<\/p>\n
This feature is from Complex Magazine Issue No. 3 – Fall 2025 (The Influence Issue), which is available<\/strong>\u00a0now on Complex Shop<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Derived from Latin and Greek, “aura” originally referred to something palpable but intangible, like a soft breeze or a breath of air. By the 19th century, it evolved into something more metaphysical: a way to describe the invisible energy field thought to surround certain people. In more modern usage, it has been used to attempt to capture the je-ne-sais-quoi vibe that makes someone feel magnetic.<\/p>\n Aura has been around forever, but only recently\u2014searches for the word spiked in May 2024, per Google Trends\u2014has it taken over our vocabulary. And yet, it remains difficult to precisely define. With this list, we’ve taken a stab at it. We determined that aura is shaped by a mix of overlapping traits: authenticity, originality, influence, taste, and presence.<\/p>\n It’s not measured by net worth, follower counts, or awards\u2014though those can be byproducts of having it. Aura is something you feel, not necessarily something you see. These are people who command our attention without even trying. In a world full of people shouting to be noticed, that quiet pull sets them apart.<\/p>\n Nettspend\u2019s aura really comes from him being a badass kid. There\u2019s a certain level of pure, unmeasurable potential that teenagers have before they realize they aren\u2019t immortal, and Nett has used his to take the rap underground by storm\u2014one torched cigarette and trashed stage at a time. If you don\u2019t get it, you probably were never meant to. The future is now, don\u2019t be an old head.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Honestly, this dude has about 10 different roles that could land him on this list. We\u2019re talking about Johnny Utah, Neo, and John Wick here. But forget the characters he plays for a second\u2014Reeves is that guy in real life. He\u2019s unbothered but still compassionate. Listen to him talk and you get the sense that he\u2019s cracked the code for the exact, universally correct amount of fucks to give to the things that do and don\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mariah The Scientist radiates a unique in-her-own-lane kind of energy, and because of that, she\u2019s hard not to like. She\u2019s delicate with a slight edge, which makes her entire persona incredibly intriguing. From her sound and style to the way she carries herself in the public eye, she\u2019s naturally \u201cone of them ones.\u201d Fittingly, one of her best songs is titled \u201cAura.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mendoza is the embodiment of effortless cool and undeniable aura. From pushing boundaries at St\u00fcssy to shaping culture at Awake NY, his calm presence and refined taste in fashion, music, food, and wine set him apart. He\u2019s not a try-hard\u2014he\u2019s been here before, and it shows. From walking Grand Concourse to the Louis Vuitton runway in Paris, and he ain\u2019t even a model? The aura is evident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If there\u2019s someone who precedes modern-day aura\u2014and eclipses it\u2014Sade is that person. Even though she\u2019s taken a step back from the limelight, we still can\u2019t stop talking about her and the music she made 40 years ago. Iconic in style, vocals, energy, and mystery, the smooth operator has unimpeachable aura. And if you\u2019re aura-less, play some Sade\u2014people might think otherwise.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The striking face behind one of 2022\u2019s best album covers, Sukii Baby went viral after fans grew curious about the mysterious woman on Drake and 21 Savage\u2019s Her Loss. A dancer in Houston at the time, Sukii also ran a nail business and had a love for grills, which is reflected on the cover. When Lil Yachty shared that he had found her photo on the internet, he basically explained Sukii\u2019s aura: \u201cI Chose This Cover Because This Photo Is So Raw\u2026 So Authentic.. Not Fabricated.. Sukii Can And Will Only Be Sukii.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A huge part of aura is confidence, and no one in skating has more of it than Tyshawn Jones. Whether he’s kickflipping subway gaps or pulling up in full Louis Vuitton workwear, he moves the same way: zero regard, full conviction. He doesn\u2019t chase cool, he is cool. That kind of presence? You can\u2019t learn it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Aura\u2019s passport is stamped the world over, but no matter where it goes, it stays authentic. So when Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba was tapped by Megan Thee Stallion to guest on her song \u201cMamushi,\u201d he didn\u2019t need to rap in English to make his point\u2014just as he didn\u2019t seven years earlier on the extended version of Frank Ocean\u2019s \u201cNikes.\u201d Yuki\u2019s aura is naturally fluent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gio popped onto our radar after Lil Yachty dropped his “Slide” music video, and since then, the internet has grown to love her. With a mouth full of silver grills, a body covered in tattoos, and her laid-back tomboy style, she drips with aura. She has the kind of presence where her look and energy do the talking, and she doesn\u2019t have to say a word. From the Yachty co-sign to her close relationship with Playboi Carti, she\u2019s effortlessly ill and has an it factor that can\u2019t go unnoticed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Central Cee popularized UK drill, landed a Nike deal, and made it all look a breeze in the process. Despite being a speaker by trade, Cench is a man of few words. He stays out of the way, lives in the booth, and remains steadfast in his preference to reveal his Amex PIN before sharing his Instagram password with a significant other. \u201cAlright.