Isatta Sheriff is a Sierra Leonean UK rapper. In her song Find Our Way, she characterizes the ways in which we as society conceptualize the world, ourselves and our place in it. She touches on the struggles, internal and external, of simply existing. All within the context of race, age, and overall ideological perception of life. Sheriff questions the overarching conceptual maps that seem paradoxical, stating various thought processes. As a female rapper she brings a deeper level of reflection on topics such as race and this generation that has been so heavily influenced by technology. She touches on the patriarchy and her perceived value to society as a woman in the lyric,
“They don’t respect the black female
From the kids
To the deputy”
She suggests ways in which to combat various perceived issues in her rap through education. The overall knowledge of self and environment. According to Adelaja O. Oriade in “Challenging Hegemonic Masculinity in Nigerian Hip Hop” from the class reading, the greatest factor attributed to the hypermasculinity found in African hip hop is the urge, “to achieve the commercial success that is dependent on selling records and appealing to the established societal accepted norm for hip-hop music”. Isatta Sheriff addresses’ this commercialization of hip hop and the overwhelming and seemingly inescapable influence of societal norms in making hip hop. She takes on a tone of introspection towards the end of the song, where she focuses on herself and how she views the way she entered and occupies space in the industry. She approaches her music with such a humbleness , seemingly not reading into the commercial aspect of music.
“In music there’s a void
Everyone is tryna fill it
Yeah I’m tryna leave an impact
With each and every lyric
I don’t know if I did it
I don’t know if I’ll do it
If a different path stood before me
Wonder if I’d choose it
Cause I didn’t choose music”