(AllHipHop News) Rapper Anderson Paak is up for two Grammy awards, including best new artist.
But his road to success was anything but easy. And best urban contemporary album, thanks to his break-through album, Malibu.
The rapper, who is preparing his upcoming collaboration with Flying Lotus, as well as the debut album from his band, The Free Nationals, sat down with CBS and discussed the intricacies of his career.
“He told me he liked the pain in my voice,” Anderson Paak said of some early advice just before he was signed by super producer, Dr. Dre. “You got that pain in your voice. You got a story in your voice and when I hear it, it sounds like you, only you,” Dr. Dre told the aspiring artist.
“I thought it was cool, I thought girls would like that name,” he said of his former moniker.
Anderson, who lives in the Koreatown section of Los Angeles with his wife, sat down for a candid interview with CBS News.
According to Anderson Paak, the pain came from real-life incidents, including one in which his father almost beat his mother to death.
“He went from being there every day to I would only see him a few times a week,” Anderson Paak said. “And then, until the day I literally saw him on top of my mom really trying to take my mom’s life. So that was the last time I seen him.”
Anderson Paak suffered another blow, when his mother and new husband ended up in jail, for tax evasion.
Music became the youngster’s refuge in a local Baptist church where Anderson became proficient on the drums.
Anderson Paak will be one of the featured performers during the upcoming Grammy Awards.
The 2017 awards ceremony takes place on Sunday, February 12th and will air live from the Staples Center on CBS.
Take a look at the interview below: