Pour out a little liquor for the Classic Man. It’s been a few years since Jidenna emerged with his pre-packed vision of vintage masculinity – all three-piece suits and tight haircuts. It wasn’t exactly revelatory but the gimmick did find its sweet spot, giving Jidenna the kind of cultural juice that Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z couldn’t previously achieve with their more high-end Suit & Tie, establishing the #JidennaHive and setting the Wisconsin-born singer apart from a crowded field of pop-minded singing rappers.
Cut to 2019 and his new album, 85 to Africa, etaches Jidenna from his Classic Man guise. His west African roots have occasionally been evident in his music – Jidenna partially grew up in Nigeria, where his father was born – but this album leans even harder on old Afrobeat and high life music, with a splash of Caribbean rhythms for good measure. The light guitar licks of Sufi Woman offer an ideal backdrop for Jidenna’s easy-breezy melodies. The sun-kissed Vaporiza, another highlight, benefits from some peppy brass work.
Given the accomplished nature of the instrumentation, it is a shame that, unlike the classic records it ostensibly draws influence from, the production of 85 to Africa is clean to the point of sterility. Some dirt on the guitars might have gifted the record more warmth. And though the versatile nature of his voice is a strength, it’s fair to say that Jidenna may never be more than a competent rhyme-spitter. While the title track is distinctly personal, as he thinks about relatives and envisions a global black seat of power, his rapping lacks distinction.
Still, when he finds that pocket, Jidenna’s star quality really comes through. The album is bookended by two of his finest moments. A raw, scratchy horn sample forms the basis of Worth the Weight as he has fun, asserting that he gave up a career in Wall Street to instead target getting his face on money (like he’s Prince Akeem). Closer The Other Half is a grinding hip-hop soul love song with a beating heart as big as its bass. In these moments, Jidenna gives reason to believe he can outlast the gimmicks.
