Jhené Aiko has tapped Kendrick Lamar for their first collaboration in nearly 13 years on the singer’s upcoming fourth studio album, Westside Whimsy.
On the twenty-track album, Kendrick Lamar sits among the guests, alongside Larry June, Ab-Soul, Tyga and OHMA. Lamar’s appearance marks his third time working with Aiko, following 2010 Overly Dedicated track "Growing Apart (To Get Closer)" and "Stay Ready (What A Life)," from Aiko’s 2013 EP Sail Out.
Westside Whimsy will release this Friday, September 11.
June, who’s rumored to be dating the singer-songwriter, will appear on Whimsy track “Neighbors,” which precedes their “California Dream” collaboration.
Back in April, Aiko traced the album's sound to '90s West Coast car culture, surfing culture and the mystic spirit of California in an interview with Jaelani Turner-Williams.
“When I think of California, it’s just such a magical place and I love a good road trip and I’ve been doing them for many years,” she told Complex at the time.
Aiko first floated the Whimsy title in January through an Erewhon smoothie drop of the same name. The rollout has stretched across her business ventures, from her jewelry brand ALEEL to a separate jewelry collaboration with Awe Inspired built around her California roots.
The vocalist’s last album, Chilombo, arrived in March 2020, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and earning a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.
