Art College and Richard Stephens Academy of Art, is a private for-profit art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded as the Academy of Advertising Art by Richard S. S ...

Musical career

2006–2007: Adult Swim, ''1983'' and Warp Records

In 2006, while at his mother's house, Ellison saw an advertisement on

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

programming block asking for song submissions. He sent some in, under the name Flying Lotus (a moniker inspired by

lucid dreaming A lucid dream is a type of dream in which the dreamer becomes aware that they are dreaming while dreaming. During a lucid dream, the dreamer may gain some amount of control over the dream characters, narrative, or environment; however, this is n ...

) and was accepted. Around this time, he was

intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gover ...

ing at the pioneering hip hop label

Stones Throw Records Stones Throw Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. Under the direction of founder Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw has released music ranging from hip hop to experimental psychedelic rock. '' LA Weekl ...

. He released his debut studio album ''1983'' on October 3, 2006. In 2006, Ellison participated in that year's annual

Red Bull Music Academy The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) is a world-traveling series of music workshops and festivals that was founded in 1998 by Red Bull GmbH. The main five-week event is held in a different city each year. The public portion of its program is a festiv ...

, which took place in

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metropol ...

. In 2007, he announced on CSU-Fullerton's Titan Radio that he signed with

Warp Records Warp Records (or simply Warp) is a British independent record label founded in Sheffield in 1989 by record store employees Steve Beckett and Rob Mitchell and record producer Robert Gordon.Southern, Richard (2003) "Label of Love: WARP", X-RAY, A ...

. He released his debut EP, the six-track '' Reset'' on October 1, 2007. Soon afterwards, he became one of the label's cornerstone artists and released his second studio album, ''

'' on June 10, 2008.

2008–2009: ''Los Angeles'' and Brainfeeder

In 2008 Flying Lotus released ''

'', a 17-track album dedicated to his home city. Telling Quietus on the subject of

J Dilla J, or j, is the tenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual name in English is ''jay'' (pronounced ), with a now-uncommon varia ...

's influence on his music: "I love Dilla and who knows where this beat thing would be without him." 2008 saw Ellison enter a stage of hyper-productivity, as he followed up the Los Angeles record with collaborative tracks with

Samiyam Sam Baker, better known by his stage name Samiyam, is an American hip hop producer based in Los Angeles, California. Life and career Samiyam released the ''Return'' EP on Hyperdub in 2008. He also released ''Rap Beats Vol. 1'' in the same year. ...

and

Gonjasufi Sumach Ecks (born 1978), better known by his stage name Gonjasufi, is an American vocalist, producer, disc jockey, and yogi. Life and career Ecks was born in 1978 to a Mexican mother and an American-Ethiopian father. He spent his formative yea ...

, a limited white label run of remixes ("

Camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...

", "

Lightworks Lightworks is a non-linear editing system (NLE) for editing and mastering digital video. It was an early developer of computer-based non-linear editing systems, and has been in development since 1989. Lightworks won a 2017 EMMY Award for being ...

R2-D2 R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...

sound effects, " Shadows of Tomorrow" and "

Promiscuous Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different Sexual partner, partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as pro ...

") called Shhh!, and a series of LA inspired EPs. Each of the La EPs features remixes and unreleased tracks from his Los Angeles Album. The third in that series (titled L.A. EP 3 X 3), marked a new atmospheric style in his sound. The same year, Flying Lotus also remixed "Reckoner" from ''

In Rainbows ''In Rainbows'' is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was self-released on 10 October 2007 as a pay-what-you-want download, followed by a physical release internationally through XL Recordings and in North America ...

,'' an album by

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

2010–2011: ''Cosmogramma'' and collaborations

His third studio album, ''

'', was released in the UK on May 3, 2010, and in the US on May 4, 2010. In January 2011, ''Cosmogramma'' won in the Dance/Electronica Album category in the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards. The multi-award-winning

was a hard-hitting afrofuturistic shrine to soul, hip-hop, jazz and IDM but, with more emphasis on a lyrical message than ever before. The album was accompanied by live instrumentation ( Thundercat on bass,

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Miguel Atwood-Ferguson is a Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist, session musician, arranger, composer, music director, producer, DJ, orchestral conductor and educator. He has contributed to over 500 recordings and scored for television and fi ...

on strings, Rebekah Raff on harp) and live vocalists (

Thom Yorke Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been describe ...

