Anderson .Paak Gets Extra Fresh on New Song ‘Jewelz’

Anderson .Paak has released a slick new single, “Jewelz,” which was co-produced by Timbaland.

The track is a no-nonsense blast of funk-pop that’s centered around a crisp guitar lick, peppered with delicate synths and anchored, of course, by an irresistible rhythm section. The track finds .Paak in a playful mood, pitch-shifting his vocals into a near-squeak as he boasts about being impossibly fly even without all the accoutrements (“I ain’t even put my jewels on/I ain’t even play my latest greatest song”), while also dropping little interludes where he cracks jokes in a British accent and adds some meta-commentary like, “How’s it workin’ with Timbaland and what’s he like?”

“Jewelz” follows “Lockdown,” a protest song about racial injustice that .Paak released in June, then later remixed in August with Noname, J.I.D., and Jay Rock. The musician also collaborated with Rick Ross on “Cut ‘Em In,” from the Madden 21 video game soundtrack, and appeared on Busta Rhymes’ “Yuuuu.”

.Paak’s most recent solo album, Ventura, was released in April 2019.