[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/flyinglotus.jpeg]]

Steven Ellison (b. October 7, 1983), better known as Flying Lotus (sometimes abbreviated as [=FlyLo=]), is an American producer, musician, DJ, rapper and filmmaker based in Los Angeles.

While he first began releasing work in 2005 ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness quite straightforward if slightly off-kilter]] instrumental [[HipHop hip-hop]] with notable Music/JDilla influence), Ellison would gain widespread recognition for his work from the late [=2000s=] to early [=2010s=]. This work is arguably some of the most famous to be attached to the "wonky" genre, a [[GenreMashup mix]] of hip-hop with {{dubstep}} and IDM elements. His music also became known for its aesthetic focus on psychedelia and spirituality (likely a byproduct of Ellison's direct relation to Alice and Music/JohnColtrane) alongside its intricate, futuristic sound design.

This era of Ellison's music has also become quite synonymous with Creator/AdultSwim, as his songs were used on a noticeable basis for their bumpers. Around the time the opportunity for him to submit music first opened, he had a day job interning at Stones Throw Records and spent his nights working on what would become his debut album, ''1983'', which would release in 2006. He signed with Warp Records the next year, and became one of the label's cornerstone artists shortly afterwards, founding the indie record label Brainfeeder.

However, Ellison would go on to widen his artistic horizons, with his 2012 album ''Until the Quiet Comes'' [[NewSoundAlbum initiating a shift in interest towards]] {{jazz}}, and run-ins with groups like [[Music/{{OFWGKTA}} Odd Future]] and Shabazz Palaces inspiring him to commit to established hip-hop work. It was also around this time that a villainous animated rapper-cum-cult enthusiast named Captain Murphy[[note]]named for the character from ''WesternAnimation/Sealab2020''[[/note]] mysteriously surfaced, inciting mass press speculation (centered squarely around the OF crew) as to the Captain's identity. This culminated in November 2012, with the release of the Captain's debut mixtape[=/=]short film ''Duality'' and his first live show several weeks after. While he took the stage in a mask and cloak, he eventually unveiled himself, revealing to the world that he was in fact Ellison[[note]][[TheUntwist although his identity had been all but leaked beforehand,]] [[IKnewIt and the big unmasking was even preceded by chants of "Lotus!"]][[/note]].

Ellison would later take on a new medium by announcing Brainfeeder's branching into films in 2016, with the division's first main release being a film of Ellison's own co-writing and direction (although he's credited simply as [[AllLowercaseLetters "steve"]]): ''Kuso''[[note]]Japanese for "shit"[[/note]], a very {{surreal|Humor}} and '''''very''''' [[VulgarHumor grotesque]] anthology film about the mutant survivors of an earthquake that destroys Los Angeles. He later directed the "Ozzy's Dungeon" segment of ''Film/VHS99'', the fifth entry in the ''Film/{{VHS}}'' series.

[[HeAlsoDid Apart from all of this, he's got]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Lotus_production_discography an impressive catalog]] of production credits and scoring credits on various short films and series.

!!Discography:
* 2006 - ''1983''
* 2008 - ''Los Angeles''
* 2010 - ''Cosmogramma''
* 2012 - ''Until the Quiet Comes''
* 2012 - ''DuΔlity'' -- mixtape/film collage as Captain Murphy
** ''DuΔlity Deluxe Edition'' -- The mixtape divided into tracks, along with a bonus track (his version of TNGHT's "Shake Weight")
* 2013 - ''Ideas+drafts+loops'' mixtape
* 2014 - ''You're Dead!''
* 2019 - ''Flamagra''

!!Filmography:
* 2017 - ''Kuso''
* 2022 - ''[[Film/VHS99 V/H/S/99]]''
* TBA - ''Ash''

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!!Flying Tropus:

* AnimatedMusicVideo: "Putty Boy Strut" features one animated by {{WebAnimation/Cyriak}}, which can be best described what starts like a cute, robot-themed version of ''Literature/TheVeryHungryCaterpillar''... only [[SugarApocalypse much more grotesque]] and increasingly [[DerangedAnimation deranged]].
%%"Video" might be a stretch, but each song he's put out so far has been accompanied by a short, animated clip.
* EarlyBirdCameo: As an easily-overlooked clue to Captain Murphy's true identity, his signature EvilLaugh can be heard several times through Flying Lotus' "Cosmogramma."
* EldritchAbomination: A video released by Adult Swim implies he has become this.
* EvilLaugh: One sampled from somewhere has shown up on every song he's yet released. One of Creator/MarkHamill's (as The Joker) gets sampled on "Killing Joke" as well.
* EvilSoundsDeep: And how. He uses a pitch-shifter to change the pitch of his voice up and down, but it's usually deep enough to qualify for this. Sometimes the inverse is used as well.
* FauxToGuide: ''DuΔlity'' is partly about how to become a cult leader. Disturbingly, it seems to be sampled from a real how-to on the same subject.
* FromNobodyToNightmare: The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuQGfk9Gmgo video]] for "Putty Boy Strut" features a little robot who, upon accidentally eating another robot, gains sentience and begins devouring as many robots as it can, becoming a giant wormlike creature by the end. Par for the course for a video directed by WebAnimation/{{Cyriak}}.
* JazzRap: Given his family ties to the Coltranes, it's not surprising that jazz has such a heavy influence in much of his work.
* {{Motormouth}}: Parodied in "Mighty Morphin' Foreskin," he sounds like he's going to launch into a fairly standard fast-rap verse, but it quickly degenerates into gibberish.
* OnceAnEpisode: His laugh, see EvilLaugh above.
* {{Sampling}}: Constantly. Some sources include ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', and a documentary on cult leaders. And that's just "Mighty Morphin' Foreskin."
* SecretIdentity: Captain Murphy is this. Confirmed as of November 29th, 2012.
* VirginSacrifice: The end of "The Ritual."
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