Album of the Year #20: Jidenna - The Chief - HipHop | HipHop Channel

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Album of the Year #20: Jidenna - The Chief - HipHop

Album of the Year #20: Jidenna - The Chief - HipHop

Album of the Year #20: Jidenna - The Chief

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 05:01 AM PST

Artist: Jidenna

Album: The Chief

Label: Wondaland

Released: February 17th, 2017

Listen:

Spotify

Apple Music

Google Play

Background:

Jidenna Mobisson was born into a very interesting life. His father was a Nigerian Chieftan of the Igbo tribe (where this album title takes its name), and a very influential scholar in Nigeria. Born in Wisconsin, Jidenna spent some of his youth in Africa, before narrowly avoiding a kidnap attempt and moving to Massachusetts for the rest of his young life. He eventually discovered hip-hop music, with Big Daddy Kane and KRS-One being his personal favorites, as well as his inspiration to rap himself. In high school, he formed a hip-hop group known as the Black Spadez, and began to produce, write, and engineer his own music. The Black Spadez released a few projects before Jidenna's acceptance into Stanford University. Once his degree was achieved, he began to pursue music full time, and was eventually discovered by R&B songstress Janelle Monae, who signed Jidenna to Wondaland Records, her own imprint of Epic. The label's collective EP, The Eephus, was released in early 2015, which features Jidenna's multi-platinum breakout hit, Classic Man, which reached the top 40 on the singles charts. He eventually began to work on his own studio album, and after suffering several delays (the first single, Long Live The Chief, was released in late 2015), The Chief finally released in February 2017.

Review:

Jidenna is undeniably one of the most unique figures in the rap game, with his high-end, traditional fashion and overall classy demeanor. Hell, the album cover was directly inspired by the 1980 soul album, Middle Man by Boz Scaggs. Sonically, this album is just as unique as the person behind the microphone. Mostly produced by Jidenna himself, the Chief's sound is eclectic, and borrows from a wide array of different genres. Every song has it's own flavor and influence, and there's truly something for everyone. Chief Don't Run, one of the album's singles, is a hard-hitting anthem with muddy vocal melodies gliding across the aggressive, clap-based production. The album's lead single, Long Live the Chief, maintains a very grimy sound, with ear piercing synths serving the groove across the boom-bap inspired drum line. The song Trampoline is an amalgamation of 50s Motown and trap, with the groovy, old-fashioned grandiose horn sections being accompanied by some crisp snares and bouncy hi-hats. In fact, several songs on this album partner the modern trap percussion with whatever sonic surprise Jidenna has in store, such as the silky R&B track Bambi, or the combination song Helicopters/Beware, where Jidenna takes a shot at the auto-tuned melodic sound that's wildly prevalent in today's hip-hop sound. What makes Jidenna shine on this album, however, is his digression away from hip-hop: the aforementioned Bambi, as well as the Afrobeat pop songs Little Bit More and Some Kind of Way, which act as a homage to Jidenna's heritage. Safari, featuring several of his label-mates, is a synth-pop/rap hybrid, and Adaora is a Latin-infused song of seduction.

As you can clearly see, Jidenna's sonic range is vast, but his lyrical ability is just as broad. While not the most elusive technical rapper, Jidenna sacrifices quantity for quality, as he covers a wide array of topics and really tries to tell a story. On Chief Don't Run, one of the most introspective tracks on the list, Jidenna opens up about the poverty he struggled with as a youth and his rise to wealth-filled stardom. Long Live The Chief acts as a braggadocios, in-your-face banger where Jidenna is soaking in the fame. While he's rather aggressive and confident on these tracks, Jidenna displays his sensitive side in more ways than one. Bambi is a cry for help, as Jidenna details his panic over an ex-lover's upcoming marriage, and the bittersweet tone of the whole thing is something that's typically missing from the average love song. The track White Niggas is Jidenna opening up about the racial prejudices he endured, particularly while growing up and going to school in a very white area. Probably the most touching and heartfelt moment on the album is the closer track, Bully of the Earth, where Jidenna laments and tells the tales of his late father, who was his biggest influence in life. You can really hear how important his father was through the story he tells. Likewise, not every song on this album cuts deep lyrically; Little Bit More and Trampoline are examples of more surface level, simple lyrics, where the melody and flow of the song take precedence.

All in all, Jidenna really wowed me with this debut project. He's truly an artist, and one to be respected. He's a man of several talents, and he really demonstrated on this album that he has the vision to make something really great. Coupled with his EP release Boomerang, I've been floored by the music this man has mad, and I truly hope he does not go unnoticed in the game.

