After being off the grid for about three years, the R&B artist, Jhene Aiko released “Trip”, a 90-minute album along with a short film and will be releasing a poetry book with the two also.  

The whole project was inspired by the death of Aiko’s brother from cancer in 2012. Although it’s a mournful and personal topic, the album is more joyful than anything. This album was her healing process she needed to recover from the devastation of the loss of her brother.

“I hope to inspire others to share their grief and pain,” Aiko said, “because I believe suffering can be alleviated when we understand we are not going through any of it alone.”

Losing her brother affected her physically and mentally. Aiko turned to numerous types of drugs hoping it would lead her to an escape and potentially help her “reach her brother.” She tried substance after substance, hoping to speak to him once more, but nothing worked.  

Some of the songs in the album are inspired by her physiological experiences with different stimulants, which are the titles of some of the songs in the album, like: LSD, Sativa, and Psilocybin.

“Trip” is a R&B album that speaks of love, loss, and discovery. Most of the songs have a “feel-good” style and give off a hazy, dreamlike mood that represents her her “trips” she experienced while being stimulated.  

Not all the songs are necessarily about her drug experiences, some of them are about the happiest moments of her life and the worst. Like, “Sing to Me,” a duet with her daughter Namiko Love where she sings about her immense love for her. Then there’s “Never Call Me,” a song about her ex-husband and their split.

Overall, the album uses very light beats, that are quite relaxing. This album is perfect if you want to unwind on a Friday night and just relax alone.

Aiko wants her fans to see her journey and her personal growth since her 2014 album, “Souled Out.”

“I would want fans to just really just take in this whole map, the movie, the album and the poetry book and just be proud of how far I’ve come.”