Fly Anakin

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.

Fly Anakin
Fly Anakin in 2021, taken from the Frank promotional photoshoot by Timothy Saccenti
Fly Anakin in 2021, taken from the Frank promotional photoshoot by Timothy Saccenti
Background information
Birth nameFrank L. Walton, Jr.[1][2][3][4]
Born (1994-07-09) July 9, 1994
GenresHip hop
Years active2014–present
Labels
Websiteflyanakin.com

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)

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