Much like most hip-hop released in 2016, Jidenna isn’t easy to categorise. Despite a limited discography, the nomadic MC has shrugged off convention and trends in favour of a YOLO beat buffet, drawing as much inspiration from Afrobeat as it does contemporary hip-hop. Similarly, it’s as easy to hear the influence of KRS-One in Jidenna’s approach as it is Fela Kuti.
At his core, Jidenna is a throwback to an era long past, when Africa medallions and stoic black fists populated the rap landscape. An educated, eloquent and determined rapper delivering his message with no compromise. The message is nothing new, but in 2016 is most definitely different. In a crowd of Sad Boys and nihilistic rappers, Jidenna preaches ambition and education.
Despite having only a handful of singles and a Luke Cage cameo to his name, Jidenna has the life experience of a man decades-deep in the game. We took a few minutes of his time to get to better understand one of the most interesting a promising rappers from the class of 2016.
Beer Pong Landed Him A 'Luke Cage' Cameo
![For anyone that missed the hype around “Classic Man”, Jidenna’s cameo appearance as a musical guest on the Marvel x Netflix series Luke Cage likely served as a killer first impression. The story of how Jidenna – who at the time had only two singles to his name – somehow managed to feature on the same stage as industry OGs including Raphael Saadiq, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and The Delfonics, all starts with a good education.
"I taught at the worst schools in New York City. The transfer schools, they were like the end of the road for you as a child,” explains Jidenna. “I was telling everybody 'just so you know, I'm not here to just tell you 'stay in school' for no reason. I'm gonna tell you exactly how this game works.' Because, when I walk in the room I can present to anybody, and I got that from my analytical mind that I got from going to school, that’s first. Second, when I make moves now, the door's already open because of my network,” he continues in an impassioned tone. “The guy I played beer pong with [in college] is now the producer of this show [Luke Cage]. Cheo Hodari Coker, he hit me up and then boom – I'm on the show. The same thing happened with Insecure, which is a HBO show that's about to blow up, by Issa Rae, I went to school with her as well. I have no acting experience but I'm gonna act in a couple episodes.”
An advocate for commitment and hard work, Jidenna concludes “school is what got me into these places, fast. And that's why I turned down a deal when I was 18. I went to school instead, and I'm glad I did.”](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ADrWgBZeXqY/mqdefault.jpg)
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For anyone that missed the hype around “Classic Man”, Jidenna’s cameo appearance as a musical guest on the Marvel x Netflix series Luke Cage likely served as a killer first impression. The story of how Jidenna – who at the time had only two singles to his name – somehow managed to feature on the same stage as industry OGs including Raphael Saadiq, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings and The Delfonics, all starts with a good education.
"I taught at the worst schools in New York City. The transfer schools, they were like the end of the road for you as a child,” explains Jidenna. “I was telling everybody 'just so you know, I'm not here to just tell you 'stay in school' for no reason. I'm gonna tell you exactly how this game works.' Because, when I walk in the room I can present to anybody, and I got that from my analytical mind that I got from going to school, that’s first. Second, when I make moves now, the door's already open because of my network,” he continues in an impassioned tone. “The guy I played beer pong with [in college] is now the producer of this show [Luke Cage]. Cheo Hodari Coker, he hit me up and then boom – I'm on the show. The same thing happened with Insecure, which is a HBO show that's about to blow up, by Issa Rae, I went to school with her as well. I have no acting experience but I'm gonna act in a couple episodes.”
An advocate for commitment and hard work, Jidenna concludes “school is what got me into these places, fast. And that's why I turned down a deal when I was 18. I went to school instead, and I'm glad I did.”
As an artist who spent a significant portion of his upbringing in Nigeria, Jidenna is well aware of not only the diverse and exciting music scene in Africa, but the many cultural and economic opportunities on offer across the continent. During a recent interview with Hot 97’s Ebro, Jidenna commented on the African diaspora, stating “if we fully embrace it, we’ll be in a completely different situation than what we’re in now. And the music is the spearhead.”
Pressed on what exactly he believes would happen if there were stronger connections between countries across the diaspora, Jidenna is animated and optimistic.
