Fly Anakin

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Fly Anakin
Fly Anakin.jpg
Fly Anakin in 2021, taken from the Frank promotional photoshoot by Timothy Saccenti
Background information
Birth nameFrank L. Walton, Jr. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Born (1994-07-09) July 9, 1994 (age 30)
Origin Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Years active2014–present
Labels
Website flyanakin.com

Frank L. Walton, Jr [5] (born July 9, 1994), better known by his stage name Fly Anakin is an American rapper and record producer from Richmond, Virginia. He is the co-founder of Richmond hip hop crew Mutant Academy.

Contents

Early life

Fly Anakin was raised in Richmond, Virginia. As a child he was a regular church goer. [6] His older brother introduced him to rap albums including Ghostface Killah's Ironman , Jay Z's Reasonable Doubt and Hot Boys' Guerrilla Warfare . His later influences included Jeezy, Kendrick Lamar and Curren$y. [2] [7] [3]

Career

Fly Anakin released his first mixtape in 2014, Mirrors_episode1, with future Mutant Academy member Ewonee. [3] This was the first of over a dozen self-released mixtapes and EPs. Fly Anakin played in shows and in homes in Richmond. [4]

He signed to Lex Records in 2019, releasing a collaborative album with Pink Siifu, FlySiifu's in November 2020, followed by an EP, $mokebreak in April 2021. [8] In 2022, Fly Anakin released his debut solo studio LP Frank which included production from Madlib, Evidence and Mutant Academy members. [9] [10] According to Metacritic, the album received "universal acclaim" from critics, with a score of 84. [11] Following its release, Frank also featured in several lists of the best albums of "2022 (so far)" including Complex , HipHopDX , Paste , The Quietus and Uproxx . [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

In March 2022, Fly Anakin performed several shows at SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, including sets at the Lex showcase and the Song Exploder showcase. [17] [18] The following month he supported Armand Hammer on a short run of European shows at venues including XOYO, London and Le Botanique, Brussels and Le Bellevilloise, Paris. [19] [20] [21]

A concert scheduled on the 5 May 2022 in Lyon, France was cancelled by the local concert promoter [22] when Fly Anakin vetoed an opening act following an argument between the promoter and Fly Anakin's booking agent. The booking agent wrote an e-mail to the promoter stating: "All artists choose who they perform with because this is their art form, not yours. Nor is it your culture either, from what I understand. Fly Anakin wants to celebrate his culture, hop-hop, with Black artists..." The incident was reported in French media including the local Lyon newspaper Le Progrès , and national media including Marianne and BFM TV website. [23] [22] [24] Marianne noted that Fly Anakin "...denied any discriminatory will on his part, rather evoking a musical problem: the envisaged artist was not up to the task, he told the Progress on Thursday." [23]

In November 2022 Fly Anakin and Madlib released a reworking of "No Dough" from Frank. [25] At the end of the 2022 Metacritic ranked Frank as the “best reviewed debut” rap album of the year, and the ninth best reviewed debut album across all genres. [26] On 5 April 2023, Skinemaxxx (Side A) EP was released. [27]

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

Extended plays

References

  1. 1 2 "Frank | Fly Anakin". Pitchfork . March 18, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "First Look Friday: Fly Anakin on How Ghostface & Curren$y Made Him the MC He Is". Okayplayer . April 3, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "Fly Anakin Sets Out On His Own (With A Little Help From His Friends)". Stereogum . March 10, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "Fly Anakin is leaving the underground and ready to be a star". The Line of Best Fit . May 3, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Frank | Chroniques | PointBreak". March 23, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Underground Rap Hero Fly Anakin Demands Respect". Pitchfork . March 2, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Fly Anakin: sitting in the melting pot". Loud and Quiet . May 3, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  8. ↑ ""How Could You Watch a Movie and Not Like the Dialogue?:" An Interview with Fly Anakin & Pink Siifu". Passionweiss. January 12, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Fly Anakin Announces Debut Album with Madlib-Produced Single "No Dough"". Okayplayer . January 2, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Fly Anakin Carves His Own Lane On Frank". Okayplayer . March 14, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Reviews for Frank by Fly Anakin". Metacritic. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  12. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022 (So Far)". Paste . July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  13. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2022 (So Far)". Complex . June 1, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Quietus Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022". The Quietus . July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  15. ↑ "The Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2022 So Far". Uproxx . June 9, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  16. ↑ "THE BEST RAP ALBUMS OF 2022 ...(SO FAR)". HipHopDX . July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Faster Than Sound: Wait, How Does SXSW Music Work Again?". The Austin Chronicle . March 11, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  18. ↑ "The 20 Artists We're Most Excited to See at SXSW 2022". Paste . March 9, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Armand Hammer". Rock Feedback. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  20. ↑ "Armand Hammer - Fly Anakin". Le Botanique . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Armand Hammer (US) + Fly Anakin (UK)". Le Botanique . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  22. 1 2 "Lyon: Le Concert D'un Rappeur Américain Annulé À Cause De La Couleur De Peau De Sa Première Partie?". April 29, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  23. 1 2 "Lyon : Un concert de rap annulé parce que l'artiste en première partie n'est pas noir ?". April 29, 2022.
  24. ↑ "La couleur de peau d'un artiste a-t-elle causé l'annulation d'un concert de rap américain?". April 28, 2022. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Madlib Remixes Fly Anakin's "No Dough": Listen". Pitchfork . November 17, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  26. ↑ "The Freshman 15: 2022's Best Debut Albums". Metacritic . December 8, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  27. ↑ "The Freshman 15: 2022's Best Debut Albums". The Fader . April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  28. ↑ "FlySiifu's | Fly Anakin & Pink Siifu". Pitchfork . November 18, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  29. ↑ "FlySiifu's | Fly Anakin & Pink Siifu". Pitchfork . April 1, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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