Flying Lotus
A visionary Los Angeles producer who fuses cosmic jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music into immersive, otherworldly sonic experiences.
Born 1983 (age 43)·American musician and record producer·Birthday: October 7·Millennials
Biography
Flying Lotus, born Steven Ellison, operates from a nexus of avant-garde creativity. Hailing from a family steeped in jazz—he is the great-nephew of Alice Coltrane—he absorbed eclectic influences in LA's beat scene. His early work for Adult Swim provided a weird, wired canvas, but his albums became events. Projects like 'Cosmogramma' and 'You're Dead!' are dense, narrative-driven soundscapes that push the boundaries of instrumental music, weaving live jazz improvisation with fractured hip-hop beats and synthetic textures. He founded the Brainfeeder label, curating a generation of forward-thinking artists. As his alias Captain Murphy, he ventured into abstract rap. Beyond music, he has directed visually striking films and live shows, creating a holistic aesthetic universe. Ellison is less a traditional musician and more a composer for a digital, psychedelic age.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Flying was born in 1983, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Flying Was Born
The biggest hits of 1983
#1 Movie
Return of the Jedi
Best Picture
Terms of Endearment
#1 TV Show
60 Minutes
Flying's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1983Born
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1988Started school
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1996Became a teenager
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Could drive
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2001Could vote
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2004Turned 21
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2013Turned 30
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 40
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 43 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded and curates the influential Brainfeeder record label, a home for experimental electronic and jazz artists.
- Produced the majority of the distinctive bumpers and interlude music for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming block.
- Created and voiced the mysterious rap persona Captain Murphy, releasing the acclaimed mixtape 'Duality' in 2012.
Did You Know?
He is the great-nephew of jazz harpist and composer Alice Coltrane and the cousin of singer-songwriter Lalah Hathaway.
He created and hosted the 'FlyLo FM' radio station within the video game Grand Theft Auto V.
He made his directorial debut with the 2017 surreal horror film 'Kuso'.
“I always wanted my music to sound like it was from somewhere else.”
