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Music

The Chief Is Back: Listen to Jidenna's "Chief Don't Run"

Check out the latest single from his forthcoming LP 'Long Live the Chief.'

Jidenna. MY MAN. I've been a staunch supporter of the #JidennaHive, it's true. I fucked heavily with "Classic Man," both the original and the remix—even though the Kendrick verse in the latter was awful—and I got a little hyped when I saw dude enjoying himself during Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Hamilton's Hamilton-parodying opening monologue at the BET Awards this weekend. You know what else? "Knickers" was underrated! WHERE'S THE ALBUM, JIDENNA?

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I once tweeted that Jidenna sounds like "steampunk dancehall"—I can't find the tweet (they need to make it easier to search for tweets), but I continue to stand by the assessment. "Chief Don't Run," the latest single from the supposedly forthcoming LP Long Live the Chief, is not steampunk dancehall, but it does feature some vocal processing and a mildly compelling grind of a beat. This isn't peak Jidenna, but it is more Jidenna, and it's good to know the Chief is still in business. Hail to him.

Larry Fitzmaurice is part of #JidennaHive. Follow him on Twitter.