Written by: Andrew Kirkpatrick
He’s still up-and-coming, but Jidenna already has pop stardom in the bag.
The guy’s always dressed to the nines, has the great Janelle Monáe as his mentor, and somehow makes music that’s classy and ratchet at the same time. Getting a co-sign from Kendrick Lamar so early on in his career just seals the deal.
The “Classic Man” remix — now accompanied by well-shot video — makes for one hell of a summer jam. Kendrick Lamar’s verses, as to be expected, are monstrous. Considering the guy didn’t even tone down his off-the-walls lyricism for a fucking Taylor Swift collaboration, you’d better believe he comes through with some killer lines (my favorite: “I got keys to my city, I got keys to California / I might legalize your homicide and more marijuana”).
Jidenna’s vocals on the remix are the same as they were on the original track, but it’s hard to complain considering how catchy they are and how well they fit the song’s bassy, DJ Mustard-style instrumental. The fever pitch he brings things to when transitioning from his third verse to the final chorus is a small flash of pop songwriting genius that he’ll hopefully demonstrate more of as he expands his catalogue.