Diandra Reviews It All

Jidenna makes music to blast on your radio, as you make an entrance in your city. Yes, while most people plan their “party” entrance, Jidenna’s The Chief is an anthemic record that would make a skyscraper bow to you in welcome. Track after track, Jidenna’s debut album is an announcement that he has arrived, and you will NEVER want him to leave.
Jidenna – Bambi

Bambi

First, I cannot believe that this is Jidenna’s debut record. He seems to be everywhere ever since his hit “Classic Man” brought an air of old-world sophistication back into our radios. Having become so popular, I forgot that he, technically, is a new artist to the mainstream. Thus, The Chief does not feel like a debut album as much as a sophomore or third one. This is not an insult but a complete compliment. Songs like, “Safari”, “Bambi”, and “Adaora” feel like classic Jidenna, which, again, is weird. He is a NEW artist. Yet, Jidenna owns his style and demeanor with a confident grace that makes The Chief feel as if it was always in your record collection. There is not one song that comes off like he is searching for his sound or trying to leave an impression. Like the soul-men/beats that inspire Jidenna, he knows he is impressing, and could care less for those rare “crazies” that do not like him. Instead, The Chief feels like a recruitment record for future “Jidennists” ( my name for Jidenna fans), who will praise Jidenna’s distinct sound and ability to purvey his own world/ culture.

Jidenna – The Let Out ft. Nana Kwabena

The Let Out

Like Kanye, Taylor Swift, and Drake, when you hear Jidenna, you hear a music class of his own. Whether you love it or hate it, you know his music is his, and will set a standard others will follow as if were a culture he was building: not an album. I say this because yes, The Chief, is good, but its power lies in its potential to make Jidenna an artistic figure others artists will look up to. Songs such as “White N-ggas” and “Chief Don’t Run” are the tracks you relish for their strong rhythms and thought- provoking human commentary. Moreover, they are further exhalation that Jidenna knows how to flow a rhyme and lay down a beat like tokens being tossed; they feel like gold specks speeding at you and pinching you with their shine and slight weight. Jidenna has mastered the art of packing a bassline to be heavy enough for you to get down in body and spirit. Lyrically, he tussles between a playful suave and a personal search for wisdom. There are moments where in the same song, “2 Points”, he can go from a cool cockiness to a piercing pensiveness. It is fascinating, and adds a level of intrigue by dividing his song between his outer and inner self.

Jidenna – Chief Don’t Run

Chief Don’t Run

While, at times, you meet the Jidenna that knows how to party “Long Live The Chief”, other times, you meet the man that, like the rest of us, is trying to figure out his place in life, “ A Bull’s Tale”. Yet, no matter what The Chief never loses its capacity to leave an impact though word and rhythm. Again, it is an album for welcome. For More Information And To Buy The Chief Click Here.

Jidenna – Long Live the Chief

Long Live The Chief