Welcome to another installment of the Keys To My Heart Series. The first one was a resounding success, so I thought it was time for a Part Two. Enjoy the additional keys under the front door mat to my heart. As I mentioned before, I’m going to share the following about each artist:
Who they are
Why they’re loved by me
How I discovered them
Some of my favorite songs by them.
Please note that there is no rank order to this list. These artists mean just as much to me as the ones in Part 1. Like keys, they all just open different, yet equally important, doors to my heart.
Enjoy!
Jhené Aiko
Jhené Aiko is a neo-R&B artist from Los Angeles, known for her whispery vocals and meditative soundscapes. Starting in the early 2000’s a young Aiko didn’t take her music career incredibly seriously until the 2010’s following the birth of her daughter. Since then, she’s been a heavily influential R&B artist, inspiring vocalists to tap into their spirituality and sing on more hip-hop inspired beats.
Every time I listen to Aiko I return to serenity. I feel divinely at peace with myself and recognize the things that matter in the world. Aiko’s music is beautifully humbling and helps pull you from a miserable funk to your best self.
I first fell in love with Aiko’s music in 2011 thanks to her Sailing Souls mixtape. It was getting a decent amount of traction online, and with credited Drake and Ye features, I was immediately curious. Giving it a listen, I was immediately drawn to her soothing vocals and unique perspective.
Some of my favorite Aiko songs include the following: “While We’re Young”, “Spotless Mind”, “Everything Must Go”, “Wasted Love Freestyle”, “Summer 2020 — interlude.”
Kendrick Lamar
One of the most widely recognized and coveted hip-hop musicians of the last 10 years, Kendrick Lamar is a gem of an artist. Proudly from Compton, Lamar is a socially conscious rapper who searches through and unpacks our understandings of trauma, urban living, and race relations in the United States. His music is incredibly deep rooted and filled with questioning. He’s an artist to lean into when you want to find glimpses of the truth about the world around us.
I listen to Lamar’s music for understanding and commentary. I love to hear his takes on the world around us and his humility for members of society on the margins. When Kendrick raps from other perspectives I’m instantly gripped by his superb songwriting and strong sense of pure sympathy. It’s humility drenched in song.
My introduction into Lamar was casual and unsuspecting. I was talking music with one of my friend in drivers ed. It was 2010 and I was in 10th grade. My friend really wanted me to listen to this song he was obsessed with lately. He said the song was called “Look Out For Detox” and the artist was this young California rapper named Kendrick Lamar. Trusting of my friends musical opinions, I put on the head phones and played the song in class (we clearly had little interest in driving or the rules of the road) to immediate surprise. Not only was his bars insanely impressive but his music contained this intelligence and precision that was rare to grasp in such a young artist. I’ve been an enormous fan ever since.
On my list of top Kendrick Lamar songs are the following masterpieces: “Sing About Me/Dying Of Thirst”, “Untitled 05”, “The Heart Pt. 3”, “Ronald Reagan Era”, and “P & P (original version)”.
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