In a climate where soul singers are expected to be Top 40 hit-makers or quirky darlings of hipster media, Bay Area crooner 1- O.A.K. defies easy categorization.

His music keeps R&B traditionalists nodding their heads in approval, and electrifies young internet culture hunters, truly earning him the name “One of a Kind.”

Part of the Bay Area’s Honor Roll Crew, vocalist, songwriter, and producer Brandon McFarland, aka 1-O.A.K. (One of a Kind), learned to sing and play drums and keyboards in church, and was raised on classic gospel and soul. The Oakland native set out to stick strictly to beatmaking – he intended to save his singing for the church, but he eased into doing both at once.

After he was featured on tracks by the likes of J. Stalin (“My Mind,” “When the Club Over”), Philthy Rich (“That’s the Love”), and Teedra Moses (“So Special”), he released Special Request. One of the finest R&B albums of 2012/13, McFarland wrote, produced, and arranged the whole thing with some help from executive producers DJ Tap.10 and WhizWard, as well as Trackademics, among others.