Laura Darlington The Long Lost is a collaboration between American musicians Daedelus and Laura Darlington. The pair are also husband and wife. They dated in high school after initially meeting as members of their high school orchestra, as well as partners in t ...

) – all picked to help communicate the spiritual musical lineage of Ellison's family (

Ravi Coltrane Ravi Coltrane (born August 6, 1965) is an American jazz saxophonist. Co-owner of the record label RKM Music, he has produced pianist Luis Perdomo, guitarist David Gilmore, and trumpeter Ralph Alessi. Biography Ravi Coltrane is the son of sa ...

, himself, played tenor sax). Stephen Bruner, aka Thundercat, who is featured extensively on Cosmogramma, would later become a large part of future albums by Flying Lotus. In 2010, Flying Lotus collaborated with the

Ann Arbor Film Festival The Ann Arbor Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Ann Arbor in the U.S. state of Michigan. Established in 1963, it is the fourth-oldest film festival in North America (after the Yorkton Film Festival, 1947; Columbus International Film ...

in the performance of a live scoring of the 1962

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

film ''

Heaven and Earth Magic ''Heaven and Earth Magic'' (also known as ''Number 12'', ''The Magic Feature'', or ''Heaven and Earth Magic Feature'') is a 1962 American avant-garde independent cutout animation film directed by visual artist, filmmaker and mystic Harry Everett ...

''. In a post-viewing interview with the audience, Flying Lotus said that he was unsure whether or not a recording of the performance (or a recreation of it) would be publicly released, but he would be enthusiastic towards similar projects in the future. He was chosen by

Battles A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

to perform at the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas festival that it co-curated in December 2011 in Minehead, England, UK. In September 2010, Flying Lotus released "

Pattern+Grid World ''Pattern+Grid World'' is an EP by American electronic producer Flying Lotus. It was released by Warp Records on September 20, 2010. Release and reception Warp Records first released ''Pattern+Grid World'' in the United Kingdom on September 20 ...

", an 8 track EP featuring Thundercat on bass & art by Theo Ellsworth. The Track ''Camera Day'' was used in the

Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, actor, and activist. Mike made his debut on Outkast's 2000 LP ''Stankonia'', and later appeared on their Grammy-winning single " ...

song ''Swimming'', which was released as part of the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as

Singles Series. In January 2011, Flying Lotus won the 10th Annual Independent Music Awards for his video "MmmHmm" in the Short-Form Video category. It was reported in 2011 that Flying Lotus would be collaborating with R&B singer

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the ...

on new material for her next album, and planned to remix one of Radiohead's songs from ''

The King of Limbs ''The King of Limbs'' is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead. It was self-released on 18 February 2011 as a download, followed by a physical release on 28 March through XL Recordings internationally and TBD Records in Nor ...

''.

2012–2013: ''Until the Quiet Comes'' and Captain Murphy

Flying Lotus, Bonnaroo 2012 (7373612680)

With an appreciation for hip hop, but no established work, artists like

Odd Future Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American Hip hop music, hip-hop Musical collective, music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Ty ...

(also aficionados of Adult Swim), A$AP Mob,

Spaceghostpurrp Markese Money Rolle (born April 1, 1991), known professionally as SpaceGhostPurrp, is an American rapper and record producer from Miami, Florida. He was the founder of the American hip hop group Raider Klan and Black Money Boys. Famous Raider ...

and

Shabazz Palaces Shabazz Palaces is an American hip hop group from Seattle led by Ishmael Butler a.k.a. Palaceer Lazaro (formerly Butterfly of jazz rap group Digable Planets). Much of the Butler's work as Shabazz Palaces has been made in collaboration with multi- ...

inspired him to directly participate, and he began production work for Odd Future's

Hodgy Beats Gerard Damien Long (born November 9, 1990), better known by his stage name Hodgy (formerly Hodgy Beats), is an American rapper, record producer and music video director. He is best known for being a founding member of the hip hop collective Odd F ...

