Thundercat’s fourth studio album It Is What Is became available today. The torchbearer of fusion finds himself working with Kamasi Washington, Louis Cole, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, his brother Ronald Bruner and Dennis Hamm. There are new collaborations with Steve Lacy, Childish Gambino, Lil’ B and Ty Dolla $ign. The 2018 death of his friend Mac Miller also influenced the making of It Is What It Is. Thundercat shared the feelings behind the album in a press release:

“This album is about love, loss, life and the ups and downs that come with that it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but at different points in life you come across places that you don’t necessarily understand… some things just aren’t meant to be understood.”

His tour will be rescheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic but in the meantime stream the new album below.

Thundercat pays tribute to his late friend Mac Miller with the song “Fair Chance” featuring Ty Dollar $ign and Lil B. The somber music reflects the changes Thundercat felt when Miller passed. He says, 

“This song is about Mac… when he passed it shook the ground for the artist community. Ty’s a strong dude and when he heard the song he knew exactly what it should be. I was there when he recorded it. We talked about what it was, and he did what he felt was right to it, and I love what he did.”

“Fair Chance” is the third single to emerge from Thundercat’s upcoming album It Is What It Is. Flying Lotus produced the album that has appearances from Childish Gambino, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole, Zack Fox, and Kamasi Washington. Thundercat’s North American and European tours have been postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak but will be rescheduled. 

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[youtube id=”ormQQG2UhtQ”]Thundercat drops a humorous visual for “Dragonball Durag” as he gets ready for the release of It Is What Is in April. He pokes fun at himself as he unsuccessfully attempts to woo a group of women. In each instance, the potential date gives a solid look of disapproval and walks away. There are cameos from Kali Uchis, HAIM and Quinta Brunson. Thundercat kicks off his North American tour tonight and tickets are still available. 

Thundercat unleashes “Dragonball Durag” today two months away from the release of his next album It Is What It Is. The bass player, composer and singer just wants a woman who will accept his love of the Japanese animé Dragon Ball Z. He says,  

“I have a Dragon Ball tattoo… it runs everything. There is a saying that Dragon Ball is life. There are two types of people in the world, the guy with the durag and the guy who doesn’t know what a durag is. The durag is a superpower, to turn your swag on… it does something, it changes you. If you have one in the wardrobe, think about wearing it tonight, and it may pop off because you never know what’s going to happen.”

Stream “Dragonball Durag” and listen to Thundercat sing about his wardrobe item that has a superpower. It Is What It Is comes out April 3rd. 

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