Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (born March 16, 1988), also known simply as Jhené Aiko is an American singer, songwriter and recording artist from Los Angeles, California. Formerly signed to The Ultimate Group and Epic Records, she left both labels in order to continue her education. Aiko began her career being known as "Lil' Fizz's cousin", however she is not actually related to him. It was used as a marketing tool suggested by Sony and Epic to promote her through the R&B group B2K and attract an audience, though Aiko affirms that she and Lil' Fizz grew up together and were close like family.