Todd Inoue May 8, 2021Updated: May 12, 2021, 6:53 pm
Anderson .Paak (left) and Bruno Mars of music group Silk Sonic perform during the Grammy Awards broadcast March 14. Photo: Theo Wargo
With vaccinations more widespread, pandemic restrictions loosening and summer on the horizon, think of this year’s Chronicle-curated Asian Pacific American Heritage Month mixtape as a safe, socially distanced barbecue.
There are grown folks dropping knowledge (Lyrics Born & Cutso, the Year of the Ox, H.E.R.), young ’uns swiping cognac and messing around in the garage (G Yamazawa, Saweetie, Guapdad 4000, Chow Mane), hyper kids running loose in the backyard (the Linda Lindas, Atarashii Gakko!), outcasts barricaded in the bedroom (Bruce Lee Band, Japanese Breakfast, Faye Yu) and wise elders asking about college admissions (Yo-Yo Ma, Vijay Iyer, Aki Kumar, No-No Boy).