Tyga has become a polarizing figure, although the feeling seems misplaced. The California-bred rapper has released over 15 mixtapes, he’s experienced the success and fame a smash hit (or two) will bring, he’s worked alongside some of the most respected names in rap, and he’s entangled himself with the most famous family on the planet. Despite Tyga’s longevity and his immersion in the rap game, he’s still trying to find himself, or at least, find the version of himself he wants to present to the world. Read more…
The Compton Fashion Center, better known as the popular indoor Compton Swap Meet, closed its doors in January. (The rumor is that Walmart will be taking over the location.) Here in the shopping center’s parking lot, the same place where Dre and Pac once shot a scene for the “California Love (Remix)” music video, people are gathering—not to mourn the loss of a landmark but to commemorate the good times. Leading the celebration is local hero Kendrick Lamar. Read more…
If Jhené Aiko had her way, she’d be walking around barefoot. Even in the desert on a 96 degree day. In turquoise denim short shorts, a floral midriff-baring top and a camel-colored floppy hat that screams J. Lo, this hippie chick peaks at just above 5’2. A soft sheen glistens over her sandy complexion. It’s two days before her second performance at California’s Coachella Arts & Music Festival. For lunch, she suggests Nature’s Health Food & Café, a Palm Springs oasis where slim, beachwear-clad customers sip bright juices.[more…]
The eatery provides comfort for the 26-year-old singer who used to work minimum wage as a waitress at a vegan restaurant. The inside feels like a bohemian haven, with electric fans as the primary cooling system and the smell of earth and veggies. After placing her order and depositing a total of $20 in the tip box, Jhené sits at a wobbly table and bites, not nibbles, at her food—a towering plate of Greek salad and soy chicken tacos. “I don’t think anything about me is loud,” she says. “I’m not going to walk into a room with crazy accessories, high heels and red lipstick. I blend in.”
Jhené is a modern-day hippy. Her moody melodies about all things tender (love, sex) and taboo (abortion, suicidal thoughts) have made her an unfiltered voice for 20-something rebels—and heartbroken millennials consider her debut project, 2011’s sailing soul(s), to be an emo manifesto. If Drake is the king of feelings, a rapper whose exes get prime real estate, then Jhené is the woman’s side of the story. But it’s more than just male-bashing anthems. “Drake’s a conversation with a woman on a level of honesty,” says producer No I.D., who signed Jhené to his Def Jam imprint, Artium, in 2011. “Jhené represents the woman who talks to herself and deals with the good, the bad, the happy, the sad, the spiritual and the ghetto.”
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