Favorite Lyrics:

It's tomorrow never dies now

I'm on yacht with a prince in Dubai now

I'm with the Dalai Lama's homies in the sky lounge

Cocktails got me loosenin' my tie now

Chief Don't Run

Oh Bambi it's my design

To run the jungle I must be a lion

Or be a cheetah but neither is fine

Don't wanna hurt my dear love of my life

Bambi

I don't spend no major time with no minor people

If it's for the greater good then I might deceive you

Living like a Rolling Stone but I'm quite a Beatle

Living by your own law can be quite illegal

2 Points

You're not a man til' the day your father dies

You're not a woman til' you make your momma cry

Bully of the Earth

Discussion Questions:

  • Did you find this album to live up to the hype after several delays?

  • Is Jidenna's strength as a rapper or a singer?

  • What particular sound do you feel Jidenna exceeded at the most on this album?

  • Does Jidenna have potential to become a star in the game?

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Police recover hard drive containing $1 million in original music stolen from rapper Kendrick Lamar’s producer’s car

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 06:43 PM PST

Travis Scott and Quavo Announce Cover Art and Release Date for "Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho"

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 04:08 PM PST

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8YVkxF_Ic/?taken-by=travisscott

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8YREJgVK_/?taken-by=quavohuncho

seems to be releasing on Christmas according to the captions but still up in the air I'll update the post if we get anymore concrete info but until then lets get it

Quavo also tweeted this: https://twitter.com/QuavoStuntin/status/943609275284369410

Travis "sooner than you then" https://twitter.com/trvisXX/status/943640617325694976

WondaGurl retweeted Travis' tweet, she's prob got production on there

submitted by /u/Loubanga
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Denzel Curry teases a collaboration w/ Flying Lotus

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 01:37 PM PST

The lyrics from Lil Uzi Vert's "XO TOUR Llif3" were the most viewed on Genius in 2017

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 09:40 AM PST

[FRESH] Migos - Stir Fry

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 03:08 AM PST

XXXTentacion to be released on house arrest

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 09:43 AM PST

Joe Budden and Charlamagne to feature in a new show called ”This Year was Dope/Trash”

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 07:44 AM PST

Here is the announcement

Not much info coming out other than coming soon presumably before 2018. Very excited to see how the dynamic between the two works out!

submitted by /u/KingSweden
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Combat Jack has passed away.

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 07:27 AM PST

Passed away due to colon cancer at the age of 48.

https://twitter.com/Rosenbergradio/status/943499777894944768

https://twitter.com/Jersey_Jinx/status/943501658314637313

https://twitter.com/ActionBronson/status/943502906044637185

https://twitter.com/Yoh31/status/943501660898365440

https://twitter.com/ElliottWilson/status/943503812148580353

https://twitter.com/itsthereal/status/943505416536936448

https://twitter.com/Stalley/status/943506417226575874

https://twitter.com/Alchemist/status/943503189214728193

https://twitter.com/DJWhooKid/status/943502142198964225

https://twitter.com/KarenCivil/status/943505322769092615

https://twitter.com/questlove/status/943508556434886656

https://twitter.com/rocmarci/status/943506618917912577

https://twitter.com/JoellOrtiz/status/943507274336735234

submitted by /u/Gotham_Ashes
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Top Dawg Announces TDEXMAS17 concert featuring Rihanna and E40

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 12:05 PM PST

By The Numbers: Revival is Eminem's Least Explicit Album Since Infinite

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 04:05 PM PST

FLOBOTS RESPONDS TO LOGAN PAUL "NO HANDLEBARS"

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 10:43 PM PST

DRAM Gets Interviewed By Puppies | Hounded

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 12:23 PM PST

Joe Budden Podcast Episode 141 | "Everyday Struggle"

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 06:24 AM PST

Eminem, Beyonce, & The Weeknd to headline Coachella

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 03:42 PM PST

Gnarls Barkley is recording a brand new album, CeeLo Green premieres "prequel" single from his new mixtape

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 12:56 PM PST

[FRESH VIDEO] SahBabii - Marsupial Superstars ft. T3 (Official Music Video)

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 10:40 AM PST

Milo, Busdriver, Zomby, and Armand Van Helden have all been accused of sexual assault by Kool AD's ex-wife Cultdays

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 05:40 AM PST

Context on who Cultdays is: She is KOOL AD's ex-wife and a musician, shes released a few projects of her own on bandcamp and has been features on a few publications like Fader etc.

