.Paak House Electrifies CSUCI: Oxnard artist supports his community through fundraising concert

Grammy-winning recording artist Anderson .Paak never forgot his Oxnard upbringing, and his love for the Ventura County community shone brightly at a fundraiser for his nonprofit foundation on Oct. 11 at California State University, Channel Islands.   

The annual celebration called .Paak House drew a crowd of about 9,500 people, easily the biggest concert ever on campus, and many young children enjoyed the music with their parents. The event, which has been held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds and in Los Angeles in past years, supports the Brandon Anderson Foundation, a nonprofit nodding to his given name.

“The work of my foundation is all about service and giving back. It is good to return to the community that helped shape me, and I hope that our programs and efforts help shape others,” .Paak said in a news release promoting the event. The foundation has raised over $4 million since 2017 and supports a variety of causes, many related to underserved youth.

Krystal Miles is the nonprofit’s co-director and also works for .Paak’s record label. Following the event, she told the Ventura County Reporter that CSUCI made for a great concert venue with its swaying palm trees, century-old buildings, surrounding mountains and mellow vibe.

“To be able to pull it off at the capacity and be able to have all those vendors, sponsorships, people that come out, I’m very proud with how it turned out. I love the flow of the day,” she said.

“It was just beautiful. It warms my heart. It almost tears me up every time I see the sea of people that show up, no matter what has brought them there. Whether they were one of our sponsors or hosted guests or they donated for their ticket, we look to give everyone a VIP experience. And everyone was having a ball. People were just really ecstatic to be there, enjoying all the things that we had to offer.”

During the event, .Paak took on the character of his alter ego, DJ Pee .Wee, and welcomed other stars on the stage, including Ciara and Snoop Dogg.

Miles said there’s a reason top talent always want to be involved in .Paak House.

“We got those artists because they’re genuinely friends of Anderson’s or fans, and vice versa,” she said.  “Some people asked to perform, which is insane to even think of, and other people, we asked and they were more than willing.”