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Part of having a real aura is being a singular force. There\u2019s truly no one like Andr\u00e9 3000, who\u2014after completing one of the most legendary runs in rap as one half of OutKast\u2014has the confidence to spend his elder years roaming the streets of New York and LA in beat-up overalls and cooked black Cement 3s, learning the flute, then dropping an instrumental album on which he\u2019s still trying to figure it all out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n No one believes in Anthony Edwards more than Anthony Edwards. His charismatic personality made him a star off the court, but his aura is derived more from his fearless attitude on it. Outmatched by a more experienced team with a better roster? It doesn\u2019t matter. Edwards approaches every game as if he\u2019s the best player on the court, and he\u2019s often willed that into existence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Anime face, gender-fluid \u2019fits, Gen Z fame \u2026 it\u2019s no wonder Young Miko has been adopted as a youthful muse to the likes of Bad Bunny and Karol G. The Puerto Rican rapper\/singer radiates a magnetic, mysterious energy that pulls people in\u2014and keeps them there, hanging on her next move.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The man born Joseph Olaitan Adenuga Jr., also known by his Nigerian chieftaincy title of Amuludun of Odo-Aje, is as smooth as they come. The multi-hyphenate, whose professional work has traversed the realms of music, fashion, film, and art (mans\u2019 paintings made it all the way to Sotheby\u2019s), has excelled in the elusive endeavor of projecting aura.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Bueckers doesn\u2019t need to shout: Her game and her presence do the talking. She came back from injury like the prodigal point god, unbothered and unguardable. She brings the same lethal precision whether she\u2019s dropping 25 or strolling the red carpet as the 2025 WNBA No.1 overall pick. Off the court, she moves with the same magnetic calm\u2014whether in TikToks, tunnels, or pressers, the aura stays on. It\u2019s not arrogance\u2014it\u2019s inevitability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Doechii\u2019s had aura since \u201cYucky Blucky Fruitcake,\u201d but since y\u2019all love a bandwagon, let\u2019s break it down. Just in the past year, she dominated Paris Fashion Week, dueted “Doo Wop (That Thing)” with Lauryn Hill (who notoriously skips performances), and is one of two artists ever to win a Grammy for a mixtape. She commands attention with ease. Her debut album isn\u2019t even out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Yai had aura way before she became one of the most sought-after high-fashion models in the world. It\u2019s what had every major modeling agency begging to sign her when a college photo of her went viral in 2017. A mere three months later, she opened the Fall 2018 show for Prada, becoming the first Black model to open a Prada show since Naomi Campbell two decades prior. The 27 year-old former aspiring doctor (she majored in Biochemistry at Plymouth State University) has also appeared in music videos for Lil Yachty, Travis Scott, and Offset.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Let\u2019s start with the name: Young Thug. Jeffery. Sex. All hilariously generic, anti-SEO monikers that downplay just how dynamic, dexterous, and captivating Thug really is. He\u2019s a rapper who crafted his own language, coded in hyper-specific regional gang slang\u2014lingo so dense, even Fulton County prosecutors couldn\u2019t decode it. And he has a history of dressing on his own terms, rocking everything from colorful ponchos to skinny jeans to dresses.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Duke Dennis has that type of suave energy that\u2019s effortless, natural, and charismatic enough to carry his presence into a room without needing to say a word. Whether he\u2019s hooping, streaming, or just chilling in silence, people notice. It isn\u2019t forced, it isn\u2019t loud\u2014it\u2019s just there. You might be able to copy his \u2019fits, his laugh, or his mannerisms, but you probably won\u2019t match his aura. You\u2019re either born with it or you\u2019re not.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Forget the immaculate fits, or making dad life seem cool, or the starpower he wields despite not being the biggest hitmaker\u2014you can even forget that he bagged the bad gal. Just focus on how Rocky beat two felony assault charges, even though jurors reportedly believed he had a firearm during the alleged incident. They still found him not guilty. That\u2019s aura. Case closed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Before he even steps onto the court, SGA breaks the internet with his pregame fit. Then, he suits up and drops 30-plus on your favorite player\u2019s head. Afterwards, his teammates gather to hear him speak like he\u2019s delivering a church sermon. He recaps it all on his Instagram, complete with a caption filled with bars your favorite rapper wishes they could have come up with. His whole life is consistent. He\u2019s the NBA MVP, on and off the court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Quenlin Blackwell is the internet\u2019s most mysterious open book\u2014she went from viral gas-station pickle videos to the Grammys\u2019 stage and Oscars\u2019 red carpet, and we still don\u2019t exactly know how. But we\u2019re here for it. She silenced Yachty, became the video vixen of the year, and has inspired an endless dark whole of fan edits. The Quenaissance is real. Mystery. Influence. Aura.