Jhene Aiko's "TRIP" Is What We've Been Waiting For

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Jhene Aiko performs onstage at night two of the STAPLES Center Concert, presented by Coca-Cola, during the 2017 BET Experience at LA Live on June 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
Jhene Aiko returns with her second solo studio album.

Jhene Aiko filled a void in R&B that was missing for a while. Many people only became familiar with her work after her debut album dropped in 2014. However, she's been in the music industry since 2002, contributing vocals to B2K and even contributing a solo effort to "The Master Of Disguise" soundtrack around the same time. Since then, she's blossomed into a critically acclaimed singer with traces of everything from Aaliyah to Tupac to Kid Cudi in her music. Earlier this week, she dropped her short film "TRIP." A day later, she revealed her "MAP Mission" for her upcoming project. The "MAP" includes the short film she released, her album and a poetry book. Today, we receive the second part to her "MAP Mission" with her latest album TRIP.

In the wee hours of the morning, Jhene Aiko surprised the world with her second studio album. She didn't give any notice as to when the album would drop but it was definitely a nice little surprise to wake up to this morning. Over 22 tracks, the singer brings through her signature sound of sultry R&B met with a psychedelic touch. While she holds down the majority of the project on her own, she brings a bit of the old school and the new school with the features on this project. Her and Big Sean link up for two tracks. While "Moments" is credited with a feature from Sean, "OLLA" credits TWENTY88, their collaborative side-project. She also grabs Swae Lee for "Sativa." Along with them, she gets Kurupt on "Never Call Me" and brings out some old school R&B vibes with Brandy on "Ascension." Other features on the project include Dr. Chill, Mali Music and Namiko Love. Aiko also tapped some incredible producers for the project including No I.D.,  Key Wane, Cashmere Cat, Frank Dukes, Dot Da Genius, Mike Zombie and more.

A few hours before the release, she dropped her "MAP Mission." In the mission, she says "This map has been helping me navigate through my suffering, uncovering the righteous path that has been carved out before and for me… Helping me identify my pain and my mistakes so that I can move forward and reach my full potential and find the light at the end of the tunnel…"

We've yet to receive the third part to her MAP, which is a book of poetry. But if it's anything like the album and the film, it's definitely something to look forward to.


About The Author
Aron A.
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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