An Introduction to Thundercat

Musical roots

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Stephen Lee Bruner – better known as Thundercat – grew up in a deeply musical household. His father, drummer Ronald Bruner Sr., played with The Temptations, Gladys Knight and Diana Ross, and his older brother Ronald Bruner Jr. is a respected drummer.

By four, Stephen had picked up the bass. By his teens, he was touring internationally after joining his brother’s thrash metal band Suicidal Tendencies – but not before having a minor hit in Germany as part of the pop punk boyband No Curfew. Yes, really –  get you a bassist who can do both.

He spent nine years in Suicidal Tendencies cutting his teeth but kept his music tastes expansive – also playing live bass for artists like rapper Snoop Dogg, neo-soul legend Erykah Badu and on records for jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington during this period. According to a recent interview, Snoop Dogg apparently fired him for his bass playing being too out there.

Solo success

Erykah Badu helped nudge Bruner towards starting his own project and finding his stage presence and identity as Thundercat. His name is a reference to the 1980s cartoon series ThunderCats – with Bruner being a massive fan of anime, referencing shows and comics like Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon and Neon Genesis Evangelion in both his songs and personal style.

His breakthrough as a solo artist arrived with 2011’s album The Golden Age of Apocalypse, released on Brainfeeder and shaped in close collaboration with Flying Lotus. His further three critically acclaimed solo albums – Apocalypse (2013), Drunk (2017) and It Is What It Is (2020) – have cemented him as a solo star.

It Is What It Is – which reflects on the passing of and features his late friend and collaborator Mac Miller – won Best Progressive R&B Album at the 2021 Grammys. It wasn’t Thundercat’s first taste of Grammys success – he previously won Best Rap/Sung Performance in 2016 for his work on Kendrick Lamar's These Walls.

Collaboration is king

The list of names Thundercat has worked with spans music genres and era – think Ariana Grande, Tame Impala, Snoop Dogg, Herbie Hancock, Gorillaz, Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus and Mac Miller to name a few.

Thundercat’s reached widened dramatically through his work with Kendrick Lamar, particularly on To Pimp a Butterfly. His basslines are integral to the album’s rich, live-band texture – take the propulsive bassline of King Kunta for starters.

On To Pimp a Butterfly, Thundercat put his stamp on arguably most influential hip-hop album of the 21st century – with Lamar citing him as the jazz visionary behind the record alongside collaborators Kamasi Washington and Terrace Martin.

Signature style

At the centre of Thundercat’s sound is the six-string bass, which he plays with virtuosity, changing tempos with ease like on his signature track Them Changes. Lyrically he can shift between cosmic introspection and everyday life – with anime references sitting next to meditations on grief.

What’s next

Thundercat’s much anticipated fifth album Distracted comes out in April 2026 – and sees him play a series of shows including the Warehouse at Aviva Studios.

Featuring guest appearances from Tame Impala, Lil Yachty, A$AP Rocky, Channel Tres and Willow, Distracted is tipped to be one of the albums of year. If singles No More Lies and She Knows Too Much (which features a posthumous feature from his close friend and collaborator Mac Miller) are anything to go by, we’re in for a treat.

Thundercat’s six-string bass in the incredible acoustics of the Warehouse? Sign us up.

Thundercat plays the Warehouse at Aviva Studios on 27 March. For tickets and more information, see here.