Jidenna is keeping it ‘Classic’ for the next generation

Jidenna is keeping it ‘Classic’ for the next generation
Marc Baptise/Epic Records

Just how classy is “Classic Man” singer Jidenna? Classy enough to name-check Nat “King” Cole.

“I intentionally put his name in the record to put more children on to his brilliance,” says Jidenna via email. “When I was a boy, I learned about Fred Astaire through Michael Jackson. I’m just doing my part in passing the baton.”

Cole, Astaire and Jackson — that’s a few generations of classic. Jidenna,who will be dressed to the nines, we’re sure, is set to perform in the big Power 99 Powerhouse show Friday at the Wells Fargo Center with Meek Mill, Fetty Wap, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean, Rae Sremmurd, Future, Jeremih, Omarion and Migos. Plus more than a few surprises, no doubt.

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“This is Meek’s homecoming for us, and you know Meek has a lot of amazing friends,” says Power 99 midday disc jockey Cappuchino, aka Cheryl Haygen. “Maybe Meek will be getting with Drake to mend out their friendship. You never know what’s going to go down.”

If a Drake and Mr. Dreamchaser detente on the Powerhouse stage seems a bit unlikely, perhaps a guest appearance by Meek’s gal, Nicki Minaj, is in the cards for the show?

As for other highlights, Fetty Wap, despite breaking his leg in a Jersey motorcycle accident last month, is still set to perform, Haygen says.

“This has been Fetty Wap’s year,” she says. “He was at the iHeartRadio festival [in Las Vegas last month] and he popped up with a pop group [Fall Out Boy]. This has been an amazing year for him.”

The uniqueRae Sremmurd

Hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd just had 12 crazy months, with hit records (“No Flex Zone” and “No Type”), a BET Award for Best Group and plenty of attempts to pronounce their name. It’s their record label, Ear Drummers, spelled backwards, and it’s pronounced “ray shrimer.”

“We came in the industry not trying to be like nobody else, because everybody was trying to be the same,” says Khalif “Swae Lee” Brown, one half of Rae Sremmurd alongside his brother,
Aaquil “Slim Jxmmi” Brown.

“We’re trying to show the world what we do,” he says. “We’re about individuality and about being yourself, no matter what somebody else is.”

The show

Powerhouse 2015

With Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill, Big Sean,Future, Fetty Wap, Jidenna, Rae Sremmurd, Jeremih, Omarion, Migos, DJ Khaled, PNB Rock and Yazz the Greatest

Friday, 6 p.m.

Wells Fargo Center

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