Jidenna

Wondaland emcee Jidenna wholeheartedly believes that “it’s a beautiful thing when people feel like they wanna live life as who they truly are.” He does, however, understand the consequences of doing so in this day and age. In this exclusive clip, the up and coming artist talks to us about fulfilling one’s purpose in life while staying true to themselves, as well as the struggles he’s faced as a light-skinned Nigerian-American. When Jidenna was young, his mother informed him of the difficulties he’d face growing up in America. “The fact that you have African blood in you is gonna make it hard,” his mother advised. What he didn’t realize was what was to come from his own ethnic group, as many people in his family are light-skinned. “When you’re light-skinned, you’re a heavier target for being kidnapped because you’re seen as more valuable,” he says in regards to Igbo people. “We were robbed – our family’s been assaulted,” Jidenna states. “We’ve had a lot of issues.” One particular instance he distinctly remembers is the time he visited his village in Nigeria to bury his father. “I had to bring a lot of AK-47s,” he recalled, since he was viewed by the other Igbo natives as a rich American. Watch above to hear more of his frightening story.

Jidenna opened up to VladTV about his choice to dress nontraditional in Hip-Hop with his custom tailored suits. He added that his unique look is inspired by the 1920s and earlier eras, but Jidenna said he likes to put his own millennial spin on his look. During the conversation the “Classic Man” rapper also addressed a tweet directed at his labelmate, Janelle Monae, where she told a Twitter follower that she was “not for male consumption.” Jidenna explained that he viewed the tweet as Janelle saying that she is more than just something pretty to look at and for men to “gobble up.”

In this VladTV exclusive, “Classic Man” Jidenna sits down to discuss where he grew up, how he got into music, and when he hooked up with “The Electric Lady” Janelle Monae and her Wondaland label. Jidenna starts off by telling Vlad that he was “conceived in Nigeria,” born in Wisconsin, and would later move back to Nigeria as a toddler. He also briefly discusses being born to a Nigerian father and a White (Scottish, Irish and German) mother, before delving into his numerous moves across the United States before he settled in the Bay Area for college. The “Yoga” emcee discloses that his rapper beginnings started at around 12 years old and how about two years later he began producing. The 29-year-old then shares the story about how he and Janelle Monae became close friends during the “MySpace Era,” and how her appearance at his team’s masquerade ball led to their partnership on Wondaland and Epic Records.

Jidenna’s “Classic Man” should come with a disclaimer. From the up-tempo beat to the infectious hook, it’s one of those rare songs that will be stuck in your head from the first listen, whether you’re a fan of the sound or not. And earlier this week, Kendrick Lamar hopped on the official remix, which beefs up a single that’s already smack-dab in the middle of Billboard’s Hot 100.