Jidenna shares his thoughts on Hip Hop and masculinity.
In a recent conversation hosted by Pandora, singer Jidenna sat down with Brooklyn-bred Hip Hop artist Torae to talk about his new musical project 85 to Africa. The conversation involving the 34-year-old songwriter included him sharing his views and opinions on an array of topics which included relationships and dating in the modern age, teenagers and precisely young men stepping out of the societal standards revolving around masculinity. While several Hip Hop artists continue to challenge the idea of what it means to be masculine in the Hip Hop community, as seen with rappers like A$AP Rocky, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug and more, it is fair to say a certain resistance remains. Indeed, the concept of gender nonconformity is still something the Hip Hop community struggles to accept and Jidenna felt it right to utilize such a platform to discuss it. In highlighting the differences between the old and new generations, the Classic Man shared some thoughts.
“I can’t deal with the old generation. The stuff my uncle believes is not what I believe, the stuff that old school Hip Hop heads believe. We’re a new generation now. Certain things like walking around with a clutch in the 1990s wouldn’t have flown. Now it does and I’m proud of us for doing that.”
The “Classic Man” performer went on to say in another interview with Sway in the morning that homosexuality was present in pre-colonial Africa. Jidenna even told the audience in attendance that both openly gay and lesbian monarchs ruled on the continent throughout history and certain African communities engaged in rites of passage ceremonies that involved man-on-man sex as a way to empower the initiates.
You can watch the video in full below. Thoughts?
