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Jidenna's Biography in Summary

Jidenna Theodore Mobisson is a popular Nigieria-American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer who goes by his first name only. He was born in Nigeria to a Nigerian father and an American mother and spent the first six years of his life there, where his father was a professor. They returned to the United States after being kidnapped at gunpoint on a bus in Nigeria. Jidenna developed an early interest in music and decided to become a rapper in the seventh grade, but he continued his studies. At the age of 18, he enrolled at Stanford University to study sound engineering. He later changed his major and graduated with a BA in ritualistic arts at the age of 23. 

Following that, he relocated to New York City to pursue a career in music, but financial constraints forced him to accept a teaching position. When he was 29, he released his first song, "Classic Man," and two years later, his debut album, "The Chief." He is also socially conscious, actively participating in the 'Black Lives Matter' movement. He returns to his father's country from time to time, proud of his Nigerian heritage, and contributes to its development.

Quick Facts

Childhood and Early Life

Jidenna Theodore Mobisson was born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, on May 4, 1985. Oliver Udemmadu Ogbonna Mobisson was a Nigerian Igbo scientist who founded the Anambra State University of Technology (later renamed Enugu State University of Science and Technology) in Enugu, Nigeria.
His white American mother, Tama Mobisson, works as an accountant. He was the youngest of his parents' four children, with two older sisters, one of whom is Nneka Mobisson-Etuk, the Executive Director of African Operations at the Institute for Health Care Investment. He also has an older brother, Geoff, who is a Harvard MBA.
Jidenna's family returned to Nigeria when he was only a few weeks old. 

He had severe lactose intolerance, which resulted in a distended stomach and a large head. Only when a UNICEF team visited Nigeria and asked Jidenna to pose for a photo did his parents become aware of the problem.
His parents initially objected, claiming that he did not belong to the poorest of the poor. Their eyes widened when they learned that their son resembled a UNICEF baby. Following his diagnosis, his father flew back to the United States, bringing with him a large quantity of soya bean products.
One of his earliest memories is of his mother, the only white lady in the entire neighborhood. When they went to the market, their car was surrounded by locals who frequently mistook them for wealthy tourists.

Another memory was of his father's meetings with local chiefs. During those meetings, Jidenna would frequently play Bob Marley or Michael Jackson cassettes on a boom box before quietly exiting the room. Michael Jackson had always been a favorite of his since childhood.
When he was five years old, he had his most traumatic experience. On their way to the airport by bus one day, they were abducted by a group of armed robbers who molested his sister and mercilessly beat his mother. Jidenna was shot in the foot as well.
Despite their ability to flee, they were too terrified to remain in Nigeria. 
 

His mother returned to the United States with her four children the following year. His father, who was immersed in his work, stayed in Nigeria but kept in touch with his family.
They lived on the outskirts of Boston, where Jidenna was attending school. From the first day of school, he faced racial prejudice. A boy named Philip kicked him under the seat and called him a 'African nigger' as he began to recite his alphabets in his Nigerian accent.
Jidenna faced racial prejudice on a regular basis because of his skin color, being called a 'nigger' or a 'coon,' words he couldn't understand. When he was seven years old, he asked his mother what the word 'nigger' meant.

In 1995, the family relocated to Norwood, Massachusetts, where he was introduced to the music of Prince and Fela Kuti by his sisters and 'A Tribe Called Quest' by his brother. He remained obsessed with Michael Jackson, however, and frequently dressed like him to school.
When a girl named Reniesha told him that Michael Jackson was no longer cool, he changed his dress code. She also introduced him to hip-hop, which he liked so much that by seventh grade, he had decided he wanted to be a rapper.
Despite their limited financial resources, his mother made certain that all of her children received a good education, sending Jidenna to the prestigious Milton Academy for his high school education.
His family also relocated to Milton in 2000.
Despite his dislike for the school uniform, Jidenna excelled at Milton Academy, eventually becoming captain of the school's basketball team. Jidenna co-founded a rap group called 'Black Spadez' and began writing and arranging music for it, inspired by rappers such as Mase, Biggie, Nas, and Tupac. As his final year project, he released an album.
Despite his success at the Milton Academy, he still faced racial prejudice, albeit in a more subtle form. When he was in his senior year and applying for college, he was told that he would almost certainly get a seat because he was black.
 

Career

Jidenna moved to New York after graduating in 2008 to teach in a hip-hop academic program, simultaneously teaching in four schools in the South Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Despite the fact that he disliked his job, he continued to teach until early 2014 because he needed the money.
He had to study different types of music and then put rhymes to them in a way that children would enjoy as part of his job, which involved making children's music. Concurrently, he pursued his own musical career, relocating to New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Atlanta.
Jidenna's father passed away in 2010. He told Jidenna before his death that if he was going to make music, he should make sure it reflected the world so that people could relate to it. He also asked Jidenna to reinvent herself and compose music that no one had ever heard before.
Jiddena adopted his father's words as a guiding principle in his life, eventually becoming a full-time musician and signing to Janelle Monáe's Wondaland Records label in 2013. He began collaborating with a number of Wondaland artists during this time, including Janelle Monáe, Roman GianArthur, St. Beauty, and Deep Cotton.
In 2014, he began working on a 5-track EP called 'Wondaland Presents: The Eephus' with Janelle Monáe, Roman GianArthur, St. Beauty, and Deep Cotton. 

Family and Personal Life

Jidenna is a single woman. It was once speculated that he was gay, but this was proven to be false. It's also been reported that he's been dating Rosalyn Gold-Onwude, a fellow Nigerian and American sports analyst; however, nothing has been confirmed.

Jidenna is proud of his Nigerian heritage and travels to Nigeria frequently, taking special care to bury his father in his ancestral village. He and his sister recently traveled to Nigeria, where they decided to establish an annual scholarship in their father's name at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
He is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and has physically participated in rallies calling for improved relations between police and African Americans.

Despite being raised Catholic, Jidenna keeps an elaborate shrine in her studio, complete with holy books from various religions, including Islam, as well as candles, herbs, and rice. Before making a record, he reads one of the books and summons the musical ancestors, flipping the rice in the air.