On December 16, 2011, Aiko signed a recording contract with American record producer No I.D.'s record label Artium, distributed through Def Jam Recordings. She has been described as having gentle and pop-tinged vocals. [Tyler Antonius]
Jhené Aiko was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Christina Yamamoto and Dr. Karamo Chilombo (birth name Greg Barnes), a pediatrician. She is of mixed race background—her mother is of Japanese, Spanish, and Dominican descent, while her father is of African American, Yaqui, Choctaw, Cherokee, Navajo, and German Jewish descent. She often states her ethnicity as "Japanese, African American, Native American, etc." based on percentages but identifies with all parts of her heritage. Aiko has also stated that she has French ancestry and has stated regarding her ancestry, "I’m a quarter Japanese. That’s the only percentage I know for sure because it’s my grandfather's. And then everyone else is pretty much like mixed." Her older sisters Miyoko and Jamila were in the R&B group Gyrl and toured with Immature, who were signed to MCA/Silas Records. This led to Jhené’s first meeting with producer Chris Stokes when she was five years old, and eventually he heard her sing. When B2K signed with Epic Records, Jhené was signed as well. She served as the opening act for B2K on their Scream Tour 3.
Aiko began her musical career contributing vocals to several B2K releases in 2002. She featured on tracks five through eight of the R&B group's remix album B2K: The Remixes - Volume 1. "Santa Baby", a cover she recorded, was also featured on their album Santa Hooked Me Up and she appeared as a guest vocalist on the song "Tease" from Pandemonium!. Her song "Dog" appeared as a bonus track.
Aiko also appeared in numerous music videos including O'Ryan's debut video, "Take It Slow", B2K's debut video "Uh Huh" and "Why I Love You", P.Y.T.'s "Same Ol' Same Ol' (Remix)" featuring Sarai, Play's "M.A.S.T.E.R. (Part 2)" featuring Lil' Fizz video and Morgan Smith's 2004 video "Blow Ya Whistle". Jhené also has songs featured on the soundtracks of Barbershop, The Master of Disguise, You Got Served, The Proud Family, and Byou. She released a video for her single "NO L.O.V.E" (re-recorded from Tha' Rayne version in 2002) which debuted on BET's 106 & Park when she was 15 years old.
Aiko was set to release her debut album, then-titled My Name Is Jhené, however the album was never released due to tension at the record label Epic, which ultimately led to Aiko asking to be released from the label. She then began to focus on school and continue her education.
In 2007, she made a return to music, in an interview she spoke on the choice saying “Shortly before I conceived my daughter, I stepped back into the field and took a meeting with a label head. In this meeting, I was innocently told, to ‘sell’ myself when walking into these meetings. “That’s when I decided I would ‘sail’ myself rather than sell myself.” Aiko released a mixtape on March 16, 2011 entitled Sailing Soul(s) via her official website, JheneAiko.com. All the songs on the mixtape were written by her, except “July” which was written by Micah Powell and most of the songs were produced by Fisticuffs, except “July” and “You vs Them” which were produced by Bei Maejor, “Real Now” which was produced by Roosevelt, “Do Better” which was produced by J. Lbs and “Growing Apart” which was produced by Tae Beast. The album's artwork was shot by photographer Jay 3. The mixtape also features collaborations from Miguel, Drake, and Kanye West, as well as others.
To promote the mixtape Aiko was joined by Grammy-nominated R&B singer Miguel on a one-off free secret tour on Sunday, July 15. The free tickets were given away at the Key Club box office on July 6 from 11AM-5PM on a first-come, first-served basis. The concert started at 7:00pm and finished as 9:30pm, lasting a duration of two and a half hours. On October 21, 2012 Aiko released a music video for the song "My Mine". Aiko also released a video for the mixtapes second track "Stranger". Datpiff certified the mixtape gold with downloads of 100,000. In 2011, she also began working closely with artists from Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment such as Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul.
