Image via Complex Original
As told to Rob Kenner (@boomshots)
She may sing R&B, but Jhené Aiko is passionate about hip-hop. You can tell just how passionate she is by listening to her sing. No ID has spoken of the "witty rap complexities" in her music. (This is a singer who has been known to cover Tupac's "Keep Your Head Up" and who describes her own rapper alter-ego, J-Hennessy, as "not the best rapper alive yet, but she's on her way." Another surefire way to tell is by the features she lined up—Drake, Kendrick, Gucci Mane—for her 2011 mixtape, Sailing Souls. And you can tell by how seriously Jhené Aiko takes the question, Who are your top 10 rappers, dead or alive?
She plunges in fearlessly at first, rattling off her top 3 like she's thought about this a million times—because, well, maybe she has. But as the list gets longer, spaces run short and the going gets tough. "Shoot," she says around number 7 or 8. "This is going to be hard."
"I take it seriously because sometimes it changes," Jhené adds, rejuggling her picks. "The top three will pretty much remain the same. I’m so afraid to leave someone out." After stopping short, rewinding, and revising her list, she cops a plea: "First say 'in no particular order,'" she says—despite all appearances to the contrary. "And please make a note that it changes." So with all disclaimers stated in advance, here are Jhené Aiko's Top 10 MCs, as they occurred to her on this particular evening.
10. Snoop Dogg
Snoop because he's Snoop Dogg. Growing up in L.A. it was Snoop and The Chronic. My older sister loved The Chronic. The first lyrics I ever wrote, when I was seven years old, the last line is: "If you be like me, you a G." So, yeah, Snoop Dogg.
9. Kid Cudi
Cudi always does his own thing. You've got to respect that. And if your favorite song right now is not "Balmain Jeans" then we can't be friends.
8. Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick obviously—I understand him being people’s number one. When I had my first session with Kendrick, I had never heard of him. We started writing and it was so easy. We connected musically. I'm from L.A. too. I respect the whole T.D.E. movement.
7. Ab-Soul
Of course Ab-Soul and Kendrick are in my top 10. I'll take Ab over Kendrick only because I like rappers that say less and mean more. Kendrick obviously, I understand him being people’s number one. But for me, what I can listen to every day and I’ve learned from Ab-Soul. I’ve literally learned new things about life from listening to a song. I’ll have to Google something and be like, "Oh my God. Selassie? Who’s that?” He’s a Pisces too.
6. Drake
I look up to Drake. I think everything in his whole career is commendable. He can act, he can rap, he can sing. I can relate to him. He’s mixed, I’m mixed. Everything he does, I just take note because I feel like he’s doing a really good job of just being, like, well-rounded.
(Full disclosure: During her first attempt, Jhené put Drake at No. 5 on her Top 5 MCs. "I said it! I put him in the top five. I went did it," she declared, almost defiantly. But that was before she started the list over and made it a Top 10. Decisions, decisions.)
5. Notorious B.I.G.
I feel like I have to say Biggie off the top because it’s Biggie. I was a Biggie fan first. In elementary I would get in arguments with my best friend who was a Tupac fan—this was before I was into Tupac, obviously. I’d be like, “No Biggie's better!” Now I never say anyone is better.
(Full disclosure: Except when making lists like this!)
4. Kanye West
I jacked Kanye's verse for my mixtape. It wasn’t a true collaboration. I ripped the audio from the BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher because when I saw that he said something about selling your soul and I was like, “Oh my God! This is perfect for the song I just recorded,” so I put it on there.
(Full disclosure: When Jhené first began putting this list together she made it all the way to No. 10 before mentioning Kanye. Her working list up until that point: 9. Cudi, 8. Snoop, 7. Kendrick, 6. Ab-Soul, 5. Drake, 4. Biggie..." Then she realized that she'd omitted Ye and started all over. "Oh my God. Wait. No, no, no, no, no. This list is all mixed up. Ugh!")
3. Jay Z
My top three will pretty remain the same: Tupac, Eminem, Jay Z. But then it's always Biggie or Jay? Jay or Biggie? Three or four? I'm gonna go with Jay.
2. Eminem
I love Eminem… I grew up listening to him, and he's like a legend to me. My brother loved Eminem. He's one of the main reasons I got into rap. I used to study the words to The Marshall Mathers LP and write them out.
1. 2Pac
I would get in arguments with my best friend who was a Tupac fan. This was before I was into Tupac, obviously. I’d be like, “No Biggie's better!” Then I got into Tupac the person and his poetry and stuff. I still never say anyone is better, I just became a bigger fan of Tupac just because of really the stuff other than his songs. His poetry, his personality, his look. I thought he was very handsome. I wanted to marry him.
