It’s been a great year for R&B music thus far and we owe part of that to Jhene Aiko. The pint-sized songstress hailing from Los Angeles, California has a sound unlike any other. With West Coast vibes mixed with a little Sade and the poetic lyrics of the late Tupac Shakur, Jhene Aiko is one that we’re keeping our eyes on. Her free spirited personality can be heard through her music as she sings about love, heartbreak and “soul sailing.”
We personally fell in love with Jhene after the release of her mix tape, “Sailing Soul(s)” back in 2011 and have been hooked ever since. Not only does she make motherhood look sexy, but her personal style and positive vibes is one that we definitely can relate to. Not to mention she’s absolutely gorgeous!
Now, Jhene can be heard on songs with Big Sean, Kanye West, one our favorites offDrake’s ‘NWTS’ entitled, “From Time” and most recently her latest single, “Bed Peace” featuring Childish Gambino off of her latest EP, Sail Out. Her soft voice alongside the hard core rap lyrics makes each track more soulful and gives off a feel good vibe. Since we’re in the midst of “R&B Music Season” a.k.a fall, Jhene Aiko is one that should be on your iPod playlist, especially for those cold, rainy days.
Check out Jhene’s new music video for “Bed Peace” below:
And while were at it, here are a few facts you may not already know about Jhene Aiko.
1. She Was Introduced To The World As Lil Fizz’s Cousin (B2K)
You might remember Jhene from the B2K days, when she was repeatedly featured alongside the group in magazines and music videos as Lil Fizz’s cousin, even though the two aren’t actually related at all but just grew up close like family. The group’s record company thought it would be a great marketing tool to promote Jhene’s music and get her face out there – and it worked! Jhene was featured in B2K’s music video, “Why I Love You” when she was only 13 years old and was signed to Epic Records. In an interview with Complex back in 2012, Jhene spoke on her experience working alongside B2K saying,
“I knew Fizz and he was like a cousin so they just thought that would be a good marketing thing. At the time, no one ran it past me because I was thirteen and at the time they started putting that on everything and it was the tagline. We went along with it because we were young. To me it is a whole lifetime ago because I was more focused on boys and having a boyfriend than doing music.”
Sounds like most of us at the age of 13! LOL
In case you want to relive the B2K days, check out the “Why I Love You” music video below. Can you spot Jhene?
2. She Has A Daughter By Omarion’s Brother, O’Ryan
When Jhene was only 20 years old, she became pregnant by Omarion’s brother, O’Ryan, whom she was dating at the time. She gave birth to her beautiful daughter, Namiko, in November 2008. Jhene didn’t let the pressures of motherhood slow her down from her musical career. When her daughter was three years old, Jhene went to work on her mix tape, “Sailing Soul(s)” which she stated took about nine months to complete. She’s often spoke about the project stating that it wasn’t just something that she put out to get exposure or to get signed but it was a project that she genuinely worked hard on that turned out to be similar to an album! Hard work definitely paid off in Jhene’s case because her mix tape was absolutely amazing!
Watch Jhene and Big Sean perform, “Beware”:
3. Her Brother, Miyagi, Died From Cancer
One thing that Jhene Aiko has repeatedly talked about is her love for her family, especially her brother, Miyagi. In July 2012, Miyagi lost his battle to cancer leaving Jhene and the rest of her family heartbroken. Jhene recorded the song, “For My Brother” on her computer for Miyagi before his passing and played the song for him right before he died. The song was originally only meant for her brother’s ears but shortly after his passing she released the song for the public to hear. Take a listen below:
It must be something in the air on the West Coast that makes you want to be free and speak your mind as Jhene Aiko cites fellow Californian Tupac as her biggest musical influence. Although the two have completely different musical styles, Jhene seems to be attracted to the ability that Tupac had to speak his mind and be himself, even if it caused controversy. I guess we could all use a lesson of two from the late, Tupac.
Take for example the meaning behind her mix tape, “Sailing Soul(s)”. Jhene spoke to Complex about why she chose that title for the project stating that while record labels wanted her to “sell” herself as an artist, she didn’t feel the need to do so. She thought of herself “sailing” like a sail boat and then coined the term “sailing souls” and the rest is history!
Listen to Jhene Aiko in Drake’s “From Time”.
5. She Has An Alter Rap Ego named J.Hennessy
Move over Sasha Fierce because there’s a new alter ego in town, and her name is J. Hennessy. Jhene Aiko debuted her alter ego earlier this year on “Sail Out”. She stated that she experience about twelve different personalities in her head each day, one of them being J. Hennessy, her rap alter ego.
Check out Jhene speaking to Rap Up TV about her alter ego below:
