Jidenna follows up “Classic Man” with “Little Bit More.” “Little Bit More” has some of the underpinnings of a hit, it’s lukewarm at best.
Pop is an all-encompassing genre as of late. Pop still possesses singing, but also often incorporates rap as well. Additionally, with pure R&B cooling more and more, many pop artists have absorbed R&B into pop…something like that. Jidenna, who became known thanks to hit “Classic Man,” is a little bit of everything – rapper, singer, and songwriter. Essentially, Jidenna is representative of the well-rounded pop artist.
Take one listen to Jidenna’s latest single “Little Bit More,” and it’s clear that a certain artist is being emulated. That artist would be Drake. Many of Drake’s records mix various styles and oscillate between rapping and singing or pop-rapping. That’s exactly what Jidenna does here – dance, pop, hip-hop, anchored with tropical sensibility via the groove. From a production standpoint, to quote La Shun Pace, “All Things Working.” Yeah, she was referring to God, but in this instance, the man above blessed the boards (great synth work).
While the production is a mark in Jidenna’s favor, the song itself is okay at best. Even though there are pros, one of the cons is distinctiveness. “Little Bit More” doesn’t distinguish itself well from other pop songs utilizing similar formulas. Returning back to the Drake comparisons, Drake executes similar records more proficiently than Jidenna.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, “Little Bit More” can be likened to dessert…temporary dessert at that. It’s not nearly as memorable as “Classic Man. “Little Bit More” has some of the underpinnings of a hit, it’s lukewarm at best.
Jidenna • Little Bit More – single • Epic • Release: 7.8.16
Photo Credit: © Epic
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2 Comments
Derrick Laddi · July 13, 2016 at 11:26 pm
Have to disagree with you. If you insist on comparing the two, I can’t call Little Bit more a trite, temporary lukewarm dessert when I’ve got it on repeat. It’s a satisfying dinner or at minimum a hefty appetizer that leaves me wondering if I still need dinner. I love one dance but it feels more like satisfying but straightforward lemonade to me. Other thoughts: “Tropical sensibiliy” is a generic term that does not encapsulate the nuances [presumably, and further nuanced genres within] of Carribean and African music. Most of the United States is unfamiliar with a well-established genre of Afro pop artists who dominate the music scene in sub-Saharan Africa. Otherwise it would be more likely to infer that Jidenna is inspired by and aspires to make Afro pop more relatable to the western world. In fact there was an interview that he did last year where he made suggestions to African artists who wished to gain “mainstream worldwide appeal” (on youtube somewhere). However it is predictable that without this understanding, a comparison would be made with Drake, who is a huge mainstream American artist possessing a chart topping song with “tropical sensibility”. The songs are actually very different. Whereas Drakes song one dance appeals with it’s simple downtempo musical arrangement (one thay could easily be tapped out on an electronic keyboard by an amateur, tbh), Little Bit more is uptempo, afrobeat oriented, less subdued and has a more complex musical arrangement. Interestingly,Wizkid, who is Nigerian and is featured on One Dance, is provided with a verse that is Carribean and not African (“back up back up and wine”). There is no patois on Little Bit more, only Nigerian pidgin and English. Another song that Jidenna has performed (i became a fan after attending one of his concerts in new york a year before he released classic man) is Some Kind of Way, which also has some afrobeat influences (it’s on YouTube btw). Listening to songs such as “Extraordinaire” and “Knickers”, another complicated arrangement with politically themed lyrics, one is hard pressed to dismiss the brilliance and unique ability to incorporate social consciuosness into very catchy songs (Little Bit More sounds purely romantic tho). Also, do not forget that the shift of the rapper into the singing rapper began years before Drakes music became popular. I personally don’t feel a need to compare the two. I find them both appealing, probably because of that ‘tropical sensibility’ you refer to lol. But my playlist is full of afrobeat and soka music so I’m biased. Just my opinion here. Fan of both.
Derrick Laddi · July 14, 2016 at 7:59 am
Have to disagree with you. If you insist on comparing the two, I can’t call Little Bit more a trite, temporary lukewarm dessert when I’ve got it on repeat. It’s a satisfying dinner or at minimum a hefty appetizer that leaves me wondering if I still need dinner. I love one dance but it feels more like satisfying but straightforward lemonade to me. Other thoughts: “Tropical sensibiliy” is a generic term that does not encapsulate the nuances [presumably, and further nuanced genres within] of Carribean and African music. Most of the United States is unfamiliar with a well-established genre of Afro pop artists who dominate the music scene in sub-Saharan Africa. Otherwise it would be more likely to infer that Jidenna is inspired by, and aspires to make Afro pop more relatable to the western world. In fact there was an interview that he did last year where he made suggestions to African artists who wished to gain “mainstream worldwide appeal” (on youtube somewhere). However it is predictable that without this understanding, a comparison would be made with Drake, who is a huge mainstream American artist possessing a chart topping song with “tropical sensibility”. The songs are actually very different. Whereas Drakes song one dance appeals with it’s simple downtempo musical arrangement (one thay could easily be tapped out on an electronic keyboard by an amateur, tbh), Little Bit more is uptempo, afrobeat oriented, less subdued and has a more complex musical arrangement. Interestingly,Wizkid, who is Nigerian and is featured on One Dance, is provided with a verse that is Carribean and not African (“back up back up and wine”). There is no patois on Little Bit more, only Nigerian pidgin and English. Another song that Jidenna has performed (i became a fan after attending one of his concerts in new york a year before he released classic man) is Some Kind of Way, which also has some afrobeat influences (it’s on YouTube btw). Listening to songs such as “Extraordinaire” and “Knickers”, another complicated arrangement with politically themed lyrics, one is hard pressed to dismiss the brilliance and unique ability to incorporate social consciuosness into very catchy songs (Lottle Bit more sounds purely romantic tho). Also, do not forget that the shift of the rapper into the singing rapper began years before Drakes music became popular. I personally don’t feel a need to compare the two. I find them both appealing, probably because of that ‘tropical sensibility’ you refer to lol. But my playlist is full of afrobeat and soka music so I’m biased. Just my opinion here. Fan of both.
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