Just days after it's release one year ago, the vibiest R&B star doing it Jhené Aiko delivered her debut album Souled Out. To mark the one year anniversary, she's unveiled an evocative video for the song "Lyin King." Co-directed by TOCK and Topshelf Junior, the video is a visual rendering of this open letter that Aiko has shared with The FADER:
"A mysterious, time traveling medicine woman has a prophetic vision of an early civilization in trouble.
The men have neglected the women and deprived them of love. By orders of their chief, the men of the tribe have taken away the women’s hearts and voices.
The women are powerless. The children are suffering.
The medicine woman travels for many days to reach the primitive village.
Upon her arrival, the medicine woman performs a miracle. She instantly restores the grace of the women of the tribe and gives them their voices back.
The men of this early tribe are not pleased.
With the men of the tribe’s attention, the medicine woman and the women of the tribe begin a ceremony in which they tell the story of how they are taking their voices back.
The chief is infuriated.
The medicine woman leaves the now capable women to conduct a private ceremony for the chief.
The chief is intrigued and frightened.
What he thinks will be a sexual experience turns out to be something very different.
After the ritual is performed, the medicine woman passes on her apocalyptic prophecy of how the world will end due to the lack of love throughout humanity.
The chief experiences ego death. He sees that it starts with him."
Or in short: it spotlights Aiko's sojourn through the desert, during which she uncovers deep truths about men, love, and humanity at large. It's not the Iliad, but it's epic in its own way. Check it out above.