Accusations against busdriver of sexual assault:

https://twitter.com/Cultdays/status/943250751924531200

Link of accusations against Milo and Busdriver, claims that he sleeps around on tour and tells women on tour that hes single: https://twitter.com/Cultdays/status/943187968461647872

https://twitter.com/Cultdays/status/943170783345483777

Accusations against Low End Theory claiming that they are the most recent group that has kept her from entering the stage just because shes a women: https://twitter.com/Cultdays/status/943249796004843521

Accusations against ZombyMusic: https://twitter.com/Cultdays/status/943028663913652226

Accusations against Armand Van Helden: https://twitter.com/Cultdays/status/943152728083066881

Screenshots are in the comment section. I recommend going to Cultdays twitter to get the entire story of what she is accusing instead of just looking at screenshot that I took.

submitted by /u/blazblue5
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New Bones album December 22

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 09:45 AM PST

[FRESH] Curren$y - Old Range (prod.Monsta Beatz)

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 06:23 PM PST

Daily Discussion Thread 12/20/2017

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 10:16 AM PST

Welcome to the /r/hiphopheads daily discussion thread!

This thread is for:

  • objective questions with right/wrong answers (e.g. "Does anyone know what is happening with MIXTAPE?", "What is the sample in SONG?")
  • general hip-hop discussion
  • meta posts...e.g. ideas for the sub

Thread Guidelines

  • Do not create a separate self post for these types of discussions outside of this thread - if you do, your post will be removed.

  • Please be helpful and friendly.

  • If a question has been asked many times before, provide a link to a thread that contains the answer.

Other ways to interact

There are a number of other ways to interact with other members of HHH:

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Desus and Mero respond to DJ Akademiks

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 09:31 PM PST

[FRESH] Aleksandr "ImmortalHD" Vitalyevich - Amy Likes Spiders

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 08:24 PM PST

Famous Dex tweets artwork for "Read About It" mixtape dropping on Christmas

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 08:07 AM PST

Eminem’s “Believe” should be the blueprint for his next (last?) album

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 10:08 PM PST

Just to be upfront, this is a very long, therapeutic post from a disheartened Em fan, looking for the silver lining in a painful and disappointing album (and trying to convince myself there could be one more flash of lightning in this career). And certainly there are a million better starting points for a final Em album than anything on "Revival," but I'm starting from the assumption that this current Eminem is only moving forwards, not backwards.

So I've skimmed through Revival a few times now (trying to actually listen to each song is too painful for such a big Em fan) and I've come to the conclusion that Believe is the most interesting cut on the album.

Just to get it out of the way, I realize Castle and Arose are the most vintage Eminem tracks, and Framed is a decent attempt at what I used to want from Em. But I think 'Believe' is the best example of Eminem adapting what he's doing to the current hip-hop climate in a somewhat seamless fashion.

He throws those triplet bars on there with that choppy flow, and it actually kind of works. I think "Believe" is the best example of making this new weird flow he's doing listenable and interesting, and it could be refined into something solid for a full album.

But the most important thing I wanted to touch on is the production of the song. The production credits are solely "Eminem," and it shows—I think it's a fantastic blend of the dark Eminem sound with the newer "major league" hip-hop sound. (Personally, I think it's the best beat on the project by a longshot, though I realize that's meaningless on this trash-filled LP). And I think maybe his flows work on it because it's a cohesive package he conceived from the ground up.

Which brings me to what I'd like to see one time before Em calls it a career: an all self-produced Eminem project. I think at this point, nobody is going to capture this unique sound Eminem is visualizing but him. And I think, with the sheer mastery over the English language and 'rapping' he's achieved, that he might be the only person able to lay the proper canvas for his thoughts/flows/ideas. I think if he really took a moment to decide what he wants this sound to be (and not what he thinks the fans want to hear), that he has the passion and artistry to turn out a classic album. And I think it could be a great send-off for an all-time great: one final magnum opus representing the scope of his artistic vision/ability.

For sure, if any external factor has contributed to Em's drastic drop-off in sonic quality (or "hip-hop genuineness"), it's this garbage pop-rap Rick Rubin is trying to push. The beats just lack authenticity and feel. It's not an evolution of Eminem's sound—it's a watered down devolution of Beastie Boys shit. A beat like "Believe" is at least (IMO) relevant, and I would like to see a little more faith in himself as an artist. Eminem's best projects were always Dre projects, because Dre understood/helped create the Eminem sound—a sound which was unique in the way that it worked for Em. I get Em wants to make stadium songs, but if Dre isn't going to helm the rap cuts, I think the only other person qualified to provide the right tone is Em himself.

Quick disclaimer: I don't think Eminem's new style is "good," but I think it has potential. It seems mainly to have been a vehicle for Em to showcase how lyrically- and "rhyme-schematically-" complex he can be, but with a little restraint and refinement, I think it could be unique and interesting. I do think there are bits and certain parts of the new project (the back half of Untouchable comes to mind) where he made this new flow work.

TL;DR I don't think "Believe" is a great song, but I do think it could be a starting point for future good (self-produced) music by Eminem (besides that corny ass hook, but Em hooks have been a lost cause).

submitted by /u/Theflowyo
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DJ Akademiks Reacts to Joe Budden Leaving Everyday Struggle and Complex Media.

Posted: 20 Dec 2017 12:42 PM PST
at