JoJo's 25 Favorite Albums

With her latest mixtape Agápē in the bag, JoJo shares what shaped her as a musician.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Yes, JoJo is all grown up—and she's probably a little tired of hearing that from everyone. It was 10 years ago that the Boston native broke records with her debut single "Leave (Get Out)," becoming the youngest solo artist, at age 13, to have a No. 1 single in America. Now, the 22-year-old is living in L.A. and just released her second mixtape, Agápē, in December.

Agápē showcases JoJo's ability to write exactly what she's experienced without abiding by anyone else's rules. The influence of artists like Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, and OutKast have shaped the singer in more ways than one.

JoJo sat down with Complex to go through her favorite albums of all-time—from listening to The College Dropout on her first tour to bonding with her dad over the Beatles. These are JoJo's 25 Favorite Albums.

As told to Lauren Nostro (@LAURENcynthia)

RELATED: Kendrick Lamar's 25 Favorite Albums 
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The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

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Joni Mitchell Court and Spark (1974)

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"She's my favorite songwriter and such a fearless, incredible woman and a pioneer."

Janet Jackson Control (1986)

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"It's such an important album. She said, 'This is who I am.' An important statement. And I loved the fashion that she brought, I loved the structured jackets and the playing up on men's fashion a little and I think that's very sexy."

Whitney Houston Whitney (1987)

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"Her voice is unparalleled and that's the thing that drew me to her. And just the joy you could feel when she sang. It really came through, and I think that she is one of the people that just made me want to sing and express myself."

John Coltrane The John Coltrane Collection (1988)

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George Benson The Best Of Benson (1989)

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"[This] is the first album that I think I bought. I loved his scatting and I loved how he would scat and play guitar and I just thought it was so cool how he used his voice as an instrument."

A Tribe Called Quest Midnight Marauders (1993)

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"I've just been super influenced by them, especially lately. They make me want to move to New York. It feels good. I like the jazz samples and the musical elements."

Mariah Carey Music Box (1993)

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"I thought she was gorgeous on the cover and those two [Mariah and Whitney] definitely inspired me to sing."

D'Angelo Brown Sugar (1995)

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"I just saw him twice live, in L.A. and at the Essence Music Festival. His live performances are great."

Erykah Badu Baduizm (1997)

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"She's up there as one of my queens. I have a group of women that I just love—Erykah Badu, Joni Mitchell, Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Jill Scott. I love those women."

Musiq Soulchild Aijuswanaseing (2000)

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"I really connected with that album when it came out, or a couple years after because I love that he's talking about love and relationships. It's nice that he's keeping it real and I love that Philly sound to be honest with you."

D'Angelo Voodoo (2000)

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"It makes me really happy [that he's back.] I can't wait to hear or see whatever he releases. I was impacted by that video 'Untitled (How Does It Feel).' I was like, 'Oh, that's what a man looks like. Oh shit. I was mesmerized.'"

Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (2001)

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"It was really important to me. I want to be a musician. I have a guitar so I should probably start there. I have an alto sax, too, so I should probably pick that up, too."

Bilal 1st Born Second (2001)

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"He's such an amazing singer. He's such a cool artist. He's just crazy, I love that, I really connect with it."

OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)

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"I love this album even more now. I don't think that I could appreciate it, well, first of all I was wicked young so I probably shouldn't have even been listening to it, it was kind of raunchy. But now I just have such an appreciation. Oh my gosh, the interlude of the John Coltrane 'My Favorite Things' that they sped up, it's so ill, it's just so cool. I just love it, and it really inspires me creatively."

James Taylor The Best of James Taylor (2003)

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Kanye West The College Dropout (2004)

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"That was the soundtrack to my first experience on a tour bus which was when I was 13. When I was just coming out, that album was so important to me, I knew every word."

Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)

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"I'm excited to hear The 20/20 Experience now."

John Mayer Continuum (2006)

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"It's just so awesome. And I love that he used the same horn section that D'Angelo used for Voodoo."

Jill Scott Live in Paris+ (2008)

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"She's so alive on stage and she has such personality in her performance. I just get such great joy from hearing her."

Drake So Far Gone (2009)

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"I don't know if I like Thank Me Later or Take Care better. Even his mixtape So Far Gone is so important. I listen to it over and over and over again."

Thundercat The Golden Age of Apocalypse (2011)

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"Thundercat is on Brainfeeder, Flying Lotus' label. He's a friend of mine and it's just really wild musical stuff that just excites me."

Frank Ocean channel ORANGE (2012)

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"Frank is really inspiring for me as a songwriter because there's no limit to what he can talk about. It's really cool."

Robert Glasper Black Radio (2012)

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"That was one of my favorite albums of this year and really important to me. It's so fresh. I love jazz and it's such a great fusion of jazz and hip-hop. It really excited me."

Kendrick Lamar good kid, m.A.A.d city (2012)

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"Kendrick is really exciting to me because I love his lyricism. I respect him so much as a poet."

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