Jidenna is looking to create a better world where toxic is not the main word that’s used to describe masculinity.
In what he’s dubbed “The Masculine Reformation,” the Nigerian-American star went into detail about his thoughts in a clip posted to Instagram on Wednesday (May 17).
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“And I know a lot of you be like, ‘Men don’t need nothing.’ We are more than embedded with patriarchy,” he began. “We are more than embedded. But I want a world where the adjective that is most commonly associated with masculinity is not toxic. I don’t want to live in that world!
“I fight to create an alternative reality for a little boy growing up. I don’t want that to be the only adjective. Why do we not hear sacred masculinity? Why do we not hear divine masculinity?”
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He continued: “Why can we not say that more? Well the truth is, we have to show and prove. First of all, it’s on us. And I’m speaking to anybody who identities with masculinity. It’s on us. But I believe that my career is one of my purposes.
“Probably my main one is actually just to provide an alternate reality to a young boy growing up. And I hope that they hear it. I don’t know if they will now. You never know when you’re putting out art who hears it, to be honest.”
The clip arrives amid the rollout for Jidenna’s third studio album ME YOU & GOD, which arrived earlier this month.
“The last couple of years have been dreamy and I don’t know if I’m ready to wake up. I began every song during magic hour and finished it after I loved you back to sleep,” Jidenna said of the album in an Instagram post.
“The days were simple, the time was slow, the streets were empty aside from the daily clash of rebels and police. Nowadays, it feels like the Mandela effect. Did the pandemic really happen? Did it shift something in us or were we just tripping? Well, we were definitely tripping. And love is one hell of a road trip.”
He added: “We’ll never got those days back. But I captured a few moments in this time capsule. I miss those days before the world opened back up. When it was just me, you and GOD.”
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ME YOU & GOD follows Jidenna’s 2019 sophomore effort, 85 to Africa, which was released through Wondaland and Epic Records and includes appearances from GoldLink, St. Beauty, Mr Eazi, Mereba and Seun Kuti.
