Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to AJ, the One. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi AJ, the One, thanks for joining us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

My debut project Bussin out the Box is all about breaking boundaries and creating your own lane in a world where there’s much less traffic. Much less pressure to look left and right! Society makes it hard to be yourself, especially if your natural form exists outside the “norm” but nobody is normal – some people just hide it better than others. My music makes me feel like I can soar across all limits and master my emotions/experiences in real time! I want everyone to feel the freedom that art gives me. Everyone deserves that! Taylor Crumpton once wrote ““AJ, the One’s music is an embodiment of radical sexual politic principles. An interdimensional portal into an Afrofuturist led future where a Black woman’s eroticism is celebrated and embraced.” Bussin out the Box too symbolizes a woman reaching climax – it represents a form of release for me. That project was me shedding preconceived notions & expectations of me and saying hey this is who I am – uncaged and abundant.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

AJ, the One is a music artist, art director, and media producer from Inglewood, CA. She embodies the city’s cultural duality — raised in the avenues and rooted in the matriarchal powers that hold them afloat.

AJ, the One started her music career as an undergraduate Media major at UC Berkeley. With her mother raised in Oakland, CA & the city a second home to her, AJ quickly acclimated to the Bay Area artist scene and began gracing stages throughout the coasts of California. Out of over 500K rappers nationwide, self-managed AJ, the One was featured as one of the 30 contestants on Rhythm and Flow Netflix with judges Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, and T.I. Soon after the show, AJ presented a TEDx talk on Women in Music: A Reclamation of Space and Sexuality using statistical research and her own professional career as case study.

Since then AJ, the One has headlined several festivals including SXSW, featured on a Swayuniverse cypher, joined West Side Boogie on his “More Black Superheroes” west coast tour, and more. Paired with her passion for music, AJ specializes in performance art, creative direction, fashion and digital design. As a self-proclaimed Goddess trap rapper, AJ, the One connects with her global audience through a shared connection to Black feminist theory, queer radical thought, global liberation movements, and the erotic. She values creative imagination, nonconventional thought, and those who champion their authentic selves.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is freedom. Freedom to build your own reality and become engulfed in your passion. Freedom to shift your focus from one art form to the next and be comfortable with that because you understand yourself as a multifaceted creative being. I sing, dance, act, draw, paint, poetry, graphic design, all of it. It’s freedom to see/feel the art in anything like yoga, cooking or gardening. My artistic nature makes me interact with the world differently: colors and sounds are brighter, magic sprouts out of every experience (good, bad, and ugly), growing and healing becomes an adventure because its inevitably a part of of creative process.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

My overall mission is to empower others to unapologetically explore their creative intellect and to heal and be healed through the arts.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ajtheone.com
• Instagram: @ajtheuno
• Facebook: AJ
• Twitter: @ajtheuno
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AJtheOne

Image Credits
Photos 1 -3 Lena Elgabalawy Photo 4 Austin Goswick