The Chief (album)

The Chief is the debut studio album by Nigerian-American hip hop recording artist Jidenna, released on February 17, 2017, by Wondaland and Epic Records.[2] It features guest appearances from fellow label mates Roman GianArthur, Nana Kwabena, Janelle Monáe and St. Beauty. The album's artwork pays homage to Boz Scaggs' 1980 album Middle Man.[3] It garnered positive reviews from critics for its globe-trotting, genre-hopping production and showcasing Jidenna's charismatic delivery and knack for narrative storytelling. The Chief debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200 and spawned four singles: "Long Live the Chief", "Chief Don't Run", "Little Bit More" and "The Let Out".

The Chief
Studio album by Jidenna
Released	February 17, 2017
Recorded	2015–16
Genre	Hip hop pop R&B[1]
Length	57:28
Label	Wondaland Epic
Producer	Jidenna (also exec.) Nana Kwabena (also exec.) Best Kept Secret Nate "Rocket" Wonder Roman GianArthur Andrew Horowitz Frank Dukes Mark Williams Volta f a l l e n Mikey Mike Jupiter Jon Jon Traxx Laco Ellis Martin Sonny Digital Hit-Boy Nick Seeley B HAM
Jidenna chronology
Wondaland Presents: The Eephus (2015) The Chief (2017) 85 to Africa (2019)
Singles from The Chief
"Long Live the Chief" Released: December 21, 2015 "Chief Don't Run" Released: June 27, 2016 "Little Bit More" Released: July 8, 2016 "The Let Out" Released: February 3, 2017

Promotion

Singles

The lead single from the album, called "Long Live the Chief" was released on December 21, 2015.[4] The track was produced by Best Kept Secret.

The second single from the album, called "Chief Don't Run" was released on June 27, 2016, which features guest vocals from fellow American singer Roman GianArthur whom he had previously collaborated with on "Classic Man earlier in 2015."[5] The track was produced by Nana Kwabena, Nate Wonder, Mark Williams and Volta.

The third single from the album, called "Little Bit More" was released on July 4, 2016.[6] The track was produced by Roman GianArthur, Nana Kwabena and Mark Williams.

The fourth single from the album, called "The Let Out" was released on February 3, 2017.[7] The song features guest vocals from Southern hip hop rapper Quavo from the hip hop group Migos, although Quavo is not featured on the album version. The track was produced by Nana Kwabena.

Other songs

"Knickers" and "Extraordinaire" were released on December 21, 2015, alongside "Long Live the Chief", but did not make the final cut on the album.[8][9]

The album's first promotional single, "Bambi", was released on February 9, 2017.[10] The song was produced by Jidenna himself and Nate "Rocket" Wonder.

Tour

On May 17, 2017 Jidenna announced that he was going on his 24-city "Long Live the Chief Tour" for the summer to support the record, beginning on July 20 in Raleigh, North Carolina and finishing up in Vancouver on August 27.[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	73/100[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[13]
Exclaim!	8/10[14]
The Guardian	[15]
HipHopDX	3.7/5[1]
The New York Times	(favorable)[16]
Pitchfork	5.8/10[17]
Filter Free Nigeria	9/10[18]

The Chief received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 73, based on 9 reviews.[12] Erin Lowers of Exclaim! said, "Just as Jidenna uses hip-hop music to convey the story of an immigrant, he reaches across the globe to pull from seemingly disparate genres as he tells his tales. Surprisingly, Jidenna makes it work, commanding the listener's attention from start to finish."[14] Preezy of XXL said, "The project gives Jidenna an identity that any artist aspires to: someone who makes pretty damn good music. He’ll still have to continue to get listeners familiar with what makes the man behind the music tick, but The Chief is an admirable beginning to what appears to be a blossoming career."[19] Eric Diep of HipHopDX said, "While The Chief sets him up for a more focused second effort, Jidenna’s genre-hopping album is merely a sliver of his versatility as an entertainer."[1] Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "What's thrown, including tepid trap beats, passable tropical pop-house, and overly fanciful retro-contemporary touches, doesn't always stick, yet Jidenna's charismatic flair and sharp writing make almost all of it entertaining, rarely dull. In a way, he's a Kid Creole for the 2010s, mixing and matching old and new cross-continental sounds with a twinkle in his eye, a glide in his stride, and a special knack for storybook-style narration."[13] Elias Leight of Pitchfork said, A versatile dandy, Jidenna tries on many different musical styles with his debut album—but all that changing quickly grows tiresome."[17]

