Janelle Monae’s protégé and classic man Jidenna recently spoke to VLAD TV about the challenges he faced in Nigeria because of his skin colour. He recalls how his family brought weapons and military-style protection when attending his father’s funeral in an Igbo village.

“Our family was light. When you’re light-skinned you’re a heavier target for being kidnapped. Because you’re seen as more valuable. You’re seen as white. You have more money. We were robbed. Our family has been assaulted. It’s different. For us, we’ve always been a target. When you come to America, it’s different.”

“The fact that you have African blood in you is gonna make it hard. When you’re light-skinned, you’re a heavier target for being kidnapped because you’re seen as more valuable. We were robbed – our family’s been assaulted. We’ve had a lot of issues.”

The Classic Man’s views resulted in a lot of backlash from social media with commenters saying his thoughts are “ignorant” and that they paint a negative light on Nigerian people:

See Tweets>>> http:///ipY56n

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