'Losing Mac was extremely difficult,' he explains. Concurrently, the tragic passing of his friend Mac Miller in September 2018 had a profound effect on Thundercat and the making of It Is What It Is. 'This album is about love, loss, life and the ups and downs that come with that,' Bruner says about It Is What It Is. It Is What It Is follows Bruner's game-changing third album Drunk (2017), which completed his transition from virtuoso bassist to bonafide star and cemented his reputation as a unique voice that transcends genre. Thundercat produced the record with his longtime partner Flying Lotus, who was GRAMMY-nominated in the 'Producer of the Year' category for his work on the album. The record won Best Progressive R&B Album at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards and features musical contributions from Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Lil B, Kamasi Washington, Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, BADBADNOTGOOD, Louis Cole, Pedro Martins and Zack Fox. Thundercat (Stephen Bruner) released his most recent album, It Is What It Is, in the spring of 2020.