' Untitled EP. This led to the moment in which he decided to produce more in the genre. Throughout the summer of 2012, Captain Murphy began to make more appearances, dressed in Luchadore Ensemble. In August 2012, Flying Lotus announced a multimedia project with filmmaker Miwa Matreyek, which is to be titled ''The Mapping of Countries Yet to Come''. Flying Lotus produced rapper

Mac Miller Malcolm James McCormick (January 19, 1992 – September 7, 2018), known professionally as Mac Miller, was an American rapper and record producer. Miller began his career in Pittsburgh's hip hop scene in 2007, at the age of fifteen. In 2010, h ...

's song "SDS'" for his album ''

Watching Movies with the Sound Off ''Watching Movies with the Sound Off'' is the second studio album by American rapper Mac Miller. It was released June 18, 2013, by Rostrum Records. The album continued his changes in musical sound that began with the mixtape '' Macadelic''. Miller ...

''. He also created a song for the

series ''

Adventure Time ''Adventure Time'' is an American fantasy animated television series created by Pendleton Ward for Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television. The series follows the adventures of a boy named Finn (Jeremy Shada) and ...

'' entitled "About that time//A glitch is a glitch". Behind closed doors, though, the work for his fourth album ''

'' was pretty much done. A year prior, Ellison had worked with Ann Arbor Festival to live score a surreal and

50s animation Heaven and Earth Magic, and a fascination with dreamlike states had continued into this record. Until The Quiet Comes continued his creative relationship with Radiohead's

, as well as

Jonny Greenwood Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood (born 5 November 1971) is an English musician and composer. He is the lead guitarist and keyboardist of the alternative rock band Radiohead, and has written numerous film scores. Along with his elder brother, th ...

, Niki Randa,

and, of course, Thundercat, and was cinematically captured in a short film by filmmaker

Kahlil Joseph Kahlil Joseph (pronounced ''"Kha-leel"'') is an American film, television and stage actor and teacher of performing arts. He has worked extensively in the United States and India. Joseph is based in Los Angeles. Early life Joseph was born in ...

. In late 2012, less than two months after the release of his last record, a website started circulating online: www.captainmurphy.xxx. Press speculated who the rapper was, with guessing being centered around the Odd Future Crew. The site hosted ''Duality'', a 34-minute short film mixtape, that comprised both new material and tracks that had been leaking all summer. In April 2013, Flying Lotus announced that he has his own radio station called FlyLo FM in the

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

'', saying there would be "a ton of new songs and information, including rapping a new Captain Murphy song produced by

Hudson Mohawke Ross Matthew Birchard (born 11 February 1986), better known by the stage name Hudson Mohawke, is a Scottish-American producer, composer, and DJ from Glasgow. He is known for his influential work in 21st century hip-hop and electronic music. A ...

". The radio station includes songs from Clams Casino,

Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape Bast ...

Dabrye Tadd Mullinix or Dabrye is an American musician from Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, also known by the aliases James T. Cotton and SK-1. During his adolescent years, he grew up in Troy, MI. His ''Winking Makes a Face'' was the first album r ...

, Thundercat, Machinedrum, Outkast,

DJ Rashad Rashad Harden (October 9, 1979 – April 26, 2014), known as DJ Rashad, was a Chicago-based electronic musician, producer and DJ known as a pioneer in the footwork genre and founder of the Teklife crew. He released his debut studio album '' ...

and

Shadow Child Simon Neale (born 20 January 1977 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England), known by his stage names Shadow Child and Dave Spoon, is an English radio DJ and dance music producer. He's also part of the duo Avec alongside Doorly. He was part of the lin ...

. In November 2014, Flying Lotus collaborated with

MF DOOM Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...

on the track "Masquatch" for the reissued copy of the video game. The two collaborated again on the track "Lunch Break" for an updated version of ''

Grand Theft Auto Online ''Grand Theft Auto Online'' is an online multiplayer action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on 1 October 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, 18 November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbo ...

'' in 2020. On July 17, 2013, Flying Lotus announced on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that he had been nominated for a VMA for the song "Tiny Tortures".

2014–2015: ''You're Dead!''

