Anderson .Paak is having himself a busy week. Just days after Silk Sonic, his highly successful collaboration with Bruno Mars, announced that it would not vie for any additional Grammy Awards in 2023, .Paak revisited another super-duo project, NxWorries, with a new track featuring award-winning singer-songwriter H.E.R. He also took some time to drop in on a couple of his protégés DOMi & JD Beck during their Wednesday evening show in New York City.
NxWorries, the R&B project led by Anderson and producer Knxwledge, has remained relatively inactive since its 2016 debut album, Yes Lawd!, and a 2017 collection of Yes Lawd! remixes. In 2020, a .Paak guest spot on Knxwledge’s 1988 LP was credited to NxWorries, prompting speculation about another record. Soon after, .Paak confirmed in an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe that he and Knxwledge were in the process of recording their second album.
The NxWorries revival began in earnest on Thursday with the release of the new album’s lead single, “Where I Go”, and a .Paak-directed video for the track co-starring the track’s featured guest, H.E.R. Whereas Silk Sonic threw it back to the soul sounds of the ’70s, the new NxWorries single has a decidedly ’90s vibe. From the dripping, Dilla-fied beat to visual cues in the video like beepers and landlines, “Where I Go” evokes the finer qualities of the golden age of neo-soul while benefitting from the contemporary shine of the last two Song of the Year Grammy-winners (H.E.R. won for “I Can’t Breathe” in 2021 while .Paak shared the honor as part of Silk Sonic for “Leave The Door Open” in 2022).
The video, which would easily fit in with the Direct Effect aesthetic of the early 2000s, stars .Paak and H.E.R. as lovers in the midst of a flashy yet flawed fling. From the vibrant colors to the lavish lifestyle depicted to the slapstick fun of H.E.R. smashing her birthday cake at an ill-conceived surprise party and leaving .Paak standing in the rain, it plays like a well-rendered love letter to a bygone era in hip-hop and R&B. Listen to the track on the platform of your choice here. Watch the music video and check out some behind-the-scenes photos from H.E.R. below.
NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) ft. H.E.R. – “Where I Go” (Official Video)
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Alongside his own music, Anderson .Paak has been throwing his weight behind his new Apeshit label and its first release, DOMi & JD Beck‘s NOT TiGHT. On Wednesday night, he joined the young drums-keys duo during their show at le poisson rouge in New York, NY to perform “TAKE A CHANCE”, his collaboration from the album.
Related: DOMi & JD Beck Make Late-Night TV Debut With Help From Anderson .Paak On ‘Kimmel’ [Watch]
Watch a video of DOMi & JD Beck performing “TAKE A CHANCE” with Anderson .Paak in New York below. For a complete list of DOMi & JD Beck’s upcoming tour dates, head here.
DOMi & JD Beck ft. Anderson .Paak – “TAKE A CHANCE” – 10/19/22
[Video: Larry Rulz 5]