Commercial performance

The Chief debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200, selling 13,312 album equivalent units, and 8,387 pure album copies in the first week.[20]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"A Bull's Tale"	Jidenna Mobisson Nana Kwabena Tuffuor Nathaniel Irvin III Mark Williams Raul Cubina Andrew Horowitz Nana Afriyie Amaka Izuchi Henry Obiefule Adam Feeney	Nana Kwabena Frank Dukes Mark Williams^[a] Volta^[a]	4:56
2.	"Chief Don't Run" (featuring Roman GianArthur)	Mobisson Irvin III Williams Tuffuor Roman GianArthur Irvin Cubina Horowitz Joseph Young III Afriyie Milan Wiley Leslie Gray	Nana Kwabena Nate "Rocket" Wonder Mark Williams Jidenna^[a]	3:47
3.	"Trampoline"	Mobisson Tuffuor Irvin III Horowitz Obiefule Emmanuel Quist-Fianyeku Feeney Jack Keller Noel Sherman	Jidenna Nana Kwabena Andrew Horowitz Nate "Rocket" Wonder Frank Dukes^[b]	5:01
4.	"Bambi"	Mobisson Irvin III Tuffuor Horowitz	Jidenna Nate "Rocket" Wonder Nana Kwabena^[a] Horowitz^[b]	4:10
5.	"Helicopters / Beware"	Mobisson Tuffuor Irvin III Irvin Carlos St John Lee Stashenko Michael Williams Carl Taylor Brandon Hamlin Wiley	Nana Kwabena Jidenna f a l l e n Kidd Jupiter Mikey Mike^[a] Mark Williams^[a] Volta^[a]	6:18
6.	"Long Live the Chief"	Julian Nixon Craig Balmoris Mobisson Tuffuor Wiley Eleanor Kateri Tannis	Best Kept Secret	2:40
7.	"2 Points"	Mobisson Chauncey Hollis, Jr. Tuffuor Horowitz	Hit-Boy Nana Kwabena^[a] Horowitz^[a]	1:38
8.	"The Let Out" (featuring Nana Kwabena)	Mobisson Tuffuor Horowitz Feeney Wiley Brandon Cromwell	Nana Kwabena Horowitz^[a] Frank Dukes^[a]	3:43
9.	"Safari" (featuring Janelle Monáe, St. Beauty and Nana Kwabena)	Mobisson Janelle Monáe Robinson Tuffuor John M. Webb, Jr. Lacoster Tennant Horowitz	Jon Jon Trax LaCo Music Nana Kwabena^[a] Horowitz^[a]	4:05
10.	"Adaora"	Mobisson Tuffuor Ra Olusegun Amen Horowitz	Nana Kwabena Jidenna	4:00
11.	"Little Bit More"	Akil King Williams Wiley Mobisson Jaramye Daniels Eddy Kenzo Cubina Irvin Kathryn Buford Tuffuor Tannis Desiré Lynn Gaston	Roman GianArthur Nana Kwabena Mark Williams	3:26
12.	"Some Kind of Way"	Mobisson Tuffuor Grant Newsome Wiley Amen Matthew Bair Jae Choung Virman Coquia Eric Frederic Kevin Nishimura James Roh Andreas Schuller	Nana Kwabena Jidenna Ellis Martin^[b]	3:55
13.	"White Niggas"	Mobisson Tuffuor Horowitz Alexander Matthew Lipinski Obiefule Feeney	ADOTHEGOD Jidenna Nana Kwabena Horowitz Frank Dukes^[b]	5:25
14.	"Bully of the Earth"	Mobisson Tuffuor Horowitz Nick Seeley Sonny Uwaezuoke	Nana Kwabena Sonny Digital Horowitz Seeley^[a]	4:25
Total length:				57:28

Notes

• ^{^[a]} – signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} – signifies an additional producer

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[21]	58
US Billboard 200[22]	38
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23]	16

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Version	Label	Ref.
Worldwide	February 17, 2017	CD, digital download	Clean Explicit	Wondaland Epic	[24]

References

1. Diep, Eric (February 21, 2017). "Review: Jidenna's "The Chief" Blends Genres But Lacks Cohesiveness". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
2. "Jidenna Announces Release Date For Debut Album "The Chief"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
3. "Jidenna Presents Debut Album at L.A. Listening Party". Rap-Up. August 23, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
4. "Long Live the Chief - Single by Jidenna on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
5. "Chief Don't Run (feat. Roman GianArthur) - Single by Jidenna on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
6. "Little Bit More - Single by Jidenna on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
7. "The Let Out (feat. Quavo) - Single by Jidenna on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
8. "Knickers - Single by Jidenna on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com.
9. "Extraordinaire - Single by Jidenna on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com.
10. "Jidenna - Bambi - Stream [New Song]". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
11. "Jidenna Announces 'Long Live the Chief Tour'". Rap-Up. May 17, 2017. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
12. "The Chief by Jidenna". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
13. Kellman, Andy. "The Chief – Jidenna". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
14. Lowers, Erin (February 22, 2017). "Jidenna – The Chief". Exclaim. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
15. Cragg, Michael (February 19, 2017). "Jidenna: The Chief review – a versatile, genre-bending debut". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
16. Caramanica, Jon (February 15, 2017). "Jidenna's 'The Chief' Is a Genre-Hopping Debut Album". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
17. Leight, Elias (February 22, 2017). "Jidenna: The Chief". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 26, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
18. Chiagoziem (February 21, 2017). "Jidenna – The Chief". Filter Free Nigeria. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
19. "Jidenna Makes a Great First Impression With 'The Chief' Album - XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
20. Hernandez, Victoria (February 27, 2017). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Future Takes #1 Spot While Fat Joe & Remy Ma Are Only Some Of The Way Up". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on July 7, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
21. "Jidenna Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
22. "Jidenna Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
23. "Jidenna Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
24. "The Chief by Jidenna on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved February 10, 2017.