I began my studies in a sound and electrical engineering program, but I ultimately created a major called ‘Ritual Art.’ Jidenna Read Quote
If I’m shopping at the Gap or Old Navy, I’m saying that I’m an ordinary person: I don’t want to be seen; I don’t want to stand out. That’s a statement. If I’m wearing a leather jacket, there’s something about me that’s kind of a rebel. So everybody says something, whether they want to or not. Jidenna Read Quote
I wanted to remind myself and others of the old Jim Crow, so that we can remind ourselves that we’re still living in the new Jim Crow. I feel it’s important to dress in the fashion of the times. Jidenna Read Quote
I think one of the things that I picked up from Nigeria is the constant pressure to be excellent. Parents drill in this responsibility towards family, but also a responsibility toward making sure your family name is heralded. Jidenna Read Quote
I’ve always been dabbling in suits, but like a lot of people in the neighborhoods I grew up in, I had my snapback; I had my v-neck. I still got them in the closet. I got my J’s, my Forces; it was standard. Jidenna Read Quote
I think a lot of people try to be someone else, and Young Thug really is who he is. I love his melodies, how he dresses, how he carries himself. Jidenna Read Quote
When hip-hop came along, men and women started dressing down as a form of rebellion. Jidenna Read Quote
When I originally came to the U.S., my mother came with a couple hundred dollars to her name. I didn’t know we were struggling because she hid that from me. But it was definitely a struggle to get through life and get through school. Jidenna Read Quote
I reached rock bottom halfway through college. And it was – because of all the pressure that I think we’re talking about right now – the pressure to learn how to budget, the pressure to really abandon everything that you ever learned. You don’t have a comfort zone anymore. You don’t have your neighborhood. You don’t have your family with you. Jidenna Read Quote
