It feels like ages now since the surprise hit โClassic Manโ first started blowing up the airwaves. Initially, I was not that big of a fan of the song. It really had to grow on me and it wasnโt until Kendrick hopped on the remix that I learned who the artist was behind it, and much like the song itself, I thought Jidenna was more of a gimmick than an actual artist. But thanks in large part toย Luke Cage, I decided to give his music a chance and I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. His debut,ย The Chief, quickly became an album that I was looking forward to.
The Chief lies in the genre grey area that seemingly everybody is aiming for these days. In general Iโd call it pop, but it blends in so many different elements from hip-hop, dance, R&B, and others that it becomes pointless to really try to categorize it. For the most part, they managed to turn all this genre blending into generally enjoyable music. โLong Live the Chiefโ is the song that was featured onย Luke Cage and itโs jarring synths and aggressive drums immediately drew me to it, โBambiโ is one of my favorite songs off the album with itโs unique mix of old and new musical styles, and โLittle Bit Moreโ is his version of island music, a bit cliche but still good. It all has some elements of familiarity with stuff youโd hear on the top 40โs charts but itโs sum of parts elevates it all past generic.
โMama put a little money in the mattress
Taught me how to make a silver spoon out of plastic
You can either sink, swim or be the captain
Get the last word Iโmma get the last laugh in
Now they say โJidenna why you dressing so classic?โ
I donโt want my best dressed day in a casketโ
Jidenna isnโt a straight up singer, nor is he a straight up rapper. He constantly switches between the two styles throughoutย The Chief and for the most part he does a fairly good job with both. He may not be a traditional singer, but he still creates some compelling melodies and his rhymes, althoughย simplistic at times, are usually effective at punctuating a statement or sentiment. However, at times he can fall victim to the โmaster of noneโ syndrome that so many other similar artists struggle with. But his unique perspective and embracing of his cultural diversity masks that shortcoming.
Have you heardย The Chief? Whatโd you think about it? Do you think he did enough to establish himself as a genuine artist? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to leave your rating for the album.
