.Paak and Soul Rasheed Prove That Love Conquers All in K-Pops

Anderson .Paak is best known for his brilliant music career, but in K-Pops, .Paak directs and acts opposite his real-life son Soul Rasheed for a family project inspired by his own personal history and parental connection to Korea.

BJ (.Paak) is a washed-up drummer with a love for music that’s both naive and obsessive. When his friend pushes him to travel to South Korea and work on a pop idol show, he meets Tae Young (Rasheed), a young performer in competition to be the nation’s next music star (a Korean version of American Idol called Wildcard). Soon, BJ is introduced to Tae Young’s mother, Yeji (Jee Young Han), a woman he had a brief relationship with more than a decade ago. Tae Young is the son he never knew existed. Attempting to make up for lost time, BJ begins to show a sincere interest in getting to know Tae Young while helping his troupe bring something special to their music and choreography. However, BJ’s desire for stardom persists, tempting him to choose between fame or family once again.  It’s giving vibes of a Korean/Black version of Purple Rain – which I was down for at every given turn.

The moments of the film that lean into the Korean culture are gold, as are the moments with his screen Mom (Yvette Nicole Brown) and future step Dad (Jonnie Park).  the choreography is insane, as are the production and costume design.  More than anything K-Pops drives home the lesson that sometimes family are more important and valuable than the shallow and lonely existence of what a music career can allude to in the long run

K-Pops thrives on the charisma of .Paak and Rasheed as the two become a dynamic duo, riffing off each other in a story that captures the layered identities of their real family.  It’s a charming coming-of-age comedy where the parent has as much growing up to do as the child, yet having that childlike energy is what makes them both thrive and survive in more ways than one where love conquer all.