Concert Review: Jidenna Goes Mike Tyson At BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyn
The “Classic Man” singer brought new music and his bold style in one of the MOST packed BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyns I have ever seen. For being outside, it felt like the world was a small space filled with people eager to feel glory. As Jidenna closed out his show, he remarked, “We are going to get to victory! We are closer than ever!” It was the most general statement that was specifically understood.
It is no secret that the current state of America is heightening in racism and the boldness to commit hate crimes. Yet, every Renaissance comes like a dawn to a historically dark instance within a nation. I like to hope that this current darkness is like a tunnel that leads to a light, of which Jidenna certainly hopes for the same. As a performer, he is energy bottled in a body; constantly moving and dodging through the stage like Mike Tyson, who he quoted. While he claimed to be nervous, unless nerves are code for unnaturally confident, I doubt it. Jidenna rocketed through the show like a tour-de-force, going into the crowd and looking to the Heavens as if the only one who could match him in performance was Jesus, himself. I, certainly, was waiting for him to show because there was a sermonic feel to the event.
BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyn has always been philanthropic and, thus, political. This series and its founders have no qualms saying they support the needy, stand with the racially oppressed, and defend every gender and sexual identity. If there is one thing I have learned from BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyn is that they show your moral choices are political because how you choose to see people moves how policies treat them. Hence, Jidenna’s show felt like a celebration of black culture, history, beauty, and how all three intersect in music, and particularly a concert.
Jidenna IS A BIG DEAL, and to see BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyn only gain more acclaim as a series, after 40 years, is exciting. For all that it has done for NYC/BK, we need concert series like these to elevate and remind communities of their importance. After all, love is born from being shared, and you never share more than with your community. For More Information On BRIC! Celebrate Brooklyn Click Here.
