Jhené Aiko dropped off the video for “Summer 2020” and the deluxe version of her album, Chilombo.
Jhené Aiko knows we are all in need of a little healing, and the ethereal songstress has come through with a deluxe version of her third studio album, Chilombo. The 29-track project comes packed with nine additional songs, as well as features from H.E.R., Kehlani, Chris Brown, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, and more. Fans were especially hyped about the Kehlani collaboration since both women share a tough and down-to-Earth vibe while also managing to reliably create sultry R&B tracks with an old-school feel.
Many fans have begged the two artists for a joint album, including YG, who suggested the endeavor on social media last year.
In addition to the collaborative efforts, Aiko added a solo bonus track titled “Summer 2020,” which comes with a video that reflects the times we are living in. The song itself delivers a laid-back energy with music reminiscent of Will Smith’s “Summertime,” but the lyrics deal with the more emotional and tragic events taking place around us this summer.
“I can’t wrap my head around what’s happenin’,” Aiko sings. “I can’t get no sleep no peace of mind/Tryna beat the heat and summer madness/Only thoughts of you can get me by.”
The video shows a glowing Jhene basking in the sun in a backyard kiddie pool, an activity that many of us are very familiar with during these hot days of quarantine. Addressing the fight for racial justice, which has taken the form of nationwide protests this summer, Jhene sings, “Times are changin’ strange is getting stranger/Generations faced with genocide/Tryna make my way through pain and anger/Then I look into my baby’s eyes.”
The chorus brings us a message we all need to hear as hopelessness seems to be another contagion we are facing. Jhene reminds us that there is always something to be grateful for, saying, “And I feel like sometimes I cry/’Cause I feel so good to be alive/When I fall in line with my divine/I can see inside the sun shines more/I’ll take some rain with my sunshine.”
Listen to Chilombo Deluxe album below.
