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 31)
Origin Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Years active2014–present
Labels
  • Lex
  • Mutant Academy
Member ofMutant Academy
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. 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]

Fly Anakin released his debut solo studio LP Frank in 2022 which included production from Madlib, Evidence and Mutant Academy members. [8] [9] According to Metacritic, the album received "universal acclaim" from critics, with a score of 84. [10] 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 . [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

Fly Anakin performed several shows at SXSW Festival 2022 in Austin, Texas, including sets at the Lex showcase and the Song Exploder showcase. [16] [17] 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. [18] [19] A concert scheduled on the 5 May 2022 in Lyon, France was cancelled by the local concert promoter [20] when Fly Anakin vetoed an opening act following an argument between the promoter and Fly Anakin's booking agent. [21] [20] [22]

Fly Anakin and Madlib released a reworking of "No Dough" from Frank in November 2022 . [23] 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. [24]

Two collaborative EPs with the artist Foisey were released in 2023, called Skinemaxxx (Side A) and Skinemaxxx (Side B)’’. [25]

(The) Forever Dream, Fly Anakin’s second studio album was announced in January 2025 [26] The album was recorded with executive producer Quelle Chris who also contributed production and vocals to the album. It also featured production from The Alchemist, Shungu and Foisey with guest vocals from $ilkmoney, BbyMutha, Pink Siifu, Denmark Vessey and Nickelus F. [27] [28] [29] The album was released in April 2025. [30] [31]

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. ↑ "Fly Anakin Announces Debut Album with Madlib-Produced Single "No Dough"". Okayplayer . January 2, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Fly Anakin Carves His Own Lane On Frank". Okayplayer . March 14, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Reviews for Frank by Fly Anakin". Metacritic. Retrieved March 11, 2022.
  11. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2022 (So Far)". Paste . July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  12. ↑ "The Best Albums of 2022 (So Far)". Complex . June 1, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  13. ↑ "The Quietus Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022". The Quietus . July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  14. ↑ "The Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2022 So Far". Uproxx . June 9, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  15. ↑ "THE BEST RAP ALBUMS OF 2022 ...(SO FAR)". HipHopDX . July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Faster Than Sound: Wait, How Does SXSW Music Work Again?". The Austin Chronicle . March 11, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  17. ↑ "The 20 Artists We're Most Excited to See at SXSW 2022". Paste . March 9, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Armand Hammer - Fly Anakin". Le Botanique . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Armand Hammer (US) + Fly Anakin (UK)". Le Botanique . Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  20. 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.
  21. ↑ "Lyon : Un concert de rap annulé parce que l'artiste en première partie n'est pas noir ?". April 29, 2022.
  22. ↑ "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.
  23. ↑ "Madlib Remixes Fly Anakin's "No Dough": Listen". Pitchfork . November 17, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  24. ↑ "The Freshman 15: 2022's Best Debut Albums". Metacritic . December 8, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Fly Anakin & Foisey 'Skinemaxxx Side B' Is A Potent Course Correction". HipHopDX . August 3, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Fly Anakin Details New Album '(The) Forever Dream'". HipHopDX . January 29, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Fly Anakin announces new album prod. Quelle Chris, shares new song & video". BrooklynVegan . January 29, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Reviews: Fly Anakin, (The) Forever Dream". floodmagazine.com. April 23, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Fly Anakin Shares "(The) Forever Dream" Executively Produced By Quelle Chris". HotNewHipHop . April 26, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  30. ↑ {{cite web |title=(The) Forever Dream by Fly Anakin |url=https://music.apple.com/gb/album/the-forever-dream/1829719882 |website=Apple Music |access-date=October 11, 2025|date=April 25, 2025}
  31. ↑ "(The) Forever Dream Fly Anakin". Pitchfork (website) . May 1, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  32. ↑ "FlySiifu's | Fly Anakin & Pink Siifu". Pitchfork . November 18, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  33. ↑ "FlySiifu's | Fly Anakin & Pink Siifu". Pitchfork . April 1, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
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