Wondaland Artist Jidenna Releases New Video for ‘Knickers’ - Promoting Social Awareness

Jidenna waited a long time to release a new single after the well-received "Classic Man," but now that he has, he's on a roll! Last month, he released the video for "Long Live the Chief," and then he dropped two more singles, "Extraordinaire" and "Knickers." In the latest video for "Knickers," the clever Nigerian artist plays on words to promote social awareness as only a gentleman can.

The song gets you moving, and the video, set in a period speakeasy of sorts, was directed by famed video director Benny Boom. The video is filled with dance moves and plenty of the dandy style that Jidenna is well known for. To match the word-play, the video is well done, including a police raid and a dance sequence performed with gas masks as tear gas billows around Jidenna and his dancers.

Some song lyrics include:

I think they wanna end my knickers/ Discontinue the trend, my knickers
Tryna bleach, tryna blend my knickers/ Need to slow clap and command my knickers
They don't even understand my knickers/ Back in the day they used to brand my knickers

Replacing "knickers' with the tabooed "n*ggas" gives listeners a deeper understanding of where Jidenna was going with the track. The rapper-singer has long been a fan of word play and double entendre, not to mention providing a bit of uplifting social and racial commentary. His song "Classic Man" had us all admiring his impeccable style, and with lyrics like, "You can be me if you look this clean," he encouraged a generation to shine their shoes, wear clothes that fit and erase the fear of standing out or being different.

Apparently he was heard, as the Wondaland artist (singer Janelle Monae's label) has had quite a year. He won Best New Artist at the 2015 Soul Train Awards and he and fellow Wondaland artist, GianArthur, have been nominated for a Grammy with the song "Classic Man." Add to this the celebration of Wondaland's successful first year and Jidenna is certainly on his way to the top. Could this be the beginning of a new music era? Time will tell. In the meantime, jam to his latest video below.

Tags
Jidenna, Janelle Monae
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics