вЂњThe first thing that we have to do when weвЂ™re looking at the values that any group of people is fighting for is to examine our own lives,вЂќ he says. Although he prefers not to be categorized as an activist, heвЂ™s more than willing to take a visible role in support of his beliefs. When MonГЎe called upon her Wondaland Records crew to participate in the WomenвЂ™s March in January, Jidenna was by her side. JidennaвЂ™s desire to reshape culture through his music and actions continues to serve as a guiding principle of his still-young career. So (at Fear & Fancy) we like to focus on the things that are uniquely human,вЂќ he says. вЂњAs we move into this new era, what people are worth will be based on the creative parts of the human being, the parts that canвЂ™t be automated in a machine. Part of the mission of Fear & Fancy is to foster local community, he says, and itвЂ™s an ideal he hopes will spread far beyond the Bay Area. Then there was Bless the Block, an event held in honor of the communityвЂ™s fallen members, which featured the burning of incense, candlelight vigils and the visible presence of a neighborhood united against violence. So the group started throwing parties, arranging potluck dinners and hosting masquerade balls. It made us aware that we needed to consciously create a culture that had those human values as technology kept soaring.вЂќ It was at our school, and seeing how people reacted - that changed us. Started in 2006, the organization initially was conceived as an event crew, вЂњbecause we were in the bay, and Silicon Valley was booming, and we saw the early effects of Facebook before the world had it. But it was while completing a bachelor of arts degree at Stanford that he became active in the Oakland community as a co-founder of Fear & Fancy. JidennaвЂ™s story has covered many miles, from his birth in Wisconsin to his childhood in Nigeria to a return to the U.S. I think the reason why we tell stories is to try and make sense of the struggle of life,вЂќ he says. He says that song and the rest of the record serve partly as a way to reclaim ownership over that past. On вЂњThe ChiefвЂ™sвЂќ opening track, вЂњA BullвЂ™s Tale,вЂќ Jidenna recounts a harrowing episode during his childhood in Nigeria, in which he and family members were robbed, beaten and kidnapped. 23, theyвЂ™ll get another chance when he returns to headline SlimвЂ™s, this time for his Long Live the Chief tour in support of his new album. Local fans had an opportunity to ride with Jidenna at last yearвЂ™s Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival and again this summer at Colossal Clusterfest. We ride our own waves, and if people want to ride with us, then right on.вЂќ

вЂњSometimes people force it - they find some trend or wave to ride - but what we stand for at Wondaland is finding that magic in ourselves. It just so happened to be that it completely matched who I was at the moment,вЂќ he says.

вЂњI found an anthem that was needed in the world, and an image that went with that. Jidenna says his signature duds were conceived in homage to his late father, Oliver Mobisson, and have now become part of his origin story after he dropped вЂњClassic ManвЂќ two years ago. Often seen performing in a three-piece suit, he may not subscribe to the adage that clothes make the man, but in his case, they certainly help tell the story. Like MonГЎe, Jidenna has found that oneвЂ™s personal aesthetic can be harnessed as a reflection of their art. вЂњShe was a pivotal leader in both fashion and music, and IвЂ™d say in just originality. вЂњShe paved the way for a lot of us,вЂќ Jidenna says of the impact MonГЎe has made on young artists like himself.

Jidenna the chief album