85 to Africa

85 to Africa is the second studio album by Nigerian-American recording artist Jidenna. It was released on August 23, 2019 through Wondaland and Epic Records.[6][7] It follows the release of both his debut effort The Chief and the EP Boomerang (both released in 2017). The album features guest appearances from GoldLink, St. Beauty, Mr Eazi, Mereba and Seun Kuti. Reviews for the record were positive, often praising the production and lyrical content. 85 to Africa charted at number 112 on the Billboard 200. The accompanying singles "Tribe", "Sufi Woman", "Zodi", and "Sou Sou" were released.

85 to Africa
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 23, 2019 (2019-08-23)
Genre
Length41:08
Label
Producer
Jidenna chronology
The Chief
(2017)
85 to Africa
(2019)
Singles from 85 to Africa
  1. "Tribe"
    Released: July 26, 2019[2]
  2. "Sufi Woman"
    Released: July 26, 2019[3]
  3. "Zodi"
    Released: August 9, 2019[4]
  4. "Sou Sou"
    Released: August 9, 2019[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The Guardian[9]
HipHopDX3.7/5[10]
Pitchfork6.7/10[11]
The Root(favorable)[12]

85 to Africa garnered positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic writer Andy Kellman wrote that: "Continuing where the Boomerang EP left off, even tighter lyrical, sonic, and collaborative connections are made with his father's home continent. The rapping and singing dandy is still chiefin' — coasting on charisma and wit more than skill, preening and gloating through much of the LP in his inimitable way, humble enough to accept one of the humorous nicknames bestowed on him."[8] Brody Kenny of HipHopDX praised Jidenna's "charismatic performances" throughout the album and its world-spanning production but was critical of his lyrics being "shoddy" and "egregious" at points and not bringing more focus to himself, concluding that: "[T]here's no sense of shyness in Jidenna when he performs, his vocals ringing out proudly and loudly at the top of the mix. But he might be holding himself — and his music — back by not presenting himself as boldly as he could. He can use his voice for rapping and singing, but he's still getting the hang of using it to truly deliver a message."[10]

Pitchfork contributor Rawiya Kameir was also critical of Jidenna's "hardy, awkward rapping" not quite living up to his ambitious ideas but gave praise to DJ Dahi and Nana Kwabena's "cinematic and expansive" production, the "universally understood" cultural references and the record's second half for best embodying its "metaphorical highway to Africa" concept, concluding that: "It feels necessary to celebrate the visibility of these songs, propelled into the mainstream without the rubric of any A-list affiliation. It would be unwise to extrapolate too much from such anomalies, but it's hard not to feel that Jidenna's right about something."[11] Dean Van Nguyen of The Guardian found criticism in the album's production being "clean to the point of sterility" and Jidenna himself being a "competent rhyme-spitter" that "lacks distinction", but gave praise to "Worth the Weight" and "The Other Half" for showcasing his "star quality", concluding that: "In these moments, Jidenna gives reason to believe he can outlast the gimmicks."[9]

Track listing

85 to Africa[13]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Worth the Weight" (featuring Seun Kuti)
4:22
2."85 to Africa"
  • Mobisson
  • Tuffuor
  • Jerren Spruill
  • Fela Kuti
  • Dominique Sanders
  • Nana Kwabena
  • J-Kits
  • Dom[a]
2:23
3."Babouche" (featuring GoldLink)
2:46
4."Tribe"
3:33
5."Sou Sou"
  • Mobisson
  • Tuffuor
  • Oladele "7G" Kiambu
  • Marcelius "Kariz Marcel" Martin
  • Milan Wiley
  • Stephen "Swanky" Gordon
  • Clarence McDonald
  • Derrick Parker
  • Gus Redmond
  • Lowrell Simon
  • 7G
  • Kariz Marcel
  • Stephen "Swanky" Gordon
  • Nana Kwabena[a]
3:48
6."Zodi" (featuring Mr Eazi)
  • Mobisson
  • Oluwatosin Ajibade
  • Tuffuor
  • Jonathan Avila
  • Curtis Avila
  • James Seals
3:20
7."Sufi Woman"
  • Mobisson
  • Tuffuor
  • Ahlaam Abdulgalil
  • Françoise Hardy
Nana Kwabena3:28
8."Vaporiza"
  • Mobisson
  • Tuffuor
  • Ilunga Chenji Kamanda wa Kamanda Gaston Omer
  • Nana Kwabena
  • Dom[a]
2:59
9."Pretty & Afraid"
4:06
10."Jungle Fever"
  • Mobisson
  • Eleanor Kateri Tannis
  • Christian Gregory
  • Miles C. James
  • Christian Gregory
  • Miles James
3:30
11."The Other Half" (featuring St. Beauty and Mereba)
  • Mobisson
  • Tuffuor
  • Alexandria Rosemond
  • Carissa Murray
  • Dominique Sanders
  • Marian Azeb Mereba
  • Andrew Johnson
  • Salem Brown
  • Irvin
  • Nick Seeley
  • Sebastio Rodrigues Maia
  • Jacques Burbick
  • Nana Kwabena
  • Roman GianArthur[a]
  • December Moon[a]
  • Dom[a]
  • Salem Brown[a]
6:53
Total length:41:08

Notes

  • ^[a] – signifies a co-producer

Charts

Chart performance for 85 to Africa
Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[14] 112
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[15] 47

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various August 23, 2019 Epic [16]
March 6, 2020 Vinyl [17]

References

  1. "85 to Africa: A Sweet chemistry". August 24, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  2. "Tribe − Single by Jidenna". Apple iTunes. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  3. "Sufi Woman − Single by Jidenna". Apple iTunes. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  4. "Zodi (feat. Mr Eazi) − Single by Jidenna". Apple iTunes. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  5. "Sou Sou — Single by Jidenna". Apple iTunes. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  6. Bloom, Madison (July 26, 2019). "Jidenna Announces New Album". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  7. Corrine, Amber (August 1, 2019). "Jidenna Announces 85 To Africa And Tour". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  8. Kellman, Andy. "85 to Africa - Jidenna". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  9. Nguyen, Dean Van (August 23, 2019). "Jidenna: 85 to Africa – Classic Man takes it back to the source". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  10. Kenny, Brody (September 6, 2019). "Review: Jidenna's Nomadic Career Is Reflected Well In "85 To Africa"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  11. Kameir, Rawiya (August 28, 2019). "Jidenna: 85 to Africa". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  12. "Jidenna's 85 to Africa Is a Musical Road Trip Worth Taking". Very Smart Brothas. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  13. "85 to Africa by Jidenna". Retrieved December 15, 2019 via music.apple.com.
  14. "Jidenna Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  15. "Jidenna Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  16. "85 to Africa [Explicit] by Jidenna". Amazon Music. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  17. "85 to Africa Translucent Orange Vinyl LP + Digital Download | Shop the Jidenna Official Store". www.jidennashop.com. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
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