My father did not want me to do music.
He wanted me to be like him.
So then he said, "Look, if you're gonna do music, make sure that you change society with it.
That you reflect and tell people what it is and what it could be."
He gave me the courage to bring that stylistic element to the world.
When I first got into suits, we was a bunch of broke artists.
I needed to go to thrift shops.
It wasn't to be cool or nothing.
It was 'cause I couldn't afford to keep up with hip-hop style.
They were always oversized.
And I'm a slim guy.
That's when I started to really invest in local tailors.
That was the beginning.
When I first met Jidenna, the first thing I saw was the red hair and his total look.
I'm like, this guy is different.
Something about him.
To be bold, to be your own person,
it requires that you go left when everybody else goes right.
One of the things that I love about Jidenna is that cane, man.
It's bold.
You know, it's like, "I'm here.
Boom."
The cane is like one of his major trademarks.
I probably have twenty canes and walking sticks.
Every cane, every walking stick has a story.
The first time that I ever saw what was a walking stick or a cane, it was really a staff.
It was with the Chiefs that used to surround my father. In Nigeria,
my father was a Chief.
My grandfather was a Chief.
They would meet in the living room.
A lot of them had staffs, canes, sometimes a cow tail switch.
But they would come with some sort of accessory.
As the years progressed, my father became more of an icon in my life, more of a hero.
And, eventually, when he passed, I took on the style that I saw him wear.
And that was the suit and then the walking stick and the cane.
That was the beginning coming into my, really, first and maybe only collection habit, which
is collecting canes and walking sticks.
This walking stick features none other than Sherlock Holmes.
I was on the way to the White House.
And I had a performance at the White House for the 4th of July.
And I was nervous cause during 'Classic Man' I always perform with a cane.
So I ran to a shop nearby and I got this bad boy and made it just in time to perform for
the President and First Lady and their two wonderful daughters.
Alright, Joe.
What do we got here today, man?
What people don't realize and recognize about local businesses and small businesses is that
it's a twenty-four hour, seven days a week job.
It's a real challenge because people say that they want small businesses.
But a lotta times they don't wanna support the small businesses.
I go to the local barber and the local tailor because they have to spend hours and hours
to really work on honing on their craft.
They have to do that.
I really love anybody who does that.
Those are the people I partner with.
Those are the people I support and invest in.
He's making a lot of changes in a lot of people's life.
And there's one thing to talk to him about, helping other people with this vision that
he got.
And he wants to make a big difference.
He's gonna give back.
I told him, "Whatever you wanna do, we're both gonna walk that journey."
Thank you, bro.
I’m excited.
Okay, my friend.
Thank you so much.
I think that Jidenna's style has like really affected the community because he gives back,
you know.
He's at the tailor, the thrift store, the barber.
Having guys like really take pride in their appearance again.
What people don't understand about my style is it's not really an encouragement or a suggestion
that you should wear suits.
I hope that it's a symbol of finding something that's unique to you and investing in yourself
and your community.
That's the essence of what I'm doing.