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Clint has the streetwear community in a frenzy. Despite all of the pandemonium, Clint maintains a quiet confidence. He rarely does interviews. Instead, he lets his designs do the talking. His words come in the form of motivational gems he posts on X like a new-age Tony Robbins. Whether he\u2019s rubbing shoulders with Nigo or posing in front of the favelas in Brazil, he keeps the same stoic expression. He knows he\u2019s supposed to be in this position\u2014this isn\u2019t a fluke. After all, Corteiz does rule the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Demie\u2019s star power is untouchable. I mean, Euphoria hasn\u2019t been on television in years yet she\u2019s still on our minds. Her elusiveness runs so deep that for a time, we weren\u2019t even sure of her age. Without trying, Demie has turned simple moments\u2014like putting on lip gloss to \u201cLo Que Pas\u00f3, Pas\u00f3\u201d in the car\u2014into internet lore. Whether on Euphoria or in front of Petra Collins\u2019 lens, she\u2019s our favorite mystical muse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kendrick Lamar can\u2019t lose. He moves like a deity through scripture: elusive and omnipotent. He set the tone for rap in the last year: Lamar wasn\u2019t kidding when he said he\u2019s what the culture\u2019s feeling. He is the monk who comes down from the mountain only to ash out the top five he\u2019s been smoking on\u2014the warlord who came back with Drake\u2019s head on a pike.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Frank Ocean doesn\u2019t play by anyone\u2019s rules but his own. Pulling off one of the greatest music industry heists of all time, he delivered Endless to escape his contract with Def Jam, only to drop Blonde independently. Whether disappearing for years on end when fame tries to pin him down, quietly launching his jewelry line Homer, or being spotted wearing the latest Prada bag in Tokyo, Frank Ocean moves in stealth. The mystery is part of his art.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Bad Bunny is unencumbered\u2014by fans\u2019 expectations, gender norms, or the gaze of anyone but himself. In a genre ruled by machismo, he shattered conventions: performing in drag on \u201cYo Perreo Sola,\u201d embracing fluid fashion, and redefining what masculinity can look like for Hispanic men. He trained for Wrestlemania, dropped chart-topping albums without promo, and moved exactly how he wanted. To put it simply, he just doesn\u2019t give a fuck, and it shows.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Chalamet isn\u2019t your traditional suave celebrity. He’s an unapologetic product of the 2010s with a chaotic digital footprint\u2014from his YouTube channel<\/a> showing off DIY Xbox controller mods to performing \u201cRoman\u2019s Revenge<\/a>\u201d at his high school talent show\u2014to prove it. In between it all, he\u2019s one of the best actors of his generation. One moment, he’s delivering an award-winning film performance; the next, he\u2019s being that one earnest, goofy-but-cool theater kid everyone knew growing up. His aura comes from that duality.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The era of aura begins with Carti. It\u2019s a playful, one-word descriptor\u2014amplified by Carti Stans and Hyperpop Daily\u2014that captures the mythological presence of a rapper who spent months recording his latest album in a Parisian cave. Carti is soft-spoken and terse in interviews, but a loud, towering presence on record. He has so much magnetism that he was able to create a subgenre of rap. Whether you\u2019re using a baby voice or a Future-style baritone, no one screams aura like Carti.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rihanna has so much aura that it kind of feels silly to detail it. This blurb could just be her name, full stop. She was mesmerizing from the start\u2014just go look at her glare in the \u201cPon de Replay\u201d music video. Over the past 20 years, Rihanna has brought something to everything she touches\u2014whether that\u2019s a song, an outfit, or a clapback. She balances being untouchable and relatable, spicy and vulnerable, rude and polite, all at the same time. How does she do it? Who knows. But that\u2019s the thing about aura, it can\u2019t be taught or manufactured.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.complex.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This feature is from Complex Magazine Issue No. 3 – Fall 2025 (The Influence Issue), which is available\u00a0now on Complex Shop. Derived from Latin and Greek, “aura” originally referred to something palpable but intangible, like a soft breeze or a breath of air. 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