Over the weekend, Jidenna dropped a surprise EP titled Boomerang. Some may remember the billboard-charting, electro R&B hit, “Classic Man” from 2015. Since then, Jidenna has pushed out some great work and performed at a slew of festivals, including this past summer’s Lollapalooza in Chicago. Fans of the Netflix show Luke Cage will likely remember Jidenna’s appearance with his stellar performance of the melodic single, “Long Live The Chief.”
The brief work consists of six tracks and a 24-minute playtime, with the highlighted single “Boomerang” being the work’s only saving grace. The track’s clear tropical influence and Pan-African tone sets up an infectious dance number reminiscent of the Drake and Rihanna hit, “Too Good,” minus the moombahton.
Disappointingly, the EP revisited the previously released tracks “Bambi” and “Little Bit” by altering them with new, cheeky titles and some features that comes off as unnecessary additions that hurt the original tracks’ quality. The newly revised “Bambi Too” and “Little Bit More” layer on rappers like Quavo and Burna Boy for a product that makes little sense. Quavo’s signature autotune feels out of place on a Jidenna production. Why Jidenna decided to revisit these already well made songs is unclear, but the final product really tarnishes the project and comes off as red flag for direction the artist may be heading.
As for the remaining tracks — “Decibels,” “Spy Candy” and “Out of Body” — that interweave a story of a frustrated ex stalking Jidenna, there is little reason to return. Though some of the character's insults towards Jidenna are pretty entertaining, the same cannot be said about the EP’s tracks and the half hour it takes to listen to them.
Grade: D
