Toxic masculinity

Image Credit: Ian Homer

16th Mar 2021
Tags: Music News Guvna B Rap

Guvna B is a multi-award winning urban rap artist from London. He has been featured multiple times on the xRhythms playlist with songs such as “Cast Your Cares” and “Everyday“.

He is known for winning the prestigious MOBO Award at just 20 years old. But what people may not know is that he grew up in a council estate and was a first-generation Brit from a Ghanaian family.

In 2017 he wrote his first book ‘Unpopular Culture’, challenging the various beliefs that modern culture presents.

Speaking about the book, he told Emily, “I wrote it because I realised that sometimes being selfless and looking out for other people and doing things God’s way can seem unpopular, but as people read the book, I hope that they realise that that’s the way that we should live life and it’s a lot more satisfying than just looking out for yourself.”

The rapper is back with his second book ‘Unspoken’.

Now the rapper is back with his second book ‘Unspoken’, challenging toxic masculinity, pointing out how it affects young men today and sharing his journey.

Writing in the Evening Standard, he said, “I remember when a friend got murdered on our estate and I wouldn’t allow myself to cry in front of my friends because I wanted to show I was strong. I got home that night and was so grief-stricken I couldn’t sleep. The next day I suppressed my true feelings and life seemed to move on.”

In 2017 he faced another death and lost his Dad to cancer. In his journey of healing, he started questioning his masculinity and opened up to the idea of being vulnerable.

One of the strongest things you can do is be vulnerable.

He continued, “Younger Guvna B would be embarrassed of the Guvna B who’s writing this now. He’d call him soft and tell him to “man up” and be strong. One thing I’ve learnt in the last few years is one of the strongest things you can do is be vulnerable.”

His book dives deeper into how he found freedom from toxic masculinity. ‘Unspoken’ is available to buy on Amazon.