India.Arie Thanks Kehlani For Saying She Is The Fourth On The "Mount Rushmore Of Neo-Soul."

India.Arie is one of the most influential vocalists of the 21st century, and yet her legacy is often overlooked. With Kehlani acknowledging the Grammy-winner in a recent interview — where her name went unspoken among her contemporaries — the musician took to Instagram to share her thoughts on being skipped over when it comes to conversations surrounding R&B. During a discussion on the most important figures in Neo-Soul, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, and Lauryn Hill were mentioned as the top three by host Nyla Symone before Kehlani was sure to add India.Arie’s name to the Mt. Rushmore convo. “Yeah, but then you have to add the fourth, and that’s India.Arie,” the “Folded” singer began. “Why do people leave her out of that four? Because we always go, ‘Jill, Lauryn, Erykah,’ but then we forget India. India.Arie reposted the interview along with a thank you to the Oakland-native and an open invite to collaborate on a future song, resulting in Kehlani swooning over one of her biggest inspirations within her comment section. “I love you! i adore you! you have given so much! you gave us confidence, grace, real love, blueprints on walking with God… so much! I WILL GIVE U FLOWERS TILL THE DAY IM GONE I AM SO GRATEFUL I GOT TO GROW UP TO YOUR ART [10 flower emojis] THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU’VE GIVEN!!!! The “Steady Love” singer went on to explore being overlooked within the industry in a series of Instagram Stories she later shared to her main page. She began by addressing journalist Touré’s recent YouTube upload dissecting the history of Neo-Soul, with India noting, “he never once mentioned my name.” She proposed that it could be because her music didn’t fit his exact definition of the genre, but it was the closest term she could use to describe her sound from a marketing perspective. She also noted that her debut album, 2001’s Acoustic Soul, spawned a sub-genre and Spotify playlists that she’s not even on. “BUT I DO HEAR MY DNA ALL UP IN THRU THERE. I KNOW MY CHILDREN WHEN I HEAR EM,” she wrote of her musical offspring. She went on to say that the “old familiar pain” of being overlooked “just isn’t there” anymore, adding that she’s fully aware of her accomplishments and influence, even if others aren’t.

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