Jhené Aiko is back with Westside Whimsy, her first album in six years, via Def Jam. The project includes features from Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Larry June, Tyga and OHMA.
Aiko officially announced Westside Whimsy, her fourth album, on Tuesday (Sept. 8). “You guys so much has happened in the last 6 years. I’m so excited and nervous to share this with you. It’s like every time I tried to lock in, life knocked me on my ass,” she wrote on Threads. “I’m so grateful that I was finally able to finish. love you.”
Speaking on the album’s sound, Aiko told Complex in April: “All the music of the ‘90s has really influenced me but especially West Coast car culture, surfing culture, beach, laidback. 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.”
Across the album’s 20 tracks, Aiko embarks on a soul-searching journey where she confronts heartbreak and pain head-on. On “Ghost,” she sings about feeling “stuck in a loop” and needing to break free from her internal battles. “This is between me and myself / I don’t need help, I need myself,” she sings.
The Ab-Soul-assisted “Love Bomb” captures the fiery realization of a relationship rooted in emotional manipulation. “I think I said enough / ‘Bout to get active / I’m ’bout that action,” Aiko warns. And she doesn’t hold back, particularly in songs like “Ceiling (Freestyle)” and “He Belongs,” where she scorches an unfaithful partner. “He belongs to the streets, yeah / He belongs to every woman he meets,” she sings in the latter track.
Midway through the album, the tone shifts from agony to healing. On “Neighbors,” featuring Larry June, Aiko sings about a budding connection: “I just wanna thank ya / ‘Cause you’re my favorite neighbor.”
The smooth, finger-snapping “So Good” reunites Aiko and Lamar after their 2013 hit “Stay Ready (What a Life)” from Aiko’sSail OutEP. Before that, they teamed up on “Growing Apart (To Get Closer)” from Lamar’s Overly Dedicated mixtape (2010).
With production by Sounwave and Jahaan Sweet, “So Good” is a two-step anthem that captures the bliss and attraction between two lovers. Lamar trades his razor-sharp raps for a slick delivery where he and Aiko harmonize: “You look so good / Sinful, but godly / I got you, you got me.”
The album’s grand finale, “Golden Coast,” feels like a love letter to Los Angeles, specifically after the devastating 2025 wildfires that also consumed Aiko’s home. “I still think you’re beautiful / Even though your golden coast is filled with ashes / I don’t think people know / How deep down the spirit’s flowing through your canyons.”
Westside Whimsy follows Chilombo, released in March 2020. The RIAA platinum-certified album included collaborations with H.E.R. (“B.S.”), Big Sean (“None Of Your Concern”), John Legend (“Lightning & Thunder”), Ab-Soul (“One Way St.”) and more. Later that July, Aiko returned with Chilombo (Deluxe), which featured nine additional tracks and included appearances from her sister Mila J, Chris Brown and Kehlani.
Although six years passed between albums, Aiko kept her fans fed in the interim. Aside from putting her career-defining 2011 mixtape Sailing Soul(s) on streaming platforms in 2021, she unleashed a steady stream of tracks, including “Calm & Patient,” “Alive & Well,” “Sun/Son” and “Guidance.”
In 2025, she released the 15-minute “I Am Not Afraid (Creation Mantra)” in July, before returning that fall with “Break” — which turned out to be the first offering from Westside Whimsy.
Jhené Aiko’s Westside Whimsy Album Tracklist
- Wild Cat(s)
- Ghost
- Break
- Love Bomb (with Ab-Soul)
- Ceiling (Freestyle)
- Nothing Nice to Say
- He Belongs
- Like, Whatever (feat. Tyga)
- You
- Don’t Be That Guy
- Lullaby
- Neighbors (feat. Larry June)
- Mine
- So Good (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
- Beach Boy
- Unicorn
- I Don’t Mind
- Nami’s Haiku
- A Living Light
- Golden Coast (feat. OHMA)
Stream Jhené Aiko’s Westside Whimsy below.