On July 15, 2014, Flying Lotus posted on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

a photo of vinyl test pressings labeled "LP #5". On July 22, he announced that his fifth studio album, ''

'', would be released in the UK on October 6, 2014, and in the US on October 7, 2014. The album features guest appearances by

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

and

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

. On August 15, 2014, Flying Lotus released a new song called "Cosplay" with his alias Captain Murphy. On September 30, 2014, Flying Lotus scored the short film ''A Portrait of Noomi Rapace'', starring actress

Noomi Rapace Noomi Rapace (; ; born 28 December 1979) is a Swedish actress.Karen Olsson, ''The New York Times Magazine'', 27 May 2012, p. 26. She achieved international fame with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptations of the ''Mil ...

and directed by

Aitor Throup Aitor Throup (born 1980, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is an artist, designer and creative director. Throup is best known for his menswear label 'New Object Research' which has shown at London Fashion Week Men's. Throup's G-Star Raw Research line is ...

. During the summer of 2015, Flying Lotus appeared at many summer music festivals including the

Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in ...

, the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

, the

Governors Ball Music Festival The Governors Ball Music Festival (commonly known as Governors Ball or Gov Ball) is a multi-day music festival held in New York City. Launched in 2011 by original founders Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, Yoni Reisman, the festival features an arra ...

and the

Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...

. His performances received critical acclaim. He appeared alongside Thundercat on Lamar's album ''

To Pimp a Butterfly ''To Pimp a Butterfly'' is the third studio album by American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on March 15, 2015, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was recorded in studios throughout the Uni ...

.'' In July 2015, Flying Lotus, made his national television debut on ''

Why? with Hannibal Buress ''Why? with Hannibal Buress'' is an American late-night television series hosted by Hannibal Buress. On March 10, 2015, the series was green-lit for an eight-episode season. The series premiered on July 8, 2015, on Comedy Central. The show was m ...

'', as the show's in-studio

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

. Lotus received two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations at the 58th ceremony:

Best Dance Recording The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...

for his song "

Never Catch Me "Never Catch Me" is a song by American music producer Flying Lotus from his fifth studio album ''You're Dead!'' (2014). The song features vocals from American hip hop recording artist Kendrick Lamar. "Never Catch Me" received a nomination for Bes ...

" and Album of the Year for his credits as producer on Lamar's ''To Pimp a Butterfly.''

2016–2018: ''Kuso''

On July 5, 2016, Ellison announced the start of Brainfeeder film division. Shortly after, at the Sundance NEXT festival, he premiered a short film titled ''Royal''. It was later revealed to be part of his feature film directorial debut, ''Kuso''. ''

Kuso ''Kuso'' is a term used in East Asia for the internet culture that generally includes all types of camp and parody. In Japanese, is a word that is commonly translated to English as curse words such as fuck, shit, damn, and bullshit, and is ...

'' would star Hannibal Buress,

Tim Heidecker Timothy Richard Heidecker (; born February 3, 1976) is an American comedian, writer, director, actor, and musician. Along with Eric Wareheim, he is a member of the comedy duo Tim & Eric. He has also appeared in films, including ''Bridesmaids' ...

and David Firth among others. ''Kuso'' featured new music from Ellison himself under both the Flying Lotus and Captain Murphy names,

Busdriver Regan Farquhar (born February 12, 1978), better known by his stage name Busdriver, is an American rapper and producer from Los Angeles, California. He has collaborated with rappers such as Myka 9, Milo, Nocando, Open Mike Eagle, 2Mex, and Radioi ...

, and Thundercat, among others. ''Kuso'' premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2017. On June 6, 2017, Ellison announced that ''Kuso'' would be released via the horror video streaming service

Shudder Shudder may refer to: *Shivering * ''Shudder'' (album), a 2008 album by American band Bayside *Shudder (streaming service) Shudder is an American over-the-top subscription video on demand service featuring horror, thriller and supernatural fic ...

