Anderson .Paak recruited Smokey Robinson to join him for a performance of Make It Better Thursday on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The Oxnard-born rapper opened the song alone at the microphone alongside his backing band, running through the first verse and chorus before the soul legend walked onstage following a quick introduction by .Paak; Robinson also features on the studio version of Make It Better, a standout from .Paaks Motown-inspired 2019 LP Ventura.
The two vocalists then carried the performance the rest of the way, singing both in unison and counterpoint to each other. I wanna go to Roscoes with you baby, .Paak sang, with Robinson delivering the closing lyric, Chicken and waffles.
.Paak released Ventura the quick follow-up to 2018s Oxnard in April. In addition to Robinson, the Dr. Dre-executive produced album also featured guests like Andre 3000, Brandy, Jazmine Sullivan and a posthumous contribution from Nate Dogg.
Growing up in Oxnard gave me the grit and the church to find this voice of mine. One town over, I went further and found my depth, .Paak previously said of the album in a statement. The duality of each place inspired me greatly and from that I made two albums at the exact same time, but held one back because that would have been too many songs to perform live for you all! I like ending things on an even number, so welcome to Ventura.