“I love not having rules,” says the multi-talented Anderson .Paak about his latest genre-defying album, Oxnard, his third, and his first for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label. The singer, songwriter, rapper, and drummer is on a headlining arena tour this spring that includes an appearance at Coachella. Here, .Paak, 33, talks about his chaotic upbringing, marijuana, and church.

L. R.: How did you become such an accomplished drummer playing in church?

A. P.: Church was the best schooling I could have had. You can’t learn it the same way going to college or paying for it. It’s a spiritual process—the strong faith, the culture; just feeling the groove, feeling the choir out, knowing when to switch it up. It’s reflexes, instincts.

You went from playing music in church to working at a weed farm, which seems like a weird segue.

It’s natural. God blesses us with the herb—I was doing God’s work. But now I have to take breaks from [weed] because I get the munchies and gain weight. I once had a bad experience with edibles on a plane; I had a legit anxiety attack. My heart was racing, I thought I was going to die. Everyone was looking at me like I was on crack.

Your music has no boundaries—there’s jazz, soul, funk, rap ...

It’s not interesting for me to make an album that’s one thing, or some retro thing that’s been done before. I’m trying to keep it exciting for myself, for the people around me, and continue to get better. I love embracing all the genres people said we couldn’t.

On Oxnard, you have features from Dr. Dre—who also produced a lot of it—Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, and others. Who got all of them to participate?

That was me! These people don’t have to answer the phone for anybody—everyone is trying to work with them—but all of them came out of real relationships I had. I wanted to get the best artists I could; I wanted to go big with it.

Your career is really taking off and you’re married with two kids. How do you balance that?

A lot of myself is given to my music now; it’s an obsession. If I didn’t have my wife, I don’t know how things would go. But I know that someone is there who’s nurturing and taking care of these kids while I’m touring—and my two kids are mama’s boys.

What is .Paak House?

It’s the first initiative from my Brandon Anderson [.Paak’s real name] Foundation. I do stuff in my hometown—Oxnard, California—for low-income families. Eventually, I’d like to have a .Paak House in every city in the country, like the Boys and Girls Clubs.

Your upbringing was chaotic: your parents were both in jail, you’ve seen domestic abuse, yet you seem so happy. How are you able to make such uplifting music?

Maybe because I went through a lot of chaos and drama, I find humor in a lot of things. But I feel that things could be worse, and as long as you’re breathing, you can smile. Even when I’m angry I smile, but the smile can mean 10 different things.

You have amazing teeth. Are they real?

Yeah, they’re real. I had braces when I was younger. I try to brush twice a day—I’ve got to maintain this reputation: I’ve got the best teeth in the game.