In August 2016, Bruner appeared live with singers Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald in Chicago. In May of that year, Bruner appeared live with Red Hot Chili Peppers to play additional bass on their song "Go Robot" at iHeartRadio's release party for the band's 2016 album The Getaway. In 2016, Bruner revealed to XXL that he was working on a new album with Flying Lotus as a main contributor. Īlong with the involvements with previous artists, Thundercat draws inspiration from jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, Mary Lou Williams and Ron Carter. To Pimp a Butterfly īruner has been described as being a major contributor to and "at the creative epicenter" of Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed album To Pimp a Butterfly. 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). 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. Īlong 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). In 2004, Bruner collaborated once again with Kamasi Washington, as well as Cameron Graves and Ronald Jr, under the label, the Young Jazz Giants. Bruner's earliest studio album appearances include playing electric bass on Kamasi Washington's Live at 5th Street Dick's and The Proclamation. as a member of the Los Angeles punk band Suicidal Tendencies, replacing former bass player Josh Paul. A year later he joined his brother Ronald Jr.
![the thundercats the thundercats](https://mediacdn.aent-m.com/prod-img-misc/500/7/4044317-2837238.jpg)
By 15 he had a minor hit in Germany as a member of the boy band No Curfew.
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Born into a family of musicians, Bruner began playing the bass at an early age, listening to bass players such as Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller for inspiration.