Stephen Lee Bruner (born October 19, 1984), better known by his stage name Thundercat, is an American bass guitarist, singer, producer, and songwriter from Los Angeles. First coming to prominence as a member of
crossover thrash
Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and hardcore punk. Other genres on the same continuum, such as metalcore and grindcore, ma ...
band
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtr ...
, he has since released four solo studio albums and is noted for his work with producer
Flying Lotus
Steven Ellison (born October 7, 1983), known by his stage name Flying Lotus or sometimes FlyLo, is an American record producer, Disc jockey, DJ, filmmaker and rapper from Los Angeles. He is also the founder of the record label Brainfeeder.
Flyi ...
and his appearances on
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 ...
's 2015 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 2016, Thundercat won a
Grammy
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 pre ...
for
Best Rap/Sung Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...
for his work on the track "
These Walls" from ''To Pimp a Butterfly''. In 2020, Thundercat released his fourth studio album titled ''
It Is What It Is'', which earned him a
Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality works on albums in the urban contemporary subgenre within the R&B field. Honors in several categories are presented at t ...
.
Personal life
Bruner was born into a family of musicians, including his father Ronald Bruner Sr., a drummer, and his mother Pam a flutist and percussionist. They raised him in
Compton
Compton may refer to:
Places
Canada
* Compton (electoral district), a former Quebec federal electoral district
* Compton (provincial electoral district), a former Quebec provincial electoral district now part of Mégantic-Compton
* Compton, Que ...
and other parts of
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' ...
. His father played drums for
The Temptations
The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...
,
The Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...
, and
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight (born May 28, 1944), known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, actress and businesswoman. A seven-time Grammy Award-winner, Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Kn ...
amongst others. After Bruner Sr. sobered from dealing with cocaine, the children would watch him play gigs at the
Crenshaw Christian Center
The Crenshaw Christian Center is a non-denominational megachurch based in Los Angeles, California. It has around 28,000 members.
History
The church was founded in 1973 by Frederick K. C. Price in Inglewood, California.
In 1981, the church ...
.
Bruner attended
Locke High School
Alain Leroy Locke College Preparatory Academy (formerly Locke High School) is a Title 1 co-educational charter high school located in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is part of the Los Angeles Unified School District/Green Dot Public ...
, playing in the school's jazz band. His teacher, Reggie Andrews, produced and co-wrote
Let It Whip
"Let It Whip" is a 1982 single by the Dazz Band and their biggest hit, peaking at number one on the R&B chart for five non-consecutive weeks. The single also reached number two on the Dance chart and number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ch ...
and collaborated with
Rick James
James Ambrose Johnson Jr. (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004), better known by his stage name Rick James, was an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, James began his musical career in ...
. Andrews re-introduced Bruner to
Kamasi Washington
Kamasi Washington (born February 18, 1981) is an American jazz saxophonist, usually playing tenor saxophone. Archived July 9, 2015.
Career
Washington was born in 1981 and raised in Los Angeles, California. He is a graduate of the Academy of ...
, who originally met as children through their fathers’ play in a
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
fusion band. The reunited duo would sneak into jazz concerts, driving around in a worn down
1982 Ford Mustang to do so. They would later get to play the same venues as the performers they watched. They also sessioned with
Terrace Martin
Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...
in Washington's father's garage during this time.
Bruner is a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, and incorporates many of the religion's themes in some of his music.
He has a teenage daughter named Sanaa.
Bruner was a close friend of the 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 ...
, and the two often spent time together in their personal lives. Mac Miller's death in 2018 made Bruner confront his own substance abuse and alcoholism causing him to drink less and adopt better eating habits. "It’s sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. It’s real. You ride the line, you don’t know how close you are sometimes. Do I think he meant to die? No, I don’t think he did. Even though that sometimes creeps in there because you’re always on the edge of a knife. Sometimes you mess up. That happens a lot," Bruner shared in a 2020 interview with the Guardian.
Bruner is a big fan of
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 ...
and cartoons, and will wear outfits that reflect this such as a
Pikachu
is a fictional species in the ''Pokémon'' media franchise. Designed by Atsuko Nishida and Ken Sugimori, Pikachu first appeared in the 1996 Japanese video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' created by Game Freak and Nintendo, which were ...
backpack or cat-ear headbands. His stage name bears influence to this, deriving from
Thundercats, the 1985 cartoon series.
