Though just 25 years young, Los Angeles-based R&B singer Jhene Aiko has been around the block for over a decade and worked with her fair share of heavy-hitters. She made waves in her early years thanks to associations with B2K and Common’s Cocaine 80s ensemble, and though her music career was temporarily put on hold for schooling, her recent comeback has included collaborations with Drake, Big Sean, Childish Gambino, and J. Cole. Now, Aiko joins forces with Kendrick Lamar for “Stay Ready (What A Life)”, the first track off her debut EP on Def Jam, Sail Out.
Described by Aiko as a “a Janet Jackson real sexy type of song”, the six-minute piece finds the duo engaged in some slow and steady aural foreplay. Aiko’s vocals remain in that satiny sweet spot between a sensual whisper and an alluring croon as she invites Kendrick to stay forever in their little love bubble. Though Lamar’s penchant for the romantic is abundant by now, the up-and-down slide of his cadence and smooth come-ons (“But if I stay monogamous promise this kiss will always taste like candy”) are charged with a new kind of sexual energy. Listen in below (via Fashionably Early).
The Sail Out EP is due out tomorrow (Novemeber 12th). In addition the collaborations with Lamar, it features Gambino (“Bed Peace”), Ab-Soul, and Vince Staples.
