Jhené Aiko Talks Big Sean, J. Cole Features And Her Five Dream Collaborations

At the age of just 25, Jhené Aiko has already spent more than a decade in the music industry. Far removed from her early days working under the B2K umbrella, she's stepped out on her own over the past few years with a highly acclaimed mixtape, Sailing Souls, features on projects with Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, and Schoolboy Q, and a new record deal with Def Jam under No ID's Artium Records imprint. And with the summer kicking into full swing, she's been featured on tracks from some of the biggest projects of the season—J. Cole's "Sparks Will Fly," a bonus cut off the deluxe edition of Born Sinner, and Big Sean's "Beware," which also features Lil Wayne, the first single off Sean's upcoming Hall Of Fame album slated for August 27th.

"[Big Sean] worked out of No ID’s studio, so the first time I met him...he just came over and played [me] some stuff," Aiko says about the duo's collaboration during a phone conversation with XXL. "We did that song maybe last year, around the time we did 'I’m Gonna Be' which is on his mixtape [Detroit]. I didn’t even know it was gonna be a single until recently, and he was like 'Yeah, we put Lil Wayne on it.' So, I was like, yeah I’m down, you know? He’s like family at this point."

For Aiko, her musical family keeps expanding, from Big Sean to Nipsey Hussle, from her producer No ID, to the TDE boys, a couple of whom will be appearing on her upcoming Def Jam debut, Souled Out, which is completed but has no release date. She expanded her fan base with a summer tour opening for Nas and Lauryn Hill last year, and with more features that may appear on upcoming Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q projects—"Working with them, it's a no-brainer," she says—the buzz is certainly building for a full-length release. But that doesn't mean she's in any hurry to rush her project.

"It’s a timing thing, setting everything up the right way—I’m not the type to rush just because I have this single with Sean," she says. "Souled Out—it's raw. I don’t do a lot of backgrounds and all the extra stuff, but it’s a commercial release, so we [are] really making sure that no one can complain about anything on this album—musically, lyrically, vocally. That’s why we’re taking so much time, so that it can just be an all around good piece of art."

With so many high-profile tracks getting buzz, Aiko spoke with XXL and outlined her dream mixtape—five rappers she'd love to work with in the future. See who's on the soulstress' wishlist.—Dan Rys (@danrys)

Kid Cudi

"Kid Cudi. He is one of the people I listen to consistently, no matter what’s going on in music or in my life, like, that’s a go-to. Man on the Moon, Man on the Moon II, WZRD, Indicud, all of that. He’s just super raw, you know what I mean? Sometimes he goes in there and is literally just expressing himself, and that’s just—a lot of the time that's what I do. So I just think he’d be really dope to just see how we could, you know, come up with something together."

Eminem

"Eminem—I actually fell I love with the art of rap because of the Marshall Mathers album. And he had the lyrics in the booklet, and I remember reading along to all of the songs. I had a disc player or something like that, and I just remember laying down on the couch and just reading—I went from beginning to end and I was just like, 'Oh my God, he’s a genius.' How do you put words together like this? And I mean, it's funny, and it's deep, and, you know, not a lot of people can write down their lyrics and it looks like art, you know what I mean? Like, poetry. And I always wanted to work with him because of the fact that I just respect that and I would just want to learn something from him.

"Some people like music because—some people, they live a certain lifestyle so that they can write about it, and then some people write it because that is really what they’re going through. And I feel like I’m one of those people—and Cudi, and Eminem are those type of people—that it's just them expressing what’s really, you know, what ‘s really goin' on."

50 Cent

"50 Cent. I know that’s kinda weird, but he’s like—I love 50 Cent. I think that, as far as when you wanna just hear somebody rap and just like... I don’t even know how to explain my love for 50 Cent. But Get Rich or Die Tryin' is like, I could still put that on and feel good and just—I don’t know. I feel like his personality and what he puts out as far as—he just seems funny and cool to work with. I don’t know. I [would] encourage him to give me that 50 Cent from those albums."

Nipsey Hussle

"Nipsey Hussle, who, we basically grew up in the same area of Los Angeles, and I have so much respect for him because he’s so true to him[self]. He’s so L.A., he reminds me of, like, my brothers and the people I grew up with, hometown represent. We’re actually supposed to work on something together. And I also like the fact that he’s just rap, you know what I mean? He’s just rap. He’ll go bar for bar for bar rapping and I could appreciate that."

Jay-Z

"My last one, I gotta make it good...I might have to say Jay-Z. He should’ve been my number one, but yeah, I’m gonna go straight to the top with that one. Jay-Z for obvious reasons, but he’s...you know. It's funny because he’s somebody that I listen to that I want to compete with. And people like Kendrick, Drake, Jay-Z, Cudi, Eminem...those are the people that I listen to that motivate me to write something better. Because I’m a singer, people are always like, 'Really, I would think that you would listen to, like, his wife, or another singer even!' And it's just like, as far as lyrics, I just feel like he’s obviously one of the best flow-wise, one of the best business-wise, all of that. So it’s just, I think he’s an obvious choice."