Jidenna's 85ToAfrica 🇳🇬🔥 Black Masculinity & Emotional Vulnerability 🤚🏿

Representation and Spiritual/Tribal Influences 🔮

Artist @Jidenna 📸: @patrickstruys

85 To Africa Album Dissection:

This past week Jidenna released his sophomore album named 85ToAfrica. The title of the album stemmed from Jidenna's Nigerian-American and Black-American experiences. 85ToAfrica is symbolic of a highway between the U.S. and Africa. The 85 Intersection represents the main highways in America, and all 85 Intersection highways lead to an airport which has a direct flight to Africa as the next stop. Jidenna explains the analogy of the highway where the multiple lanes represent multiple countries to travel to in Africa and how highways also have two ways, which represents the ability to build and travel there and back.

The sounds and production of the album is what separates Jidenna from the traditional hip hop, rap albums we've heard lately. It's evident that Jidenna pulled from various sounds. The list of sounds range from Hip Hop-Trap, Soul, R&B, Rock and Afro Beats. The production of the album is captivating and the visuals that Jidenna has put out so far are filled with representation, it is clear that his worldly background was prioritized, as he pulled from the culture of areas he grew up in like Nigeria, Boston, Brooklyn, and Oakland. Along with tribal and spiritual influences, Jidenna makes sure to represent black women in the most compelling way, making sure that all shades of African American/African women are at the forefront of his music videos.

The stand out record of the album is called The Other Half, it kicks off with an excerpt from Tim Maia, a Brazilian musician, songwriter and outspoken businessman known for his musical style. Jidenna comes in spitting his first and most vulnerable verse where he addressing his ability to survive within his environment and dodge the violence that stems from hyper-masculinity in America:

I pray for my niggas surviving the pen Demons taking my friends Boys pretending they men Bitch, don't fuck up my zen My homie told me you violated her body And shawty, that put me on ten She beggin' me now to add it to the list of the feelings I gotta keep in Ain't that the root of the drama? How we just lock out the trauma

The last part of the verse is thought provoking in the way in which he faces his feelings on sexual harassment. In the mist of #metoo movement, and holding men accountable for sexual assault, hearing rap lyrics in hip hop without the base of misogyny is refreshing. It also gave a unique perspective on how men aren't allowed to have the space to speak about their feelings freely without judgement in the way that women are allowed too. That space of emotional vulnerability is not awarded to men, and also most times not desired by men. We often don't consider the male friends, brothers, dads, and uncles who have to deal with their loved one being sexually assaulted, and what that does to their mental health as they internalize those emotions.

Album Cover Artist: @fahamupecou

As a community, Jidenna's perspective is something we must not only protect but also implement. Throughout his press run and within his music Jidenna has openly challenged men to be better and dissect what masculinity means to them. Patriarchy and hyper-masculinity is not something that only effects or exist within men. It equally effects women, the imbalance of masculinity and femininity within black women needs to also be addressed. As black women, we have to allow black men the comfortability to be vulnerable with themselves and others without being called names. As a community its important for us to un-learn and re-learn what manhood and womanhood means to us. In the mist of doing the work throw on 85 To Africa, maybe plan a trip to Africa and connect with the African diaspora of our black and brown brothers and sister. Jidenna's mission is to give black people the tools to liberate themselves, and that begins with art, music, words and most importantly the message of this album as it all began in the motherland.

Destiny.Len ✍🏾