In 2012, Aiko met with No I.D., record producer and vice president of A&R at Def Jam, who ended up signing Aiko to his Artium Records imprint through Def Jam. Aiko released the track "3:16AM" which was made available for digital download on iTunes September 4, 2012. The song was released as the first single from Sail Out. In 2012, Aiko was also the opening act on the highly anticipated “Life Is Good/Black Rage” concert tour headlined by fellow American artists, rapper Nas and singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill. In June 2013, Aiko was featured on the Big Sean song "Beware", which ended up reaching the Top 40 in the United States. This was her first song to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. In October 2013, it was revealed Jhené Aiko would open for Canadian rapper Drake on his Would You like a Tour? concert tour. She had previously collaborated with Drake on his third album Nothing Was the Same (2013), lending her vocals on the tracks "Wu-Tang Forever" and "From Time".
Aiko then released her debut EP Sail Out, on November 12, 2013. "Bed Peace" featuring Childish Gambino was released as the album's second single on September 17, 2013. The single's artwork was inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-Ins for Peace protest against the Vietnam War. The EP features guest appearances from American rappers Vince Staples, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, and Ab-Soul. The EP debuted at number eight on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 34,000 copies. On January 14, 2014, "The Worst" was serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States as the album's third single. On May 2, 2014 "The Worst" rose from three to one on the airplay Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop, in doing so she became the first female artist to top the chart as a lead with a debut single since Jazmine Sullivan reached the same feat with "Need U Bad" in 2008. "The Worst" also rose forty seven to forty three on the Hot 100. The song peaked on the US Billboard Hot 100 at forty-three, becoming Aiko's first solo release to chart in the region, the song also peaked at number eleven on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
On January 18, 2014, Aiko appeared on Saturday Night Live performing the song "From Time", with the episode's guest host, Drake. In a January 2014 interview with Vibe, Aiko announced her debut studio album Souled Out would be released in May 2014. However the album would be delayed. On March 16, 2014, Aiko premiered a song titled "My Afternoon Dream," along with an accompanying music video directed by Aiko and Krissy. It has yet to be revealed if the song, produced by Key Wane, will feature on the album.
On June 23, 2014, Aiko posted the cover art and a snippet of Souled Out's first single, titled "To Love & Die", on her official Instagram page. The single's artwork was described as "space-y" by Adelle Platon of Vibe magazine. The song was released for digital download on iTunes, the following day. On June 26, 2014, Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd, announced he would be headlining the "King of the Fall Tour", essentially a mini-tour across America in September / October 2014, the tour will consist of four shows and start on 19 September 2014 in New York, at the Barclays Center and end on October 10 in San Francisco, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Aiko and frequent collaborator Schoolboy Q, were confirmed as the tour's supporting acts.
Aiko is a Christian, having been baptized when she was 16 at the evangelical Pentecostal Foursquare Church. At the age of 20, Aiko became pregnant by American R&B singer O'Ryan and gave birth to her daughter Namiko on November 19, 2008. Before losing her brother Miyagi to cancer on July 19, 2012, Aiko recorded "For My Brother" on her laptop, which was initially intended only for her brother's ears. He died soon after hearing the record. On August 27, 2013, Aiko was involved in a car accident in Los Angeles along with her daughter Namiko, older sister Miyoko, and her daughter's father O'Ryan. Aiko suffered a broken wrist, chipped tooth and had stitches in her chin. Her daughter, however, was unharmed in the accident.
You VS. Them
Jhené Aiko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never getting you
Keeps me wanting you
Missing you
Just to picture you, is what gets me through
Fit for you
I was meant for you
What I was sent to do, meant to do
Hope I said that shit right
'Cause if I never had you
Then I could never lose you
Do you know what might happen
If I decide to choose you
Then the world may just stop spinning
It may just well be the ending
Talking all about existence
Who knows?
That I cannot see tomorrow
If you're not in my tomorrow
Uh oh
I'm tryna save the world
How can I when
You belong to me
I belong to them
Who do I give me to? Who do I let win?
