Fly Anakin
{{short description|American rapper}}
{{rewrite|date=April 2025}}
{{Undisclosed paid|date=September 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Fly Anakin
| image = File:Fly Anakin.jpg
| caption = Fly Anakin in 2021, taken from the Frank promotional photoshoot by Timothy Saccenti
| birth_name = Frank L. Walton, Jr.
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|07|09}}
| birth_place =
| origin = Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| genre = Hip hop
| years_active = 2014–present
| label = {{hlist|Lex Records|Mutant Academy}}
| associated_acts = {{hlist|Pink Siifu|Madlib}}
| website = {{URL|https://flyanakin.com}}
}}
Frank L. Walton, Jr{{cite web | url=https://pointbreak.fr/frank-fly-anakin/ | title=Frank | Chroniques | PointBreak | date=March 23, 2022 }} (born July 9, 1994), better known by his stage name Fly Anakin is an American rapper and record producer. He is the co-founder of Richmond hip hop crew Mutant Academy.
Early life
Fly Anakin was raised in Richmond, Virginia. As a child he was a regular church goer.{{cite web|title=Underground Rap Hero Fly Anakin Demands Respect |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/fly-anakin-frank-interview/|website=Pitchfork|date=March 2, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}} 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$y.{{cite web|title=First Look Friday: Fly Anakin on How Ghostface & Curren$y Made Him the MC He Is|url=https://www.okayplayer.com/music/fly-anakin-frank-interview.html|website=Okayplayer|date=April 3, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}{{cite web|title=Fly Anakin: sitting in the melting pot |url=https://www.loudandquiet.com/interview/fly-anakin-sitting-in-the-melting-pot/|website=Loud and Quiet|date=May 3, 2022|access-date=April 22, 2022}}{{cite web|title=Fly Anakin Sets Out On His Own (With A Little Help From His Friends) |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2178025/fly-anakin-frank/interviews/qa/|website=Stereogum|date=March 10, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}
Career
Fly Anakin released his first mixtape in 2014, Mirrors_episode1, with future Mutant Academy member Ewonee. This was the first of over a dozen self-released mixtapes and EPs. Fly Anakin played in shows and in homes in Richmond.{{cite web|title=Fly Anakin is leaving the underground and ready to be a star |url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/fly-anakin-leaving-the-underground-ready-to-be-a-star|website=The Line of Best Fit|date=May 3, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}
In 2022, Fly Anakin released his debut solo studio LP Frank which included production from Madlib, Evidence and Mutant Academy members.{{cite web|title= Fly Anakin Announces Debut Album with Madlib-Produced Single "No Dough" |url=https://www.okayplayer.com/music/fly-anakin-announces-debut-album-with-madlib-produced-single-no-dough.html|website=Okayplayer|date=January 2, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}{{cite web|title= Fly Anakin Carves His Own Lane On Frank |url=https://www.spin.com/2022/03/fly-anakin-frank-album-review/|website=Okayplayer|date=March 14, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}} According to Metacritic, the album received "universal acclaim" from critics, with a score of 84.{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/frank/fly-anakin |title=Reviews for Frank by Fly Anakin |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=March 11, 2022}} 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.{{cite web|title=The 50 Best Albums of 2022 (So Far) |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums-2022-so-far/|website=Paste|date=July 5, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}{{cite web|title= The Best Albums of 2022 (So Far)|url=https://www.complex.com/music/best-albums-2022/|website=Complex|date=June 1, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}{{cite web|title= The Quietus Albums Of The Year So Far Chart 2022 |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/31727-the-quietus-best-albums-mid-2022/|website=The Quietus|date=July 4, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}{{cite web|title= The Best Hip-Hop Albums Of 2022 So Far |url=https://uproxx.com/music/best-hip-hop-albums-2022-so-far-list/|website=Uproxx|date=June 9, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}{{cite web|title= THE BEST RAP ALBUMS OF 2022 ...(SO FAR) |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.60587/title.best-rap-albums-of-the-year/|website=HipHopDX|date=July 2, 2022|access-date=July 11, 2022}}
