Thundercat | |
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_-_edited.jpg) Thundercat in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Stephen Lee Bruner (1984-10-19)October 19, 1984 (age 41) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Instruments |
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| Works | Thundercat discography |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Brainfeeder |
| Member of | West Coast Get Down |
| Formerly of | Suicidal Tendencies |
| Website | theamazingthundercat |
| Signature | |
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Stephen Lee Bruner (born October 19, 1984),[4] better known by his stage nameThundercat, is an American musician, singer, record producer, songwriter, and bassist fromLos Angeles,California. First coming to prominence as a member ofcrossover thrash bandSuicidal Tendencies, he radically changed his musical style, placing a strong focus onfunk,soul,progressive R&B,psychedelia andjazz-fusion. He has since released four solo studio albums and is noted for his work with producerFlying Lotus and his appearances onKendrick Lamar's 2015 albumTo Pimp a Butterfly.[5] In 2016, Thundercat won aGrammy forBest Rap/Sung Performance for his work on the track "These Walls" fromTo Pimp a Butterfly. In 2020, Thundercat released his fourth studio album,It Is What It Is, which earned him aGrammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album.Rolling Stone has ranked him as one of the greatest bass players of all time.[6]
Raised inCompton and other parts ofLos Angeles, Bruner was born into a family of musicians, including his father Ronald Bruner Sr., a drummer, and his mother Pam, a flautist and percussionist. His father played drums forThe Temptations,The Supremes, andGladys Knight, amongst others. After Bruner Sr. got sober from cocaine, the children would watch him play gigs at theCrenshaw Christian Center.[7] Bruner attendedLocke High School, playing in the school's jazz band. His teacher, Reggie Andrews, produced and co-wrotethe Dazz Band's 1982 single "Let It Whip" and collaborated withRick James. Andrews re-introduced Bruner toKamasi Washington; the two had originally met as children, through their fathers' membership in agospel fusion band. The reunited duo would sneak into jazz concerts, driving around in a worn-down1982 Ford Mustang to do so. They would later get to play the same venues as the performers they watched. They also did sessions with Bruner's cousinTerrace Martin in Washington's father's garage during this time.[8][9]
Bruner began playing the bass at an early age, listening to bass players such asStanley Clarke andMarcus Miller for inspiration.[10] 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 brotherRonald Jr. as a member of the Los Angelescrossover thrash bandSuicidal Tendencies, replacing former bass playerJosh Paul. Bruner's earliest studio album appearances include playing electric bass on Kamasi Washington'sLive at 5th Street Dick's andThe Proclamation.[11]
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, and both would make quips about his playing style.[8] Bruner credited Flying Lotus with pushing him to start singing and making his own projects.[12]
He released his debut solo album in 2011,The Golden Age of Apocalypse, which featured production from Flying Lotus, and was influenced by 1970sfusion artists such asStanley Clarke andGeorge Duke, who his brother also later toured with. Thundercat's second albumApocalypse was released in 2013.[13]
On June 22, 2015, Thundercat releasedThe Beyond / Where the Giants Roam EP, which was developed during the production ofTo Pimp a Butterfly. The EP includes tributes to his friend and collaboratorAustin Peralta, a jazz pianist who was signed to Brainfeeder before his death in 2012. The EP also includes a feature fromHerbie Hancock and was the first appearance of "Them Changes".
In 2016, Bruner revealed toXXL that he was working on a new album with Flying Lotus as a main contributor. In May of that year, Bruner appeared live withRed Hot Chili Peppers to play additional bass on their song "Go Robot" atiHeartRadio's release party for the band's 2016 albumThe Getaway. In August 2016, Bruner appeared live with singersKenny Loggins andMichael McDonald in Chicago.
In June 2017, Thundercat appeared onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote his studio albumDrunk with Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins.[14] "Them Changes" contains a drumsample from the 1977Isley Brothers track "Footsteps in the Dark", the same sample used inIce Cube's 1993 single "It Was a Good Day" (although the latter more heavily sampled the original).
