Jidenna Theodore Mobisson (born May 4, 1985), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

as Jidenna, is an American rapper and singer. In 2015, Jidenna released two singles, "

Classic Man "Classic Man" is a song by Nigerian-American rapper Jidenna, released on February 3, 2015, as his commercial debut single by Epic Records. The song, which features vocals from fellow American singer Roman GianArthur, was included on Janelle Monáe ...

" (featuring

Roman GianArthur Roman GianArthur is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer known for his collaborations with artists Janelle Monáe and Jidenna. He is a member of Monae's Wondaland Arts Collective, and was featured on Jidenna's Grammy-nom ...

and

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

) and "

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

" (with

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Mon� ...

), promoting Monáe's label Wondaland Records' compilation EP, '' The Eephus'' (2015) with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

. His debut album, '' The Chief'', was released on February 17, 2017, and peaked at number 38 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Early life and education

Jidenna Theodore Mobisson was born on May 4, 1985, in

Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin. The population was 18,877 at the 2020 census. The city also forms one of the core areas of the United States Census Bureau's Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolit ...

, Amaya Mendizabal
"Tomorrow's Hits: Jidenna, Ashley Clark & Jasmine Thompson"
''Billboard'', May 15, 2015: "Born in Wisconsin, and raised for a period in Nigeria, the nomadic singer has since resided in several stateside cities and is currently based in Brooklyn." to Tama Mobisson, an accountant, and

Oliver Mobisson Oliver Udemmadu Ogbonna Mobisson (April 23, 1943 – February 18, 2010) was a Nigerian scientist, professor, activist, and entrepreneur. He was also a founding Professor of the Anambra State University of Technology (now the Enugu State University ...

, a

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

academic. Mobisson grew up partially in Nigeria, where his father was working as a professor of

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...

at Enugu State University. When Mobisson was six years old, the family moved back to the United States. In 1995, the family moved to

Norwood, Massachusetts Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Norwood is part of the Greater Boston area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,611. The town was named after Norwood, England. Norwood is ...

, and then to

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

in 2000. His father died in 2010. In high school he became a co-founder of the rap group Black Spadez, and began producing, arranging and writing. Mobisson released his first album with Black Spadez as their final project at

Milton Academy Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective, coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered ...

, where Mobisson graduated in 2003.Murray, Nick.
'Classic Man' Singer Jidenna on How His Father's Death Inspired His Dandy Style: 'It Was My Way of Grieving'
January 16, 2016. ''Billboard Vol 128.1'' In 2008, after graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, he pursued his music career while working full-time as a teacher, moving between Los Angeles,

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, before signing a deal with recording artist Janelle Monáe's Wondaland Records.

Career

Jidenna is signed to

's Wondaland Records label and distributed through

. He has collaborated with a number of artists that are signed to this label; including

St. Beauty St. Beauty was an American musical duo consisting of singers Alexe Belle and Isis Valentino. The duo was affiliated with a larger artistic collective called Wondaland Art Society, a group of musicians that also includes Janelle Monáe, Jidenna, R ...

Deep Cotton Deep Cotton is an American funk duo based in Atlanta, whose members are Chuck Lightning and Nate "Rocket" Wonder. Part of the Wondaland Arts Society,Ann Powers"Janelle Monae in Wondaland: The Atlanta-based musician lets her creative spirits flow th ...

and Janelle Monáe herself, and then began recording a five-song compilation of its label's first

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP), titled '' The Eephus''. In February 2015, Jidenna released his first official single, called "

" featuring GianArthur. The song was in heavy rotation throughout the United States, and debuted at number 49 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

chart. On March 31, 2015, the second single from the EP was released – "

" by Janelle Monáe and Jidenna. His song "Classic Man" was nominated for

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

at the

58th Grammy Awards The 58th Annual Grammy Awards was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ceremony recognizes the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, which was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 201 ...

. In June of the same year, Jidenna performed the song with Monáe at the

BET Awards The BET Awards is an American award show that was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate black entertainers and other minorities in music, film, sports and philanthropy. The awards, which are presented annua ...

