Nigerian-American singer Jidenna was interviewed on The Breakfast Club today alongside Janelle Monae and the group Deep Cotton.
After speaking about The Wondaland's group effort 'The Eephus EP' the discussion turned towards country of origin. Jidenna popular for his hit single 'Classic Man' revealed Nigeria is a proud country where excellence is demanded.
"Nigeria is a very proud place, and it's also a place where you try to humiliate if you don't see excellence. I always tell the story of my father. I remember coming to America, in the US you get a highest score on the test and your teacher says "bring it home to your parents. show your parents." So I brought it home to my father like "dad I got a 98 on my math exam", and he said "ah ah 98? Where are the other two points? Go there and bring them back, then I will celebrate with you" narrated Jidenna.
"And that's how I grew up with everything I did, basketball, soccer, football. Everything that I played. In Nigeria its standard to try to check somebody if you see them making misstep. With the words that I said I didn't make a miscalculation in my experience, but I can see how certain people perceive that" he further said.
Jidenna also revealed that he has "plans to do a few shows in Lagos."
When the discussion moved on to his controversial comments on DJ Vlad in June, Jidenna further clarified his statement.
"What I said was...I was referring to my mixed heritage, and being a man who may be perceived as more valuable because you are light skinned, because you look really closer to a white man which all around the world, a white man, the white man is perceived as more valuable. Unfortunately light skinned is often perceived as more valuable. So my comments were referring to that. When I went home to bury my father it was the highest kidnapping time in our area, the area that I am from, the South East Nigeria. So my family in the village was concerned about me burying my father so they said "look you have to take extra precautions this time because one-you are a foreigner, you are coming from America, and then two- your appearance is going to make you a target" he said.
"So my comments were revolving around that but some people took it as me believing that I am more valuable or believing that light skinned people are kidnapped more than others, and it wasn't really about that. It was about a perception of wealth" he further explained.
Co-host of The Breakfast Club Charlamagne Tha God asked Jidenna if his success scares him from going back to Nigeria, and Jidenna said he is not scared and Nigerians have embraced him.
"No I am not afraid at all. I am not really afraid of standing anywhere. I have always stood out, and I will always stand anywhere. In fact already the Nigerian community embrace me. They have from the beginning, and they do today. That little miscommunication on Vlad TV is pretty much dead and gone right now. I just did a show with some great Nigerian, Nigerian-American artistes a couple of weeks ago in Jamaica, Queens so that show went well" he said.
