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Pre-Fame Jidenna Was Kind Of An Ordinary Dresser

The clothes make the man.

July 15, 2015

Jidenna's hit is called "Classic Man," and he has a very specific idea of what "classic" means: immaculately tailored suits, elegant grooming, with a cane and gloves always nearby. In his latest video, a remix for the song with with Kendrick Lamar, Jidenna plays vinyl records and drives in sleek old cars. It's old school snazzy mixed with modern swagger.

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It turns out that these sartorial choices are a recent development—The New York Times' Jon Caramanica dug up some old Youtube videos of a very different Jidenna performing in 2008. In the video above, he's wearing baggy jeans and a heavy, loose-fitting jacket. Below, he takes the stage in a sweatshirt.

This gives a new biographical significance to a line in "Classic Man," you can be me when you look this clean.

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