Career
Bruner began playing the bass at an early age, listening to bass players such as
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jaz ...
and
Marcus Miller
William Henry Marcus Miller Jr. (born June 14, 1959) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his work as a bassist. He has worked with trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Herbie Hancock, singer Luther Vandros ...
for inspiration. By the age of 15, he had a minor hit in Germany as a member of the boy band No Curfew. A year later he joined his brother
Ronald Jr. as a member of the Los Angeles
Crossover thrash
Crossover thrash (often abbreviated to crossover) is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and hardcore punk. Other genres on the same continuum, such as metalcore and grindcore, ma ...
band
Suicidal Tendencies
Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice in Los Angeles, California by vocalist Mike Muir. Muir is the only remaining original member of the band. Along with D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, and Stormtr ...
, replacing former bass player
Josh Paul
Joshua William Paul (born May 19, 1975) is a retired American professional baseball catcher and professional coach. He most recently served as the quality control coach for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for ...
. Bruner's earliest studio album appearances include playing electric bass on Kamasi Washington's ''
Live at 5th Street Dick's
''Live at 5th Street Dick's'' is the first album by American jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington and his backing band The Next Step. It was self-released in 2005 as a double CD of live music. The album contains early versions of the tracks "Chang ...
'' and ''
The Proclamation''.
Erykah Badu was credited with helping Bruner find his stage presence and identity as Thundercat. Around this time, Bruner would play in live bands for Raphael Saadiq and Snoop Dogg, both would make quips towards his playing style.
[Pappademas, Alex. "He’d Always Been Thundercat, Whether He Knew It or Not." The New York Times, 25 Mar. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/03/25/arts/music/thundercat-it-is-what-it-is.html.] Bruner credited Flying Lotus with pushing him to start singing and making his own projects.
He released his first solo album in 2011, ''
The Golden Age of Apocalypse
''The Golden Age of Apocalypse'' is the debut studio album by Thundercat, released on Brainfeeder in 2011.
Critical reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ''The Golden Age o ...
'', which featured production from Flying Lotus, and was influenced by 1970s
fusion
Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole.
Fusion may also refer to:
Science and technology Physics
*Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...
artists such as
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke (born June 30, 1951) is an American bassist, film composer and founding member of Return to Forever, one of the first jazz fusion bands. Clarke gave the bass guitar a prominence it lacked in jazz-related music. He is the first jaz ...
and
George Duke
George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...
who his brother also later toured with. The next two years saw a return to the recording studio with fellow
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 ...
artist Flying Lotus, with contributions to the Lotus's ''
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) and ''
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), and the release of Thundercat's second album ''
Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
'' (2013).
Collaborations
In 2004, Bruner collaborated with Kamasi Washington, as well as Cameron Graves and Ronald Jr, under the name the Young Jazz Giants.
Along with his band duties, Bruner is also a
session musician
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
, acclaimed for his work on
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 ...
's ''
New Amerykah'' (2008) and Flying Lotus' ''
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).
Bruner was a major contributor to
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 ...
's critically acclaimed 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 2015, and has been described as being "at the creative epicenter" of the project. Longtime Thundercat collaborators Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington, and
Terrace Martin
Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...
were also major contributors to the album.
Bruner was a frequent collaborator on Mac Miller's tracks. On August 6, 2018 Bruner played bass during Mac's
Tiny Desk Concert
Tiny Desk Concerts is a video series of live concerts hosted by NPR Music at the desk of ''All Songs Considered'' host Bob Boilen in Washington, D.C.
The first Tiny Desk Concert came about in 2008 after Boilen and NPR Music editor Stephen Thom ...
, during which the two played the track they collaborated on "What's the Use?"
In 2022, he collaborated with
virtual band
In entertainment, a virtual band (also called a virtual idol, virtual singer, virtual group, cartoon group, cartoon idol, cartoon singer or cartoon band) is a band or music group whose members are not depicted as corporeal musicians, but animat ...
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...
on their single Cracker Island, the first released single and title track for their upcoming album of the same name. The song was released on April 30 2022.
Solo Albums
''The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam''
![ThundercatSternGrove2021](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/ThundercatSternGrove2021.jpg)
On June 22, 2015, Thundercat released ''
The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam'' EP, which was developed during the production of ''To Pimp a Butterfly''. The EP includes tributes to his friend and collaborator
Austin Peralta
Austin Topper Peralta (October 25, 1990 – November 21, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer from Los Angeles, California. He was the son of film director and Z-Boys skateboarder Stacy Peralta.
Early life
Austin Peralta was bor ...
, a jazz pianist who was signed to Brainfeeder before his death in 2012. The EP also includes a feature from
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 ...
and was the first appearance of "Them Changes".
In 2016, Bruner revealed to
XXL that he was working on a new album with Flying Lotus as a main contributor. In May of that year, Bruner appeared live with
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea (musician), Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates element ...
to play additional bass on their song "Go Robot" at
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
's release party for the band's 2016 album ''
The Getaway''. In August 2016, Bruner appeared live with singers
Kenny Loggins
Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...
and
Michael McDonald in Chicago.
