“One Way St.” by Jhené Aiko (ft. Ab-Soul)

“One Way St.” is based primarily on Jhené Aiko and Ab-Soul’s pessimism.  And their dispositions in that regard read as if there is no foreseeable end to it in sight. That may be why in the first verse Jhené expresses something like shock that, at least for a day perhaps, she is in a good mood. And Ab-Soul also comes off as being positive at the end of his verse.  But for the most part, this song is based on the metaphor of “going the wrong way on a one-way street”.  That’s another way of saying, as stated earlier, that they are in an inescapably bad situation. 

And again, this is by and large in terms of how they are feeling inside. So in all honesty this song is a bit complex. The vocalists appear to be saying they feel repressed and at certain points optimistic simultaneously. Perhaps the ultimate message is that they are determined to maintain a positive outlook despite the stressors in their lives. That is the idea which is at the center of at least one other song on Aiko’s “Chilombo” album, in addition to the beginning of the second verse of this one insinuating as much. 

Additionally before the “One Way St.” ends, Jhené flips the script by saying that maybe it’s the world that has issues rather than herself.  So in conclusion, we’ll say what this song ultimately boils down to is its vocalist dealing with conflicting emotions.

Facts about “One Way St.”

This song was co-written by Jhené Aiko and Ab-Soul, who she’s actually been collaborating with for about a decade.

And the other writer of the track is its producer, Julian-Quán Việt Lê.

“One Way St.” is from Jhené Aiko’s third studio album as a soloist, “Chilombo”. Both the album and the track were released by Def Jam Records on 6 March 2020.