, on July 21, 2017. ''Kuso'' was also confirmed a theatrical release in New York City and Los Angeles. Addressing the responsibility of the wide release of ''Kuso'', on

, Ellison praised Shudder, explaining he found it to be a suitable home for the film's release. On November 2, 2017, Ellison released a music video for a new song of his, "Post Requisite", and is "currently finishing his next studio album on Warp". He also wrote the soundtrack for the 2017 short film ''

Blade Runner Black Out 2022 ''Blade Runner Black Out 2022'' is a 2017 tech-noir cyberpunk anime short film directed by Shinichiro Watanabe and animated by Cygames Pictures. The short is one of three short films, (with '' 2036: Nexus Dawn'' and '' 2048: Nowhere to Run'') ...

'' and has contributed music to the 2019

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

series ''

Carole & Tuesday is a 24-episode anime television series directed by Shinichirō Watanabe. It was animated by studio Bones, in commemoration of the studio's 20th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of record label FlyingDog. It aired from April 11 to October ...

''.

2019: ''Flamagra''

On April 17, 2019, Ellison announced his sixth album, ''

'', released via Warp on May 24, 2019. The first single off the album, "Fire Is Coming" featuring

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

, was released on the same day. On May 12, 2019, a second single, "More", was released alongside a music video directed by

Shinichirō Watanabe is a Japanese anime television and film director, best known for directing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful anime series '' Cowboy Bebop'' and ''Samurai Champloo''. An auteur of the industry, Watanabe's work is characterized ...

. On June 16, 2022, Ellison released two singles, "You Don't Know" and "The Room", both featuring Devin Tracy.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2010) * ''

'' (2012) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2019) * ''

'' (2021)

Filmography

* ''Until the Quiet Comes'' – original score (2012) * ''The Mapping of Countries Yet to Come'' – original score (2012) * ''A Portrait of Noomi Rapace'' – original score (2014) * ''FUCKKKYOUUU'' (by Eddie Alcazar) – original score (2016) * ''Royal'' – director (2016) * ''

The Eric Andre Show ''The Eric Andre Show'' is an American surreal sketch comedy television series which began airing on May 20, 2012. The show premiered on Adult Swim and is a parody of late night talk shows. The series is hosted by comedian Eric André and forme ...

'' – himself (2016) * ''Lovetrue'' – original music (2016) * ''

'' – director, writer, original score (2017) * ''

'' – original score (2017) * '' Perfect'' (by Eddie Alcazar) – original score (2018) * ''

'' – additional music (2019) * '' YOLO: Crystal Fantasy'' - himself (2020) * ''

'' – original score, executive producer (2021) * ''

V/H/S/99 ''V/H/S/99'' is a 2022 American found footage horror anthology film, and the fifth installment in the ''V/H/S'' franchise. The film features segments from Johannes Roberts, Vanessa & Joseph Winter, Maggie Levin, Tyler MacIntyre and Flying Lotus ...

'' ("Ozzy's Dungeon" segment) - director, writer (2022)

Awards and nominations

, - ! scope="row" rowspan="2",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, rowspan="4",

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, Album of the Year , ''

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2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical The Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical is an honor presented to record producers for quality non-classical music at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in ...

, Himself , , - , Best Progressive R&B Album , '' It Is What It Is'' , , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, ''

AIM Independent Music Awards The AIM Independent Music Awards, hosted by the Association of Independent Music (commonly abbreviated to AIM), began in 2011. It is established through a collection of independent record labels and providing service and support to independent and s ...

'' , Best Independent Track , More , ,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Flying Lotus 1983 births Living people Ableton Live users Academy of Art University alumni African-American male rappers African-American record producers Alternative hip hop musicians American electronic musicians American experimental musicians American hip hop DJs American hip hop record producers American people of Cameroonian descent American people of Tikar descent Musicians from Los Angeles Rappers from Los Angeles Trip hop musicians Warp (record label) artists West Coast hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers Brainfeeder artists Record producers from California Grammy Award winners Plug Research artists Nu jazz musicians Tikar people

Early life and education

Musical career

2006–2007: Adult Swim, ''1983'' and Warp Records

2008–2009: ''Los Angeles'' and Brainfeeder

2010–2011: ''Cosmogramma'' and collaborations

2012–2013: ''Until the Quiet Comes'' and Captain Murphy

2014–2015: ''You're Dead!''

2016–2018: ''Kuso''

2019: ''Flamagra''

Discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

Further reading

External links