You or the world
You or the world
Your light shines so bright it's like two stars colliding
We'll only survive if we fight it, don't fight it
We'll only survive if we fight it, don't fight it
Yeah
'Cause if I really have to
Then you know I would chose you
Do you know what would happen
If I ever lose you
Then my heart would just stop beating
And my mind would just stop thinking
And my strengths would turn to weakness
You know
But I cannot see tomorrow
If you're not in my tomorrow
Uh oh
I've gotta save the world
How can I when
You belong to me
But I belong to them
Who do I give me to? Who do I let win?
You or the world
You are my world
In this song, Jhene Aiko sings about a dilemma that many people have faced at some point in their lives – choosing between love and one's individual goals and aspirations. The first verse describes the intense longing and desire for someone, even though they cannot be obtained or belong to someone else. The line "If I never had you, then I could never lose you" explores the possibility of avoiding heartbreak by not pursuing someone in the first place, however, the lyrics suggest that this may not necessarily be the best option. The second verse then goes on to question the deeper implications of choosing one over the other. It's a choice between personal happiness and fulfilling to a loved one's expectations, the choice that impacts one's future.
The chorus highlights this internal conflict, asking who to choose between love and personal ambitions. The line "You or the world" is a powerful expression of the struggle between choosing oneself or sacrificing one's dreams for the sake of someone else. The final verse is a contemplation of the potential consequences of making that decision. Jhene admits that she cannot see her future without this person in it, emphasizing how deep her love runs. However, the chorus repeats the question of who to choose, showcasing the difficulty of the decision at hand.
Overall, "You Vs Them" is a poignant exploration of the conflict between personal ambitions and romantic love, and the struggle to choose between the two.
Line by Line Meaning
It's the wanting you
Yearning for your presence
Never getting you
Unable to have you
Keeps me wanting you
Makes me crave you even more
Missing you
Longing for you when you're not around
Just to picture you, is what gets me through
Visualizing you brings me comfort
Fit for you
Meant to be with you
I was meant for you
Destined to be with you
What I was sent to do, meant to do
My purpose in life is tied to you
Wasn't meant for you
Perhaps not meant to be together
Hope I said that shit right
I hope I communicated my thoughts accurately
'Cause if I never had you
If I never had you in my life
Then I could never lose you
I would not need to worry about losing you
Do you know what might happen
Have you considered the potential consequences
If I decide to choose you
If I make the choice to be with you
Then the world may just stop spinning
It could be catastrophic
It may just well be the ending
It could result in the world's demise
Talking all about existence
Discussing the meaning of life
Who knows?
It's impossible to predict
That I cannot see tomorrow
I cannot picture the future
If you're not in my tomorrow
Without you, the future doesn't seem clear
I'm tryna save the world
I'm attempting to make a positive impact
How can I when
How can I do that
You belong to me
You're mine
I belong to them
I'm responsible for others
Who do I give me to? Who do I let win?
Who should I prioritize?
You or the world
Should I choose you or focus on the greater good?
Your light shines so bright it's like two stars colliding
Your impact is so huge that it's overwhelming
We'll only survive if we fight it, don't fight it
We need to keep pushing through, rather than giving up
Yeah
Agreement
'Cause if I really have to
If it's necessary
Then you know I would chose you
I would select you in a heartbeat
Do you know what would happen
Have you thought about the outcome
If I ever lose you
If I am ever separated from you
Then my heart would just stop beating
It would break me completely
And my mind would just stop thinking
It would impair my cognitive ability
And my strengths would turn to weakness
My strengths would no longer be useful
You know
Acknowledgement
But I cannot see tomorrow
I can't envision the future
If you're not in my tomorrow
If I am without you
I've gotta save the world
I must work towards making a positive impact
How can I when
How is it possible when
You belong to me
You are mine
But I belong to them
But I have responsibilities to others
Who do I give me to? Who do I let win?
Who shall I present myself to? Who should I prioritize?
You or the world
Should I choose you or focus on the greater good?
You are my world
You are the center of my universe
Lyrics © null
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@NayelytheCat
You vs. Them ✨
It's the wanting you
Never getting you
Keeps me wanting you
Missing you
Just to picture you, is what gets me through
Fit for you
I was meant for you
What I was sent to do, meant to do
Wasn't meant for you
Hope I said that shit right
'Cause if I never had you
Then I could never lose you
Do you know what might happen
If I decide to choose you
Then the world may just stop spinning
It may just well be the ending
Talking all about existence
Who knows?
