Final Recorded Words of Nikki Giovanni in the Album Addressing Men's Mental Health
CHICAGO, IL – January 23, 2026 – Jordan “Dxtr Spits“ Holmes released Drowning in the Open: A Final Letter to Our Brothers, a spoken word album featuring the final recorded words of legendary poet Nikki Giovanni, who died in December 2024. The project uses storytelling spoken word to directly address nuances of America’s silent epidemic: 100 men dying by suicide every day, with millions more struggling in isolation.
Giovanni’s contribution—a direct address to men about their wellbeing—was recorded as one of her last artistic acts. Combined with Holmes’ poetry drawn from his own mental health journey, the album uses the metaphor of drowning to articulate what many men cannot: the internal struggle happening while appearing to function normally.
“Men are drowning in open water while everyone assumes they’re just swimming,” says Holmes, founder of the mental health initiative How Men Cry. “We needed Nikki Giovanni’s voice—a woman who spent decades asking us to reflect on humanity, internal wealth, and love—to tell men directly: your wellbeing matters too.” “Men aren’t missing signals—they’re missing language,” says Holmes. “This project gives men language, tools, and community—without asking them to surrender their masculinity”
The release comes as men’s mental health has reached crisis levels, with male suicide rates four times higher than women’s. Barriers for men to find support include stigma, access, and effectiveness of treatment with a need for creative paths, tools, and community understanding of the complexities of modernizing pressures around masculinity.
Drowning in the Open isn’t just an album—it’s an intervention system comprising the album, a tour, and course materials. The project is raising money for a nationwide touring installation featuring large-scale portraits of men sharing mental health stories, live performances, and community conversations. A companion 5-day digital course, “The Internal Gym” uses metaphors from each track of the album to provide practical tools for emotional regulation, mindfulness, and journaling.
“This isn’t about victimhood or ‘man-bashing,’” Holmes explains. “It’s about giving men the language and permission to acknowledge what’s happening internally without sacrificing their sense of strength or identity.”
The “Drowning in the Open” tour, created in partnership with Room for Light is currently raising money to visit 15+ cities nationwide.
Giovanni, who passed at 81, spent her final creative energy ensuring men received a message she felt culture was withholding: that male vulnerability isn’t weakness, and their internal battles deserve witnessing.