In October 2018, Thundercat premiered the song "King of the Hill" from his then upcoming albumIt Is What It Is.[15][16] The second single, "Black Qualls", featuringSteve Lacy,Steve Arrington, andChildish Gambino, was released on January 16.[17] Another single, "Dragonball Durag", was released on February 17.[18]It Is What It Is released on April 3, 2020, and was met with critical acclaim.[19] Thundercat dedicated the album to friend and frequent collaboratorMac Miller.[20] In 2020,It Is What It Is won Best Progressive R&B Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[21]
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In 2021, he received theLibera Award for Best R&B Record 2021 for his albumIt Is What It Is (Brainfeeder Records) by theAmerican Association of Independent Music (A2IM). The album was also nominated as Record of the Year, but lost toPhoebe Bridgers' albumPunisher.[22]
In 2022, he made a guest appearance in the fourth episode ofThe Book of Boba Fett as a "Mod Artist" whoBoba Fett enlists to saveFennec Shand's life in a flashback where he replaced her damaged parts with cybernetic replacements.[23]
In April 2023, he released a new single collaborating withKevin Parker/Tame Impala, "No More Lies."[24] Following the release of "No More Lies", Thundercat announced theIn Yo Girl’s City Tour, to begin on August 5, 2023 inNewport, Rhode Island and conclude on November 14, 2023 inSantiago, Chile.[25]
In 2004, Bruner collaborated with Kamasi Washington, as well as Cameron Graves and Ronald Jr., under the name The Young Jazz Giants.[26] The group later united withTerrace Martin and five other Los Angeles jazz musicians to form theWest Coast Get Down collective, with whom they recorded several albums.[27]
Along with his band duties, Bruner is also asession musician, acclaimed for his work onErykah Badu'sNew Amerykah (2008) and fellowBrainfeeder artist Flying Lotus'Cosmogramma (2010),Until the Quiet Comes (2012), andYou're Dead! (2014).
Bruner was a major contributor toKendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed albumTo Pimp a Butterfly in 2015, and has been described as being "at the creative epicenter" of the project.[28] Longtime Thundercat collaborators Flying Lotus, Kamasi Washington, and Terrace Martin were also major contributors to the album.
Bruner was a frequent collaborator onMac Miller's tracks. On August 6, 2018, Bruner played bass during Miller'sTiny Desk Concert, during which the two played their collaborative track, "What's the Use?"[29]
In 2022, he collaborated withvirtual bandGorillaz on their single "Cracker Island", the first single and title track fortheir album of the same name. The song was released on April 30, 2022.[30]
In 2024, he collaborated withJustice on the track "The End", the last track on their albumHyperdrama. The album was released on 26 April 2024. The song was featured at theSummer Olympics 2024 closing ceremony in Paris.
In August 2024, he was featured in an episode of children's showYo Gabba Gabba, performing "Orange Cat" with the show's cast, while in costume.[31] He would reunite with the cast in December 2024, to perform a medley of songs as a part of the Tiny Desk Concert series.[32]
In 2025 Thundercat along withTal Wilkenfeld made special guest appearances inSpinal Tap’s performance of “Big Bottom” onJimmy Kimmel Live!
He has a teenage daughter named Sanaa.[33]
Other members of Stephen’s musician family include Stephen’s youngest brother, Jameel Bruner who was a keyboardist inOdd Future's neo-soul/jazz groupThe Internet on their 2015 albumEgo Death alongside guitaristSteve Lacy, who was making his debut at that time.[34]
Bruner was a close friend of the rapperMac Miller, and the two often spent time together in their personal lives.[35] Miller's death in 2018 made Bruner confront his own substance use 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 withThe Guardian.[36]
Bruner is a big fan ofanime andcartoons, and often wears outfits and accessories that reflect this, such as aPikachu backpack, cat-ear headbands, and the Interface Headset from the animeNeon Genesis Evangelion. His stage name, taken from the 1985 cartoon seriesThundercats, is further evidence of these influences.[37] Bruner is aChristian, and incorporates many of the religion's themes in his music.[38]
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Bruner is most often seen playing his six-stringIbanez Custom Shop model bass (tuned to BEADGC); it has a hollowed-out maple body, five-piece maple/jatoba neck, and rosewood fingerboard.[39] It utilizesEMG magnetic pickups, Graph Tech Ghost piezo saddles, and aMIDI-capable in/out.[40]
Ibanez produced a Thundercat signature model bass known as the TCB1006, with six strings.[41]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | The Book of Boba Fett | Mod Artist | Episodes 4, 7 |
| Organization | Year | Award | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | 2016 | Album of the Year | To Pimp a Butterfly(as featured artist and producer) | Nominated | [42] |
| Best Rap/Sung Performance | "These Walls" | Won | |||
| 2021 | Best Progressive R&B Album | It Is What It Is | Won | [1] | |
| Libera Awards | 2016 | Heritage Album of the Year | The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam | Nominated | [43][44] |
| 2017 | Album of the Year | Drunk | Nominated | [45][46] | |
| Best Blues/Jazz/R&B Album | Nominated | ||||
| Creative Packaging | Won | ||||
| 2021 | Record of the Year | It Is What It Is | Nominated | [47] | |
| Best R&B Record | Won |
For a virtuoso whose music explores the outer reaches of funk, yacht rock, and astral jazz, Thundercat has always shown a sensitive undercurrent.
| Studio albums |
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| Infectious Grooves | |
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| Notable songs | |
| Related articles | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
| Other | |