. Jidenna also received an award for best new artist at the

2015 Soul Train Music Awards The 2015 Soul Train Music Awards was held at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Centric and BET on November 29, 2015. Jill Scott was honored with Soul Train Awards' first ever Lady of Soul Award. The ceremony, hosted by Erykah Badu, honore ...

in November. Jidenna is a founding member of Fear & Fancy, a social club that began in California in 2006. The society, reminiscent of the social aid and pleasure clubs of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, is an international collective of entrepreneurs, activists, educators, scientists, and artists who host soirees, dinner parties, and demonstrations. In June 2016 he released the single "Chief Don't Run". On February 17, 2017, Jidenna released '' The Chief'', his first studio album. The album cover pays homage to

Boz Scaggs William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, he began his solo career in 1969, though he lacked a major hit until h ...

' ''

Middle Man Middle man or Middleman or The Middle Men may refer to: * an intermediary, such as: ** a wholesaler ** a reseller Film, television and books * ''Middle Man'' (film), a 2016 American black comedy * ''Middle Man'' (1990 film), the fifth installme ...

'' album. The lead singles "Sufi Woman" and "Tribe" were released on July 26, 2019, and will appear on his second studio album ''

85 to Africa ''85 to Africa'' is the second studio album by Nigerian-American recording artist Jidenna. It was released on August 23, 2019 through Wondaland and Epic Records. It follows the release of both his debut effort '' The Chief'' and the EP ''Boomeran ...

''. In 2019 Jidenna released his second album, ''85 to Africa''.

Style

Jidenna stated that his major influences include

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

and

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hi ...

, as well as the Nigerian

Highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (British colony), history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions ...

music genre. Over the years, the singer developed his personal style in college, where he learned about the power of fashion from his psychology professor

Philip Zimbardo Philip George Zimbardo (; born March 23, 1933) is an American psychologist and a professor emeritus at Stanford University. He became known for his 1971 Stanford prison experiment, which was later severely criticized for both ethical and scient ...

. However, he would not adopt his signature

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...

style until the death of his father in 2010. Jidenna describes his look as "heavily inspired by the

Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theater, politics and scholarship centered in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s and 1930s. At the t ...

with hints of traditional

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

n design," and a "marriage of European and African aesthetics." Jidenna currently resides in

East Flatbush East Flatbush is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. East Flatbush is bounded by Crown Heights and Empire Boulevard to the north; Brownsville and East 98th Street to the east; Flatlands, Canarsie and the ...

, Brooklyn.

Appearances in popular media

In September 2016, Jidenna was featured in an episode of the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

original series ''Luke Cage''. Season 1 episode 5, "Just to Get a Rep", opens with Jidenna performing "Long Live the Chief" at the fictitious Harlem's Paradise. He performed "Long Live the Chief" and "Little Bit More" with a full band on ''

The Daily Show with Trevor Noah ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk and satirical news television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central with release shortly after on Paramount+. ''The Daily Show'' draws its comedy and satire form from ...

'' in October 2016. Jidenna guest starred on '' Insecure'' in the episodes "Thirsty as Fuck," and "Shady as Fuck," which aired in November 2016. A

chopped and screwed Chopped and screwed (also called screwed and chopped or slowed and throwed) is a music genre and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and deejaying. It developed in the Houston hip hop scene in the early 1990s by DJ ...

version of "

" featured in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winning 2016 film ''Moonlight''.

Discography

*'' Wondaland Presents: The Eephus'' (2015) *'' The Chief'' (2017) *Boomerang – EP (2017) * ''

'' (2019)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

, - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, "

" (featuring

) ,

, , -

ASFA Awards

, - ,

, Crossing Boarders with Fashion , Continental (Africa) , , -

Soul Train Music Awards

, - , rowspan="4",

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, Himself , Best New Artist , , - , rowspan="2", "

" (featuring

) , Song of the Year , , - , Video of the Year , , - , "

" (with

) , Best Dance Performance , , -

References

External links

* {{Use mdy dates, date=January 2022 Epic Records artists Living people Stanford University alumni 1985 births Milton Academy alumni Singers from Wisconsin People from Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin American people of Igbo descent American contemporary R&B singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American male singers Pop rappers American male pop singers