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Jidenna explains his latest single Black Magic Hour and exposing the world to African music

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Taylor Hill/WireImage

Following his 2015 hit “Classic Man,” Jidenna became known for his gentleman aesthetic with his comb-over hairstyle and three-piece suits, as well as delivering messages about Pan-Africanism.

The Nigerian-American artist recently dropped his latest single, “Black Magic Hour“— a mere taste of his upcoming compilation album, African On All Sides. The visual gave viewers an in-depth look at the roots of voodoo religion and the scientific myth behind “Black magic.”

“When people—as well as Black people sometimes—look at Black people, we tend to use words such as talent, and then we have the phrase Black Magic, which was originally a derogatory term,” Jidenna said in Coveteur interview. “Now I’m using it and kind of flipping it in hip-hop fashion.”

Headed by Bullish Recordings and label head Steve RhythmAfrican On All Sides intends to push one simple message: “Africa is more than just Afro beats.”

“There’s a lot of different genres that are sprouting up,” Jidenna shares. “Gengetone from Kenya, you’ve got Gqom music from South Africa—which people got a taste of on [Beyonce’sBlack is King—then you have trap music just like you have here, you have Drill Music and you have a whole bunch of genres that people don’t even know yet. So this project will feature a range of artists from the continent and the diaspora that do a variety of genres.”

Jidenna’s last solo album, 85 to Africa, was released last year, under Janelle Monae‘s Wondaland Records.

By Rachel George
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