''Drunk''
In June 2017, Thundercat appeared on ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'' to promote his studio album ''
Drunk
Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main ps ...
'' with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. "Them Changes" contains a drum
sample
Sample or samples may refer to:
Base meaning
* Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set
* Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal
* Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...
from the 1977 track "
Footsteps in the Dark" by the
Isley Brothers Isley is an English surname. The name can also be used as an anglicized variant for the German surnames Eisele and Eisler. Notable people with the surname include:
*The Isley Brothers, American musical group
**Ernie Isley (born 1952), American mus ...
, the same sample used in
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
's "
It Was a Good Day
"It Was a Good Day" is a song by American rapper Ice Cube, released on February 23, 1993 as the second single from his third solo album, '' The Predator'' (1992). The song peaked at No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. ...
" (although the latter more heavily sampled the original).
''It Is What It Is''
In October 2018, Thundercat premiered the song "King of the Hill" from his then upcoming album ''
It Is What It Is''. The second single, "Black Qualls" featuring
Steve Lacy,
Steve Arrington
Steven Ralph Arrington (born March 5, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, drummer, record producer, engineer and minister, who grew up in Dayton, Ohio.
Biography
Arrington played in various local bands before joining and touring with The M ...
, and
Childish Gambino
Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American entertainer, writer, director, and producer. After working in Derrick Comedy while studying at New York University, Glove ...
was released on January 16. Another single, "Dragonball Durag", was released on February 17. ''It Is What It Is'' released on April 3, 2020, and was met with critical acclaim.
Thundercat dedicated the album to friend and frequent collaborator
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 ...
. In 2020, ''It Is What It Is'' won Best Progressive R&B Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
![Thundercat (43228967431)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Thundercat_%2843228967431%29.jpg)
In 2021, he received the
Libera Awards
The Libera Awards, sometimes referred to as The Libbys, are an annual awards ceremony organized by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). First hosted in 2012, the awards celebrate the independent music community. The capstone of A2 ...
for ''Best R&B Record 2021'' for his album ''It Is What It Is'' (Brainfeeder Records) by the
American Association of Independent Music
The American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) is a trade association that represents independent record labels in the United States, founded in 2005. A2IM is headquartered in New York City, with chapters located in Nashville, Chicago, North ...
(A2IM). The album was also nominated as ''Record of the Year,'' but lost to
Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She has released two solo albums, ''Stranger in the Alps'' (2017) and ''Punisher'' (2020), both of which received critical acclaim ...
' album ''Punisher''.
In 2022, he made a guest appearance in the fourth episode of ''
The Book of Boba Fett
''The Book of Boba Fett'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is part of the ''Star Wars'' franchise and a spin-off from the series ''The Mandalorian'', taking place in the ...
'' as a "Mod Artist" that
Boba Fett
Boba Fett ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. First appearing in the ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and prequel fi ...
enlists to save
Fennec Shand
Fennec Shand is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise portrayed by Ming-Na Wen in the Disney+ television series ''The Mandalorian'', '' The Bad Batch'', and ''The Book of Boba Fett''. An elite mercenary and assassin, she was intr ...
's life in a flashback where he replaced her damaged parts with cybernetic replacements.
Instruments
Bruner is most often seen playing his
Ibanez
is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as ...
Custom Shop model bass, possessing six strings (which are tuned to BEADGC), a hollowed out maple body, five-piece maple/jatoba neck, and rosewood fingerboard. It utilizes
EMG magnetic pickups, Graph Tech Ghost piezo saddles, and a
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...
program In/Out.
Discography
* ''
The Golden Age of Apocalypse
''The Golden Age of Apocalypse'' is the debut studio album by Thundercat, released on Brainfeeder in 2011.
Critical reception
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, ''The Golden Age o ...
'' (2011)
* ''
Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
'' (2013)
* ''
Drunk
Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main ps ...
'' (2017)
* ''
It Is What It Is'' (2020)
Filmography
Awards and nominations
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 ...
Libera Awards
The Libera Awards, sometimes referred to as The Libbys, are an annual awards ceremony organized by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). First hosted in 2012, the awards celebrate the independent music community. The capstone of A2 ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thundercat
1984 births
20th-century African-American male singers
American session musicians
Grammy Award winners for rap music
Jazz musicians from California
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
Guitarists from Los Angeles
American male bass guitarists
21st-century American singers
Brainfeeder artists
21st-century American bass guitarists
21st-century American male singers
American male jazz musicians
African-American guitarists
21st-century African-American male singers
Nu jazz musicians