Stream: Thundercat, ‘Black Qualls’

S.Lo on January 16th, 2020

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Funky R&B-soul-jazz disruptor Thundercat (né Stephen Lee Bruner) has unleashed the first single, “Black Qualls,” off his upcoming fourth album, “It Is What It Is,” releasing April 3 via Flying Lotus’ BRAINFEEDER imprint.

So what is a quall? In touch with his roots as well as an innovator in pop culture, Thundercat could possibly be punning on a bird of prey from World of Warcraft; Qualls, Oklahoma; an archaic spelling of “equal”; or (also quite likely) the huevo that hangs lower. It’s probably all four, as the bass-pumping track, written in collaboration with the Internet’s Steve Lacy and funk icon Steve Arrington from Slave, is a jaunt through experiences of feeling simultaneously misunderstood and hemmed in by expectations. The music itself is freedom embodied.

“The tone of the bass, the way his stuff feels and moves, it resonated through my whole body,” the producer-musician said about Arrington’s influence on his own music and referenced Compton-bred Lacy as “the physical incarnate of the Ohio Players in one person — he genuinely is a funky ass dude.”

In addition to the two inspirational Steves, Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Lil B, Kamasi Washington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole and Zack Fox also appear on the full-length, produced by the artist with FlyLo.

“This album is about love, loss, life and the ups and downs that come with that,” Thundercat says. “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.”

||| Stream: ‘Black Qualls’ (feat. Steve Lacy and Steve Arrington)