“It’s infrastructure,” he says. “It can start with entertainment, it can start with publishing, it can start with streaming all across the African continent. And the artists are getting paid for those streams, and are getting paid for royalties on radio. Then it'll move into other industries, into health care, into roads. Then it'll go where the prices will drop, from the US cities direct to African cities, cos more people are going, and it's not just African people who are going, but African-Americans, Caribbean-Americans all the way to Central America.”
“What I'm telling you is not just what I want to happen, it's actually what is going to happen. If we can hear more voices, we're gonna see a change. When the flights become shorter and you can go to places in Australia, and you bring something from your American culture, and you meet somebody in Sydney that changes your life, that conversation then changes and informs the entire world. And it becomes a better world because of diversity. It's always better. I want the African diaspora to have a voice in the world. We need to so that the world is better. I just know that that's gonna happen.”
He Actually DID Hang with the Dalai Lama’s Homies in the Sky Lounge
![On his 2016 single “Long Live The Chief”, Jidenna boasts “I’m with the Dalai Lama’s homies in the sky lounge.” The unusual claim is right on brand for the rapper, who had previously made mention of meeting Bill Clinton and going through school with members of the Kennedy family. The most unusual part however is that the claims are all true.
“I'm not a rapper where like, what I'm saying is some fantasy land thing.” Jidenna says with a laugh. “I might use some nice slanguage, but the shit is based all on truth. This is the age of the internet bruh. Somebody will be Googling it and trying to figure out [the truth]. I already looked on Genius, and they already certified all of it [laughs].”
The line before that, the princes [“I’m on a yacht with a prince in Dubai now”], I met through school.” He continues. “These are all things I did before fame. That was the only thing I could brag about. I'm in a world where all these rappers brag about things, I'm like 'man I don't have a huge yacht, a Learjet that I fly around in,’ so I'm like 'OK I've gotta find some things that I'm proud of.’”
“I got into Harvard, I rejected it for Stanford. Alright cool, check. I know some lamas, check. Princes went to school with me, check. Went to school with the Kennedys, check. I could probably run this country if I wanted to, check.”
“I met Bill Clinton cos he was at my graduation. It's all ridiculous to me. But it makes for a good story.”](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WiUibQxWgik/mqdefault.jpg)
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On his 2016 single “Long Live The Chief”, Jidenna boasts “I’m with the Dalai Lama’s homies in the sky lounge.” The unusual claim is right on brand for the rapper, who had previously made mention of meeting Bill Clinton and going through school with members of the Kennedy family. The most unusual part however is that the claims are all true.
“I'm not a rapper where like, what I'm saying is some fantasy land thing.” Jidenna says with a laugh. “I might use some nice slanguage, but the shit is based all on truth. This is the age of the internet bruh. Somebody will be Googling it and trying to figure out [the truth]. I already looked on Genius, and they already certified all of it [laughs].”
The line before that, the princes [“I’m on a yacht with a prince in Dubai now”], I met through school.” He continues. “These are all things I did before fame. That was the only thing I could brag about. I'm in a world where all these rappers brag about things, I'm like 'man I don't have a huge yacht, a Learjet that I fly around in,’ so I'm like 'OK I've gotta find some things that I'm proud of.’”
“I got into Harvard, I rejected it for Stanford. Alright cool, check. I know some lamas, check. Princes went to school with me, check. Went to school with the Kennedys, check. I could probably run this country if I wanted to, check.”
“I met Bill Clinton cos he was at my graduation. It's all ridiculous to me. But it makes for a good story.”
Jidenna’s debut long player Long Live The Chief is yet to secure a concrete release date, but the album will include a BBC documentary, shot on location around Africa as the Nigerian-born artist tours the continent. The feature is the result of pioneering co-operation between Epic Records, Sony Music West Africa and Sony Music South Africa.
“One of the highlights is me going home, to Enugu Nigeria, seeing my house, where I come from.” Says Jidenna, offering a glimpse at what will likely be a very personal documentary. “When I went home I had kids at my primary school singing to me, they had flags everywhere in the town with my face on it, and the Nigerian flag. There's just so much pride, and it was such a royal welcome. And I'm not from high esteemed royalty. My father's from the bush, he went to MIT [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] from the bush.”
“Going back to where we’re from, it's a humbling day and it centres the entire narrative," Jidenna explains. "So people don't just see me as a guy in a suit that's always been this, African James Bond or whatever [laughs].”
