In the midst of his second bout with prostate cancer, R&B icon Montell Jordan is speaking truth to power when it comes to men’s health awareness, starting with an emphasis on the value of early detection.
Following an initial diagnosis in January 2024, the “This is How We Do It” singer opted to undergo radical prostatectomy surgery last November, effectively removing his prostate and declaring him cancer-free – until he returned for his nine-month checkup.
Roughly a year since the surgery, and a month ahead of a new treatment, Jordan told The Informer part of his journey includes influencing generational health, particularly among the Black men disproportionately affected by prostate cancer.
“The beautiful thing is, prostate cancer, when detected early, is 99% treatable,” Jordan said in a September segment of “Let’s Talk” WIN-TV, coinciding with Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. “I need my brothers to get to work, do what we need to do to get ourselves checked. It ain’t about you anymore…it’s about what you leave behind, and it’s about what you’re building right now.”
As November marks the annual global movement for men’s health awareness and support, voices like Jordan and others throughout the metropolitan region are tackling “Movember” with a focus on the barriers that sustain disparities — from the 1 in 6 African Americans (versus 1 in 8 white men) diagnosed with prostate cancer in a lifetime, to the average Black male that’s twice as likely to die from it.
Among the list of target items to reshape the status quo, Maryland-based urologist Dr. Arthur “Bud” Burnett II — a pioneer in the development of Viagra — recommends improvements in education, transparency, and learning how to balance all aspects of men’s health, much of which he said starts within the communities.
“Fundamentally, it comes down to the fact that anything that has to do with male sexual function is a tough subject, and men in general are not the best health care consumers,” Burnett told The Informer. “We certainly have to improve access, and we’re very keen about that as well, [but] access may begin with helping all men, women, and families take better responsibility for their own health.”
Symptoms, Stigmas and First Steps to Tackle Prostate Cancer
For the Black men 60% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, Burnett, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University, attributes various factors — from cultural and environmental stigmas in health care access, to the medical mysteries of tumor biology and genetic development.
That’s why he says the best realm of navigation lies with early screening, particularly through the Prostate-Specific Antigen, or PSA, test.
“Early detection is where we’ve got to go until we figure out all that science, and what that means is…men in the community need to know…you can’t wait for a symptom to occur,” Burnett told The Informer. “By the time anybody is symptomatic — in terms of weight loss, feeling fatigued, and things like that — that’s when you already have advanced prostate cancer. And that’s a shame.”
An upgrade from the historical finger wave test and digital rectal examination, PSA levels are determined via blood test that examines the elevations of a chemical derived specifically from the prostate. Once the chemical range exceeds that of “a healthy prostate,” Burnett said diving into a well-rounded approach – treating the man “as a whole being and [supporting] him entirely” – is critical to health outcomes, but the key to preserving long-term function is getting tested.
“That really is the first step,” he emphasized, further recommending Black men “and men with strong family histories” get screened a full decade earlier than the standard recommendation at age 50. “Perhaps as you turn 40, you should get this PSA test.”
According to the African American Wellness Project, early warning signs linked to prostate cancer include: frequent or troubled urination, such as pain, burning, or interrupted flow; difficulty with sexual activity, including having an erection, painful ejaculation, or blood in urine or semen; as well as pressure or pain in the rectum, lower back, hips, pelvis, or thighs.
Additionally, African ancestry, family history, obesity, age, and smoking rank in the top five risk factors of diagnosis, with Jordan and Burnett both tacking on the effects of cultural stigmas, such as the common distrust in the public health system.
“When it comes to medical professionals, facilities, the resources that are available to us, if there’s somebody that you don’t trust or something…you don’t like, that’s not everybody, that’s not every hospital, that’s not every doctor,” Jordan reminded. “Black men…we don’t have the luxury at this point to be distrustful about a system that maybe has failed us in the past. We got to go after every resource we have available for us to have our family legacies intact.”
When he dawned “Let’s Talk” back in September, the 56-year-old Grammy-winner was a few weeks shy of starting proton therapy, a seven-and-a-half-week radiation treatment to kill the specific cancer sites, which he shared were found in his lymph node and prostate bed–despite having the organ removed.
Nonetheless, he embodied a spirit of resilience and determination to kill the disease “before it kills me.”
“From the very first diagnosis, I never felt anything that was what…the world depicts cancer is supposed to look like…what it looks like later down the line when things go undetected, or when things have progressed,” Jordan continued, “but a lot of times, early on, cancer doesn’t have a face. Death doesn’t look like death and…that’s what cancer strives to be.”
After noting the treatment would run close to Thanksgiving, the former Def Jam artist emphasized the role of health literacy and regular checkups in not only his journey, but that of all males, who he added often prefer ignorance when it comes to health and wellness.
“The thing is…you’ve got to do something,” Jordan pleaded. “I’m singing, I’m dancing, I’m performing…and I am doing it to help eradicate the very thing that I am battling right now. We think that we have to wait ‘til something goes wrong in order for something to actually be wrong, and…we gotta make that change now.”
A Global Crusade to Protect Men’s Health
While Burnett and Jordan work to channel testimonials and medical progress, other local assets topping off “Movember” include the Prostate Cancer Awareness Education Session, hosted at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church in Southeast, D.C. on Nov. 8.
Featuring informative presentations, free PSA screenings, and more, Joseph Washington, a member of the co-hosting Knights of Columbus District of Columbia State Council, spoke to the importance of strengthening prostate health care for men across the District.
“How many men out there are aware of their prostate situation? To bring awareness to those that aren’t familiar with the process, how to go about getting tested, where to get tested and what test you can get,” Washington told The Informer, “this is just a way to bring it to the community.”
Meanwhile, Jordan is leveraging his platform with strategic investments to expand awareness, effective communication, and tips for navigating a diagnosis at any stage. With a joint initiative to “blitz the barriers,” the producer-turned-pastor has partnered with ZERO Prostate Cancer to encourage NFL players to get screened for early detection, backed with support of the women, children, and other relatives in their lives urging a priority in health checkups.
Another form of advocacy comes through the pending feature documentary “SUSTAIN,” an intimate exploration from diagnosis to decision of Jordan’s personal journey with prostate cancer, including elements of his most recent bout.
The film – in partnership with award-winning talents, editor Jennifer Sharp and director Adetoro Makinde, an alumni of D.C.’s Georgetown University and Duke Ellington School of the Arts – is currently in the process of raising funds for full production and release.
“It’s going to be almost like a GPS, to help brothers know how to not only look at the things that I looked at, but how do you tell your wife, your mom, your children? How do you navigate this [and] what options are available to you?” Jordan told The Informer in September. “I’m giving a template so that people have an opportunity to help make better decisions for themselves.”
With the global movement for men’s health issues afoot, Jordan encourages all audiences to get involved in addressing the realities and impact of prostate cancer, whether it’s through supporting projects like “SUSTAIN” or simply recognizing the importance of health in preserving family legacies.
Similarly, Burnett acknowledges a need for various improvements among all stakeholders – health care professionals, patients, families, etc. While reiterating the point of “the earlier, the better,” he charged all men to take control of their health journeys with better communication, sensitivity and awareness, and “a lot of proactivity at all levels.”
“Ask the question, require your health care provider to do the proper testing, and then…talk about it and address it,” Burnett advised. “Our bodies need to have the opportunities to have the best health brought to them. All of us can take a role here.”