For her latest Chilombo promotional effort, Jhene Aiko pulls from her own past for “Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.),” a remake of a song from her 2011 debut mixtape Sailing Soul(s) that featured Miguel and now includes Future as well. The singer surprised fans with the release Friday morning, tweeting out the link and prompting fans to reminisce on the original mixtape version — with some wondering what happened to the original guest rapper from Atlanta, Gucci Mane.
The new video accompanying the song is simple and straightforward: The three artists perform their verses in the middle of a packed house party, although this is no ordinary living room shindig. There’s a fire twirler in the yard, everyone in attendance is LA beautiful, and Jhene’s sister Mila J holds court, bringing high-energy antics to the proceedings and amusing her fellow partygoers.
There are also changes to the basic structure of the song — the beat is beefier, Jhene’s verse is more direct and less coy, and of course, Future’s presence brings a grittier texture to the song overall after Gucci’s verse (which was lifted from Wale’s “Pretty Girls”) came across more lighthearted. “Happiness Over Everything” may sound like a more whimsical title, but this is definitely the grown-up version, highlighting Jhene’s development as an artist and a person over the past nine years.
Watch the video for ‘Happiness Over Everything (H.O.E.)’ above.
Chilombo is due 03/06 on Def Jam Records.
