This feature is from Complex Magazine Issue No. 3 - Fall 2025 (The Influence Issue), which is available now 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. 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.
Aura has been around forever, but only recently—searches for the word spiked in May 2024, per Google Trends—has 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.
It's not measured by net worth, follower counts, or awards—though 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.
30. Nettspend
Nettspend’s aura really comes from him being a badass kid. There’s a certain level of pure, unmeasurable potential that teenagers have before they realize they aren’t immortal, and Nett has used his to take the rap underground by storm—one torched cigarette and trashed stage at a time. If you don’t get it, you probably were never meant to. The future is now, don’t be an old head.
29. Keanu Reeves
Honestly, this dude has about 10 different roles that could land him on this list. We’re talking about Johnny Utah, Neo, and John Wick here. But forget the characters he plays for a second—Reeves is that guy in real life. He’s unbothered but still compassionate. Listen to him talk and you get the sense that he’s cracked the code for the exact, universally correct amount of fucks to give to the things that do and don’t matter.
28. Mariah the Scientist
Mariah The Scientist radiates a unique in-her-own-lane kind of energy, and because of that, she’s hard not to like. She’s 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’s naturally “one of them ones.” Fittingly, one of her best songs is titled “Aura.”
27. Hugo Mendoza
Mendoza is the embodiment of effortless cool and undeniable aura. From pushing boundaries at Stüssy to shaping culture at Awake NY, his calm presence and refined taste in fashion, music, food, and wine set him apart. He’s not a try-hard—he’s been here before, and it shows. From walking Grand Concourse to the Louis Vuitton runway in Paris, and he ain’t even a model? The aura is evident.
26. Sade
If there’s someone who precedes modern-day aura—and eclipses it—Sade is that person. Even though she’s taken a step back from the limelight, we still can’t 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’re aura-less, play some Sade—people might think otherwise.
25. Sukii Baby
The striking face behind one of 2022’s best album covers, Sukii Baby went viral after fans grew curious about the mysterious woman on Drake and 21 Savage’s 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’s aura: “I Chose This Cover Because This Photo Is So Raw… So Authentic.. Not Fabricated.. Sukii Can And Will Only Be Sukii.”
24. Tyshawn Jones
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’t chase cool, he is cool. That kind of presence? You can’t learn it.
23. Yuki Chiba
Aura’s 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 “Mamushi,” he didn’t need to rap in English to make his point—just as he didn’t seven years earlier on the extended version of Frank Ocean’s “Nikes.” Yuki’s aura is naturally fluent.
22. Giovanna Ramos
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’t have to say a word. From the Yachty co-sign to her close relationship with Playboi Carti, she’s effortlessly ill and has an it factor that can’t go unnoticed.
21. Central Cee
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. “Alright.”
20. André 3000
Part of having a real aura is being a singular force. There’s truly no one like André 3000, who—after completing one of the most legendary runs in rap as one half of OutKast—has 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’s still trying to figure it all out.
19. Anthony Edwards
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’t matter. Edwards approaches every game as if he’s the best player on the court, and he’s often willed that into existence.
18. Young Miko
Anime face, gender-fluid ’fits, Gen Z fame … it’s 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—and keeps them there, hanging on her next move.
17. Skepta
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’ paintings made it all the way to Sotheby’s), has excelled in the elusive endeavor of projecting aura.
16. Paige Bueckers
Bueckers doesn’t 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’s 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—whether in TikToks, tunnels, or pressers, the aura stays on. It’s not arrogance—it’s inevitability.
15. Doechii
Doechii’s had aura since “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake,” but since y’all love a bandwagon, let’s 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’t even out.
14. Anok Yai
Yai had aura way before she became one of the most sought-after high-fashion models in the world. It’s 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.
13. Young Thug
Let’s 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’s a rapper who crafted his own language, coded in hyper-specific regional gang slang—lingo so dense, even Fulton County prosecutors couldn’t decode it. And he has a history of dressing on his own terms, rocking everything from colorful ponchos to skinny jeans to dresses.
12. Duke Dennis
Duke Dennis has that type of suave energy that’s effortless, natural, and charismatic enough to carry his presence into a room without needing to say a word. Whether he’s hooping, streaming, or just chilling in silence, people notice. It isn’t forced, it isn’t loud—it’s just there. You might be able to copy his ’fits, his laugh, or his mannerisms, but you probably won’t match his aura. You’re either born with it or you’re not.
11. ASAP Rocky
Forget the immaculate fits, or making dad life seem cool, or the starpower he wields despite not being the biggest hitmaker—you 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’s aura. Case closed.
10. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
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’s head. Afterwards, his teammates gather to hear him speak like he’s 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’s the NBA MVP, on and off the court.
9. Quenlin Blackwell
Quenlin Blackwell is the internet’s most mysterious open book—she went from viral gas-station pickle videos to the Grammys’ stage and Oscars’ red carpet, and we still don’t exactly know how. But we’re 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.
8. Clint419
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’s rubbing shoulders with Nigo or posing in front of the favelas in Brazil, he keeps the same stoic expression. He knows he’s supposed to be in this position—this isn’t a fluke. After all, Corteiz does rule the world.
7. Alexa Demie
Demie’s star power is untouchable. I mean, Euphoria hasn’t been on television in years yet she’s still on our minds. Her elusiveness runs so deep that for a time, we weren’t even sure of her age. Without trying, Demie has turned simple moments—like putting on lip gloss to “Lo Que Pasó, Pasó” in the car—into internet lore. Whether on Euphoria or in front of Petra Collins’ lens, she’s our favorite mystical muse.
6. Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar can’t lose. He moves like a deity through scripture: elusive and omnipotent. He set the tone for rap in the last year: Lamar wasn’t kidding when he said he’s what the culture’s feeling. He is the monk who comes down from the mountain only to ash out the top five he’s been smoking on—the warlord who came back with Drake’s head on a pike.
5. Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean doesn’t play by anyone’s 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.
4. Bad Bunny
Bad Bunny is unencumbered—by fans’ expectations, gender norms, or the gaze of anyone but himself. In a genre ruled by machismo, he shattered conventions: performing in drag on “Yo Perreo Sola,” 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’t give a fuck, and it shows.
3. Timothée Chalamet
Chalamet isn’t your traditional suave celebrity. He's an unapologetic product of the 2010s with a chaotic digital footprint—from his YouTube channel showing off DIY Xbox controller mods to performing “Roman’s Revenge” at his high school talent show—to prove it. In between it all, he’s one of the best actors of his generation. One moment, he's delivering an award-winning film performance; the next, he’s being that one earnest, goofy-but-cool theater kid everyone knew growing up. His aura comes from that duality.
2. Playboi Carti
The era of aura begins with Carti. It’s a playful, one-word descriptor—amplified by Carti Stans and Hyperpop Daily—that 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’re using a baby voice or a Future-style baritone, no one screams aura like Carti.
1. Rihanna
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—just go look at her glare in the “Pon de Replay” music video. Over the past 20 years, Rihanna has brought something to everything she touches—whether that’s 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’s the thing about aura, it can’t be taught or manufactured.