Anderson .Paak on His Directing Debut ‘K-Pops!’ and Starring Alongside His Son: ‘Got My Ass Kicked…But I Would Do It Again in a Heartbeat’

At the Los Angeles premiere of his debut film "K-Pops!", musician Anderson .Paak marked a significant milestone with a unique co-star: his son, Soul Rasheed. The comedy, which blends Black cultural themes with the worldwide K-pop craze, features the nine-time Grammy winner—best known as one-half of the chart-topping duo Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars—alongside his real-life child in a key role.

The movie's plot centers on BJ, a down-on-his-luck Los Angeles musician played by .Paak, who travels to Seoul and discovers he has a pre-teen son competing on a major K-pop reality show. The idea was born during the pandemic when touring halted, giving .Paak extended time at home with his then eight-year-old. "He was fixated on two new worlds for me: becoming a YouTuber and K-pop," .Paak explained to Variety. This mutual interest sparked a creative collaboration, reminding .Paak of his own childhood experiments with making skits and leading him to explore a story asking, "What if I found out I had a son with this amazing talent?" For Soul Rasheed, the primary inspiration was unequivocally the global phenomenon BTS; he and his mother had even taken .Paak to a BTS concert during lockdowns, an outing that solidified the genre's appeal for the entire family.

Transitioning into the director's chair was a monumental challenge for the artist. He described the process as a state of "creative bliss" that was also "the hardest thing—I got my ass kicked." The difficulty was so intense he initially vowed it would be his first and last film, though he later recanted, stating, "I would do it again in a heartbeat." The project carried deep personal significance, with conscious representation being a core driver. .Paak emphasized the importance of portraying a Black family in a positive and humorous light, an impact heightened by sharing the screen with his actual son. For Rasheed, navigating his acting debut felt instinctive: "He is actually my dad, so it felt pretty natural."

Looking ahead, .Paak confirmed an accompanying soundtrack is in development, hinting at "a lot of cool K-pop collaborations." He also delivered major news for music fans, announcing he will join Bruno Mars for the entirety of Mars's forthcoming tour and teasing potential "surprises." This continues an extraordinarily successful partnership; their 2021 album "An Evening with Silk Sonic" dominated the Grammy Awards, taking home trophies including Record and Song of the Year for its smash single "Leave the Door Open." The duo's success underscores a trend of artists leveraging high-profile collaborations to reach new audiences. Furthermore, industry analysts suggest that family-oriented projects like "K-Pops!" can open unique demographic doors. As cultural commentator Dr. Maya Lin noted, "When an artist of .Paak's caliber merges a personal family narrative with a genre as massive as K-pop, it creates a powerful cross-generational and cross-cultural appeal that pure music releases often cannot."

"K-Pops!" is scheduled for a theatrical release on February 27.