To be a man

A new song speaks to the realities of modern masculinity.

Bob Marley once said, “one good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

It’s one of those statements that transcend time. Because we can all relate to being struck by a song that perfectly captures a feeling, experience or aspiration that we feel in our hearts. A soundtrack to a time in our lives we wish we could get back, or never visit again.

Over the last few months, the song “To Be A Man” has captured the attention of millions of listeners around the world. And it hasn’t gone viral in an ordinary way. The song inspired so many artists to create their own versions of “To Be A Man” that a new “mega remix” was just released featuring a collection of verses from viral YouTube and Tik Tok videos.

It’s clear that Dax, a 29-year-old Canadian rapper who grew up in Ottawa, has created something special. The song sounds more like country music than hip-hop. He offers a somber, mature and vulnerable perspective on modern masculinity:

I can't hide myself
I don't expect you to understand
I just hope I can explain
What it's like to be a man
It's a lonely road
And they don't care 'bout what you know
It's not 'bout how you feel
But what you provide inside that home

— Dax

In less than four minutes, Dax beautifully summarizes what scholars, journalists and politicians have been trying to capture in hundreds of thousands of words.

Richard V. Reeves of The Brookings Institution wrote a book on modern masculinity that was published earlier this year. Reeves details the problems facing men in education, mental health, employment and family life. The Washington Post’s Christine Emba opined on the subject a few days ago in a column titled “Men are lost. Here's a map out of the wilderness.” In the United States, Republican Senator Josh Hawley and Demcoratic Senator Chris Murphy have found common ground in sharing concerns about the challenges facing men and boys.

But Dax shows what makes music special. His song has engaged millions of people at an emotional level that books and newspapers can only dream of.

Of the countless artists that created their own versions of “To Be A Man,” Dax brought ten verses together for the mega remix. On this new version of the song, ten perspectives on modern masculinity make for an incredibly powerful conversation about what’s happening in the lives of men today. Some highlights:

Look, as a man they expect you to be strong, as someone to lean on no matter what you dealing with
I just lost a couple friends to drugs and when I woke up in the morning man I really wasn't feeling it
But I gotta try to bottle the pain but when they took my son away I had to try to find a will to live
Putting five whole years at a job then I got laid off and the news had me feeling sick

— KaveMan Brown

I break inside but I cannot cry
'Cause all I wanna do is provide
I was made for this, I'm a father of seven, my oldest is twenty, my youngest eleven
And they all gotta eat so I bury my feelings and stand on my feet

— Brutha Rick

When I'm hurting I don't mind to cry my eyes out
I only have a few examples of a man in my life
And only one who made perfection life-like so I try
To remember two words when I don't know what to do
Don't forget "Jesus wept" and brother so can you

— Ben Becker

One of the reasons “To Be A Man” is so impactful is that these men are simply being honest about how they feel. They’re not being held back by political correctness or a desire to appease the woke establishment.

I’ve include links to the original song and the mega remix below. I encourage you to make time to listen to both songs. They’re special.

P.S. If you’d like to support my campaign to be the next Conservative MP for Durham, please consider signing up to volunteer or making a donation.