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.{{cite web |date=March 11, 2022 |title=Faster Than Sound: Wait, How Does SXSW Music Work Again? |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2022-03-11/faster-than-sound-wait-how-does-sxsw-music-work-again/ |access-date=July 14, 2022 |website=The Austin Chronicle}}{{cite web |date=March 9, 2022 |title=The 20 Artists We're Most Excited to See at SXSW 2022 |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/sxsw/2022-lineup-bands-to-see/#fly-anakin |access-date=July 14, 2022 |website=Paste}} 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.{{cite web|title= Armand Hammer - Fly Anakin|url=https://botanique.be/en/concert/armand-hammer-fly-anakin-2022|website=Le Botanique|access-date=July 14, 2022}}{{cite web|title= Armand Hammer (US) + Fly Anakin (UK)|url=https://dice.fm/event/5qegl-armand-hammer-us-fly-anakin-uk-28th-apr-la-bellevilloise-paris-tickets?lng=de|website=Le Botanique|access-date=July 14, 2022}}
A concert scheduled on the 5 May 2022 in Lyon, France was cancelled by the local concert promoter 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.{{cite web | url=https://www.marianne.net/societe/lyon-un-concert-de-rap-annule-parce-que-lartiste-en-premiere-partie-nest-pas-noir | title=Lyon : Un concert de rap annulé parce que l'artiste en première partie n'est pas noir ? | date=April 29, 2022 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.bfmtv.com/lyon/lyon-le-concert-d-un-rappeur-americain-annule-a-cause-de-la-couleur-de-peau-de-sa-premiere-partie_AN-202204290446.html | title= Lyon: Le Concert D'un Rappeur Américain Annulé À Cause De La Couleur De Peau De Sa Première Partie? | date=April 29, 2022 |access-date=Oct 10, 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://www.leprogres.fr/societe/2022/04/28/polemique-raciale-autour-de-l-annulation-d-un-concert-de-rap-americain | title=La couleur de peau d'un artiste a-t-elle causé l'annulation d'un concert de rap américain? | date=April 28, 2022|access-date=Oct 10, 2022}} 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."
In November 2022 Fly Anakin and Madlib released a reworking of "No Dough" from Frank.{{cite web|title=Madlib Remixes Fly Anakin's "No Dough": Listen|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/madlib-remixes-fly-anakin-no-dough-listen/|website=Pitchfork|date=November 17, 2022|access-date=April 27, 2023}} 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.{{cite web|title=The Freshman 15: 2022's Best Debut Albums|url=https://www.metacritic.com/pictures/best-debut-albums-of-2022|website=Metacritic|date=December 8, 2022|access-date=April 27, 2023}} On 5 April 2023, Skinemaxxx (Side A) EP was released.{{cite web|title=The Freshman 15: 2022's Best Debut Albums|url=https://www.thefader.com/2023/04/05/fly-anakin-skinemaxxx-side-a-stream|website=The Fader|date=April 5, 2023|access-date=April 27, 2023}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
- At the End of the Day (2020)
- Frank (2022){{cite web |date=March 18, 2022 |title=Frank {{!}} Fly Anakin |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/fly-anakin-frank/ |access-date=July 11, 2022 |website=Pitchfork}}
- (The) Forever Dream (2025)
=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){{cite web|title=FlySiifu's {{!}} Fly Anakin & Pink Siifu|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/pink-siifu-fly-anakin-flysiifus/|website=Pitchfork|date=November 18, 2020|access-date=July 11, 2022}}
- Skinemaxxx (Side A) (with Foisey) (2023)
- Skinemaxxx (Side B) (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){{cite web|title=FlySiifu's {{!}} Fly Anakin & Pink Siifu|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/pink-siifu-fly-anakin-dollarmokebreak-ep/|website=Pitchfork|date=April 1, 2021|access-date=July 11, 2022}}
- Pixote (2021)
- mirrors_episode.2 (with Ewonee) (2022)
- Stop Tryna Hack My Facebook (2023)
- Anakin & Friends 2 (2024)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://flyanakin.com Official website]
- {{Discogs artist|Fly Anakin}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anakin, Fly}}
Category:21st-century American male rappers
Category:Rappers from Richmond, Virginia