Pharrell Williams' "Something in the Water" festival got off to a rocky start after the weather derailed the first day, but the remainder of the outdoor party went off without a hitch. The star-studded event was the first event for Pharrell and crew, and it was so successful that the N.E.R.D. icon is already looking forward to putting on another Virginia party next year.
"It is beautiful to see that everyone realizes that this was always supposed to be more than a music festival," said Pharrell. "This always was intended to be a community festival." As fans descended on Virginia Beach to come together in the name of peace, love, and music, the festival was also bringing together artists like Cheryl “Coko” Gamble and Jhené Aiko.
Last week, SWV's Coko did an interview with her two groupmates and sat down with Cocoa Butter to review current female R&B artists on the charts. The trio chatted about singers like Teyana Taylor, H.E.R., Kehlani, and Queen Naija, but Jhené Aiko received a less welcoming response from Coko. The group was played Aiko's music video for "Sativa" featuring Rae Sremmurd, and Taj stated, "This is not my go-to song, but I like little things in it." Coko interrupted, "I just feel like, if you're depressed, you shouldn't listen to it." Then she made a motion like she was nodding off to sleep.
Over the weekend, both Coko and Aiko were at the "Something In The Water" festival and ran into each other backstage. Other artists may have had an attitude if they hear someone insinuate their music was depressing, but Aiko took it in stride and posed for a photo with the R&B icon. Coko shared the picture on her Instagram and wrote, "Jhene’ Aiko is a sweetheart! She walked up to me and said all of my songs aren’t sleepy. We laughed & hugged it out!!❤️ She got what I was saying though. It’s all love, no hate. My son is a big fan of hers. 💕 #sitwfest." Maybe we can get a collab?