That I cannot see tomorrow
If you're not in my tomorrow
Uh oh
I'm tryna save the world
How can I when
You belong to me
I belong to them
Who do I give me to? Who do I let win?
You or the world
You or the world
Your light shines so bright it's like two stars colliding
We'll only survive if we fight it, don't fight it
We'll only survive if we fight it, don't fight it
Yeah
'Cause if I really have to
Then you know I would chose you
Do you know what would happen
If I ever lose you
Then my heart would just stop beating
And my mind would just stop thinking
And my strengths would turn to weakness
You know
But I cannot see tomorrow
If you're not in my tomorrow
Uh oh
I've gotta save the world
How can I when
You belong to me
But I belong to them
Who do I give me to? Who do I let win?
You or the world
You are my world
@zayanacook331
It's the wantin' you
Never gettin' you
Keeps me wantin' you
Missin' you
Just to picture you
Is what gets me through
Fit for you, I was meant for you
What I was sent to do, meant to do
Wasn't meant for you
Hope I said that shit right
'Cause if I never had you
Then I could never lose you
Do you know what might happen
If I decide to choose you?
Then the world may just stop spinnin'
It may just well be the endin'
Talkin' all about existence
Who knows?
But I cannot see tomorrow
If you're not in my tomorrow, uh-oh
I'm tryna save the world
How can I when
You belong to me?
I belong to them
Who do I give me to?
Who do I let win?
You or the world?
You or the world?
Your light shines so bright
It's like two stars collidin'
We'll only survive if we fight it
Don't fight it
Your light shines so bright
It's like two stars collidin'
We'll only survive if we fight it
Don't fight it
Yeah
'Cause if I really have to
Then you know I would choose you
Do you know what would happen
If I ever lose you?
Then my heart would just stop beatin'
And my mind would just stop thinkin'
And my strengths would turn to weakness
You know
That I cannot see tomorrow
If you're not in my tomorrow, uh-oh
I've gotta save the world
How can I when
You belong to me?
But I belong to them
Who do I give me to?
Who do I let win?
You or the world?
You are my world
@lizzy6847
when she sings you can feel it in your soul🥺
@Dadon___julio
No kid ‼️
@eileenjoseph1414
@@Dadon___julio 1
@eileenjoseph1414
Hi
@prettygirlrayan7849
@@eileenjoseph1414 ll
@katiehaitchison3038
Each jhene song is an experience not just a song 🥰🥰😍😍😍
@LaShaynaMonique
THIS WAS MY SHIT FOR YEARSSSSSSS!!!!!
@NayelytheCat
You vs. Them ✨
It's the wanting you
Never getting you
Keeps me wanting you
Missing you
Just to picture you, is what gets me through
Fit for you
I was meant for you
What I was sent to do, meant to do
Wasn't meant for you
Hope I said that shit right
'Cause if I never had you
Then I could never lose you
Do you know what might happen
If I decide to choose you
Then the world may just stop spinning
It may just well be the ending
Talking all about existence
Who knows?
That I cannot see tomorrow
If you're not in my tomorrow
Uh oh
I'm tryna save the world
How can I when
You belong to me
I belong to them
Who do I give me to? Who do I let win?
You or the world
You or the world
Your light shines so bright it's like two stars colliding
We'll only survive if we fight it, don't fight it
We'll only survive if we fight it, don't fight it
Yeah
'Cause if I really have to
Then you know I would chose you
Do you know what would happen
If I ever lose you
Then my heart would just stop beating
And my mind would just stop thinking
And my strengths would turn to weakness
You know
But I cannot see tomorrow
If you're not in my tomorrow
Uh oh
I've gotta save the world
How can I when
You belong to me
But I belong to them
Who do I give me to? Who do I let win?
You or the world
You are my world
@kozay154
Pppp0
@sabrinam2815
That sigh she does at 2:58 will forever get me😫❤️