Classic Man

"Classic Man" is a song by Nigerian-American rapper Jidenna, released on February 3, 2015, as his commercial debut single by Epic Records. The song, which features vocals from fellow American singer Roman GianArthur, was included on Janelle Monáe's Wondaland Records collective EP, The Eephus, as the lead single. In December 2015, it was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance.^[1] The song was produced by Jidenna, alongside Nana Kwabena and Nate "Rocket" Wonder.

"Classic Man"
Single by Jidenna featuring Roman GianArthur
from the album Wondaland Presents: The Eephus
Released	February 3, 2015
Genre	Hip hop
Length	3:46 (original version) 3:55 (remix version)
Label	Wondaland Epic
Songwriter(s)	Amethyst Amelia Kelly Charlotte Aitchison Eleanor Kateri Tannis George Astasio Jasbir Sehra Jason Pebworth Jidenna Theodore Mobisson John Turner Jonathan Christopher Shave Kurtis McKenzie Milan Wiley Nana Kwabena Tuffuor Nathaniel Irvin III Roman GianArthur Irvin
Producer(s)	Jidenna Nana Kwabena Nate "Rocket" Wonder
Jidenna singles chronology
"Classic Man" (2015) "Yoga" (2015)
Roman GianArthur singles chronology
"I-69" (2013) "Classic Man" (2015)

Composition

The song credits the writers of Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's 2014 single "Fancy", which Jidenna attributes to the similarity between the two songs and the increased caution of the record industry following the copyright infringement verdict against "Blurred Lines".^[2]

Music video

The music video of the song was released to YouTube on February 20, 2015. The video shows Jidenna at a party, walking on the street, and at a martial arts school.^[3] The video was directed by Alan Ferguson.^[4] The music video for the remix was released on July 15, 2015. It features Jidenna and Kendrick Lamar rapping in various locations. Ty Dolla Sign, Janelle Monáe, Issa Rae, Roman GianArthur, and Hit-Boy make cameo appearances in the music video.^[5]

Commercial performance

"Classic Man" debuted at number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the chart dated May 23, 2015.^[6] The song peaked at number 22 in its sixteenth week on the chart.^[7] As of August 2015, the song has sold 399,000 copies in the US.^[8]

Remixes

Jidenna and Wondaland Records released a remix of the song featuring American rapper Kendrick Lamar, included as a bonus track on The Eephus EP. The remix was accompanied by a music video, which premiered on July 15, 2015.^[9] The remix is also featured in the video-games MLB The Show 16 and NBA Live 16. Jamaican rapper Sean Paul also released a remix of this song called "Ganja Man".^[10] T-Pain released a Jidenna approved remix called "Classic Man (T-Mix)", featuring Vantrease and Young Cash of Nappy Boy Entertainment.^[11]

Usage in popular media

A Chopped and screwed version of "Classic Man" featured in the Academy Award winning 2016 film Moonlight. The track was also heard in the 2016 film Dirty Grandpa.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2015) Peak position Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 44 France (SNEP)[13] 142 South Africa (EMA)[14] 7 UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[15] 28 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[16] 174 US Billboard Hot 100[17] 22 US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[18] 33 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[19] 9 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[20] 29 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[21] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position US Billboard Hot 100[22] 72 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[23] 22 US Rhythmic Songs (Billboard)[24] 19

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[25]	2× Platinum	2,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Grammy Nominations 2016: See the Full List of Nominees". Billboard. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
2. Hot 97 (2015-08-13). Jidenna & Janelle Monae talk Wondaland, Iggy Azalea + Nigeria controversy. 8:29 minutes in.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. "Jidenna - Classic Man on YouTube". VEVO. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
4. Zeichner, Naomi. "Jidenna Premieres "Classic Man" Video". The FADER. THE FADER, INC.
5. "Jidenna - Classic Man (Remix) ft. Kendrick Lamar on YouTube". VEVO. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
6. "The Hot 100: The Week of May 23, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
7. "The Hot 100: The Week of September 3, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
8. Steinfeld, Mitchell (August 8, 2015). "Hip Hop Single Sales: The Weeknd, Silento & Fetty Wap". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
9. "Jidenna - Classic Man (Remix) ft. Kendrick Lamar". VEVO. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
10. "Sean Paul". www.facebook.com. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
11. "T-Pain Drops His Own Remix To Jidenna's "Classic Man"". Vibe. July 20, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
12. "Jidenna feat. Roman GianArthur – Classic Man" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban.
13. "Jidenna feat. Roman GianArthur – Classic Man" (in French). Les classement single.
14. "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending 2015-09-01". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
15. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40 - 21 August 2015 - 27 August 2015". officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
16. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart: CLUK Update 15.08.2015 (wk33)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
17. "Jidenna Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
18. "Jidenna Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
19. "Jidenna Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
20. "Jidenna Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
21. "Jidenna Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
22. "2015 Year End Charts – Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
23. "2015 Year End Charts – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
24. "2015 Year End Charts – Rhythmic Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
25. "American single certifications – Jidenna – Classic Man". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 18, 2022.