Jidenna Theodore Mobisson (born May 4, 1985), known mononymously as Jidenna, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He signed with

Janelle Monáe Janelle Monáe Robinson ( ; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and actress. She has received ten Grammy Award nominations, and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. ...

's record label Wondaland Arts Society, an imprint of

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

to release his debut single, " Classic Man" (featuring

Roman GianArthur Roman GianArthur is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B 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 ...

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

) in 2015. The song peaked at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, received

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music Sound recording and reproduction, recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video ...

certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), and was followed up with the single "

Yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

" (with Janelle Monáe) that same year. Both of which preceded the release of Wondaland's debut compilation project, '' The Eephus'' (2015). Jidenna's debut studio album, '' The Chief'' (2017) peaked at number 38 on the ''Billboard'' 200. His second album, '' 85 to Africa'' (2019) explored the

afro fusion Afro fusion (also spelled afrofusion or afro-fusion) is a Dance style, dance and musical style that emerged between the 1970s and 2000s. In the same way as the dance style, the musical style invokes fusions of various regional and inter-cont ...

musical style. "Classic Man" received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination for

Best Rap/Sung Performance 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 ...

, while Jidenna won in four categories at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards.

Early life and education

Jidenna Theodore Mobisson was born on May 4, 1985, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin,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, a White American accountant, and Oliver Mobisson, a

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

n Igbo 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, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

at Enugu State University. When Mobisson was six years old, the family moved back to the United States due to a failed kidnapping attempt. 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 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 (informally referred to as Milton) is a coeducational, co-educational, Independent school, independent, and College-preparatory school, college-preparatory boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts, educating students in g ...

, 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 A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

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

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, 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, ...

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

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

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

'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay 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 at the 58th Grammy Awards. In June of the same year, Jidenna performed the song with Monáe at the

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

. Jidenna also received an award for best new artist at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards 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 (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 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. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller in the Ardells in the early 1960s and a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 196 ...

' '' Middle Man'' 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''. In 2019 Jidenna released his second album, ''85 to Africa''. In 2021, Jidenna co-wrote "

Woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...

" from rapper

Doja Cat Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini (born October 21, 1995), known professionally as Doja Cat (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began making and releasing music on SoundCl ...

's album ''

Planet Her ''Planet Her'' is the third studio album by American rapper Doja Cat. It was released on June 25, 2021, by Kemosabe Records and RCA Records. The album, titled after a fictional planet created by Doja Cat, is an amalgamation of pop, hip hop, an ...

''. The single became a sleeper hit, charting in the top 10 of numerous international markets (United States, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Portugal, New Zealand, Greece) more than a year after release.

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 the Bronx. He rose to prominence as part of the ...

and

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

, as well as the Nigerian

Highlife Highlife is a Ghanaian music genre that originated along the coastal cities of present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (region), history as a colony of the British and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It encompasse ...

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 (; March 23, 1933 – October 14, 2024) was an American psychologist and a professor at Stanford University. He was an internationally known educator, researcher, author and media personality in psychology who authored mo ...

. However, he would not adopt his signature

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance and personal grooming, refined language and leisurely hobbies. A dandy could be a self-made man both in person and ''persona'', who emulated the aristocratic style of l ...

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 ti ...

with hints of traditional

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

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 Lon ...

, Brooklyn.

Appearances in popular media

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

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original series ''

Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...

''. Season 1 episode 5, "

Just to Get a Rep Just or JUST may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Just" (song), 1995, by Radiohead * ''Just!'', Australian author Andy Griffiths' children's story collections * ''Just'', a 1998 album by Dave Lindholm * "Just", a 2005 song on ''Lost and Found ...

", 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'' 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 genre of hip-hop music and technique of remixing music that involves slowing down the tempo and DJing. It was pioneered by DJ Screw, and became a staple in the ...

version of " Classic Man" featured in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

winning 2016 film ''Moonlight''.

Discography

Studio albums

*'' The Chief'' (2017) * '' 85 to Africa'' (2019) * ''ME YOU & GOD'' (2023)

Extended Plays

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

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

, - ,

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, " Classic Man" (featuring

) , Best Rap/Sung Collaboration , , - ,

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, '' Planet Her (Deluxe)'' ,

Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the r ...

, , -

ASFA Awards

, - ,

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

BMI Awards

, - , 2016 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards , " Classic Man" , Most Performed Songs , , - , 2016 BMI London Pop Awards , " Classic Man" , Most Performed Songs , , - , 2023 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards , "

" , Most Performed Songs , , - , 2023 BMI London Awards , "

" , Song Of The Year , , - , 2023 BMI London Awards , "

" , Most Performed Songs , , - , 2023 BMI Pop Awards , "

" , Most Performed Songs , , -

Soul Train Music Awards

, - , rowspan="4",

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, Himself , Best New Artist , , - , rowspan="2", " Classic Man" (featuring

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

" (with

) , Best Dance Performance , , -

References

External links

* {{Authority control 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 American musicians of Nigerian descent