Thundercat (musician)

Thundercat
Thundercat performing at the Hoxton in Toronto on September 27, 2015.
Background information
Birth name	Stephen Bruner
Born	(1984-10-19) October 19, 1984 (age 32) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres	Soul jazz fusion electronic funk
Occupation(s)	Musician multi-instrumentalist record producer
Instruments	Bass guitar vocals guitar keyboards
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Brainfeeder
Associated acts	Flying Lotus Kendrick Lamar Kamasi Washington Erykah Badu Shabazz Palaces Noname SZA Suicidal Tendencies Infectious Grooves Kirk Knight Mac Miller
Website	brainfeedersite.com
Notable instruments
Ibanez Thundercat Signature 6-String Bass MTD Custom Shop 6-String Bass Ibanez Artcore Bass

Stephen Bruner (born October 19, 1984), better known by his stage name Thundercat, is an American multi-genre bass guitarist, producer and singer from Los Angeles, California. He has released three solo albums, and is most noted for his work with producer Flying Lotus, and crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies. Thundercat appeared on Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. In 2016, Thundercat won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his work on the track "These Walls" from To Pimp a Butterfly.

Born into a family of musicians, Bruner began playing the bass at an early age: by 15 he had a minor hit in Germany as a member of the boy band No Curfew. A year later he joined his brother Ronald Jr. as a member of the Los Angeles metal band Suicidal Tendencies, replacing former bass player Josh Paul.

Along with his band duties Bruner is also a session musician, acclaimed for his work on Erykah Badu's New Amerykah (2008) and Flying Lotus' Cosmogramma (2010). He released his first solo album in 2011, The Golden Age of Apocalypse, which featured production from Flying Lotus, and was influenced by 1970s fusion artists such as Stanley Clarke and George Duke. The next two years saw a return to the recording studio with fellow Brainfeeder artist Flying Lotus, with contributions to the Lotus's Until the Quiet Comes (2012) and You're Dead! (2014), and the release of Thundercat's second album Apocalypse (2013).