Fly Anakin

American rapper

  • Lex Records
  • Mutant Academy
Websiteflyanakin.com
Musical artist

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.

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

  • At the End of the Day (2020)
  • Frank (2022)[1]

Collaborative albums

  • Open House (with Henny L.O) (2014)
  • Chapel Drive (with Koncept Jack$on) (2017)
  • Panama Plus (with Koncept Jack$on & TUAMIE) (2017)
  • Backyard Boogie (with Ohbliv) (2018)
  • Emergency Raps, Vol. 4 (with TUAMIE) (2019)
  • Holly Water (with Big Kahuna OG) (2019)
  • FlySiifu's (with Pink Siifu) (2020)[28]
  • Skinemaxxx (Side A) (with Foisey) (2023)
  • Skinemaxxx (Side B) (with Foisey) (2023)

Extended plays

  • mirrors_episode.1 (with Ewonee) (2014)
  • Elsewhere Ave. (2015)
  • The Grand Scheme of Things (2016)
  • Velvet Type Joints (2016)
  • People Like Us (2017)
  • Anakin & Friends: Episode 1 (2021)
  • $mokebreak (with Pink Siifu) (2021)[29]
  • Pixote (2021)
  • mirrors_episode.2 (with Ewonee) (2022)
  • Stop Tryna Hack My Facebook (2023)

References

  1. ^ a b "Frank | Fly Anakin". Pitchfork. March 18, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "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. ^ a b c "Fly Anakin Sets Out On His Own (With A Little Help From His Friends)". Stereogum. March 10, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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. ^ a b "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.

External links

  • Official website
  • Fly Anakin discography at Discogs