Introduction to the Thunder

Stephen Lee Bruner, better known as Thundercat is a musician best known for his talents on the bass. Born into a family of talented musicians, music was already in his blood from the get go you could say. While he mainly plays the bass (really really good might I add), Stephen does most of his production on his own. He has been an influential presence in the music game since he released his first full-length album in 2011 called The Golden Age of the Apocalypse. This album made a splash back then and established Thundercat as an artist to pay attention to.

Collabs with Legends

Two years after his freshman release, Stephen drops Apocalypse. In case you are not the biggest gamer, 2013 was a very big year for that world. This was because Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto V. The game has now made well over a billion dollars for the company. Since every vehicle features GTA’s own radio stations, many artist’s songs were added to them. For Thundercat it was one of his hits off of Apocalypse called Oh Sheit Its X. I can not tell you how many times I have listened to this song just while playing the game alone. Once GTA V absolutely blew up, many lesser known artists who were featured on the playlists gained a lot more attention. Stephen was certainly no exception. 

GTA to Today

In addition to his success with Rockstar Games, Stephen frequently would collaborate with legendary producer Flying Lotus. The two of them would go on to receive producer and artistic credits for one of the most critically acclaimed rap albums of all time To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar. Thundercat can be heard throughout the project with his smooth, funky basslines on tracks like Wesley’s Theory, These Walls, and more. This album not only solidified Kendrick as one of the modern greats, but also proved Thundercat’s musical talents. If you want more music related content like this, click here.