Jidenna: American ‘classic man’ with a distinct fashion style

It is not common for persons of African descent born in western nations to identify with the continent’s cultural practices such as music. However, Jidenna seems to be a rarity as he has not only recognised, but associated himself with the continent’s growing music influence. 

He also seems to have a swagger in his appearance, which is distinct to him alone. So, who is Jidenna, who is known as the “Classic Man”?

Table of Content hide 1Jidenna Biography 2Career 3Jidenna Songs 4Awards 5Jidenna fashion style 6Net worth 7Religion 8Is Jidenna married?

Jidenna Biography 

Jidenna Theodore Mobisson was born on May 4, 1985, in the US state of Wisconsin. He is the son of Oliver Mobisson, who was a Professor of Computer Science at Enugu State University; and Tama Mobisson, an accountant. Jidenna spent a portion of his childhood in Nigeria. The Mobisson family returned to the country when he was six years old. He lost his father in 2010.

Jidenna began exhibiting his passion for music in high (secondary school). He co-founded Black Spadez, a rap group, while in school. He began producing, arranging and writing music for himself and the group. He recorded his first music project alongside the group as part of their final project at Milton Academy in 2003.

He rejected a record deal to study at Stanford University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity from the university in 2008.

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Career 

After his graduation, Jidenna moved between Los Angeles, Oakland, Brooklyn, and Atlanta to further his music career while working as a full-time teacher. He eventually signed a record deal with Wondaland Records, a label owned by recording artist, Janelle Monáe, while his body of work is distributed by Epic Records.

He has worked with several artists who are his label mates such as Roman GianArthur, St. Beauty, Deep Cotton, and Janelle Monáe herself. His first official single, Classic Man, featuring GianArthur, was released in 2015 and enjoyed massive airplay across America. The song debuted at number 49 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. It became the lead song of his extended play (EP) entitled: “The Eephus”.

Classic Man was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 58th Grammy Awards in 2016. It also earned him two awards at the 2015 Soul Train Music Awards: “Song of the Year” and “Video of the Year”, and he won two other awards with other songs.

As of the time of writing this piece, Jidenna has released two studio albums and two EPs.

Jidenna Songs 

Jidenna’s songs include:

• Yoga, 2015
• Classic Man, 2015.
• Extraordinaire, 2015
• Safari, 2017
• Out of Body, 2017
• Helicopter/Beware, 2017
• A Bull’s Tale, 2017
• Some Kind of Way, 2017
• Trampoline, 2017
• The Let Out, 2017                                                   
• Spy Candy, 2017
• White Niggas, 2017
• 2point, 2017
• Little Bit More, 2017
• Adaora, 2017
• Vaporiza, 2019
• Pretty and Afraid, 2019
• Babouche, 2019

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Awards

The awards that Jidenna has received are:

• Soul Train Music Award, Best New Artist (2015) 
• Song of the Year, Classic Man ft Roman GianArthur, Soul Train Music Award (2015).
• Video of the Year, Soul Train Music Awards, Classic Man ft Roman GianArthur, 2015
• Best Dance Performance, Yoga ft Janelle Monae, Soul Train Music Award, 2015.

Jidenna fashion style

Jidenna has, over the years developed his particular style of fashion. Speaking in an interview, he stated that he learnt about the influence of clothing from his psychology professor, Philip Zimbardo.

But it was not until his father passed away in 2010 that he would start to wear his dandy look. Jidenna characterises his appearance as a fusion of European and African aesthetics, mainly influenced by the Harlem Renaissance and with elements of traditional West African design.

Net worth 

His net worth is estimated at $1 million.

Religion 

Jidenna claims to not practice any particular religion. He claimed to have interacted with every major faith. Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

In addition, he said that the prayers are distinct and that he is not personally attached to any particular prophet.

Is Jidenna married?

The musician is not married. Regarding his previous partnerships, Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, a sports journalist, was said to be his girlfriend. The performer, however, declined to confirm the rumours. 

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