mjscarousel said:

cindymay said:

She's actually showing her ass in the make me feel video but I get your point. She's always artistic in her choices so I don't think it looks cheap. She's sending a message with this song. I'm not against artists showing skin at all if it's done in a creative way. The problem is the industry has become saturated with people/mostly women (because the industry is sexist) getting naked on screen without a meaning behind it and especially with really poor music to accompany the visuals, basically they use nudity as a way to cover the music is garbage.

I am not against artists showing skin either but most of the female artists sexually exploit there bodies and this is problematic. If you notice its mostly the Black female pop stars that are hyper exploitive in how they are presented. The industry is very racist with always having Black females play these Jezebel and sex kitten roles (these negative stereotypes on Black feminity goes back to Slavery days). That is why I have a problem with it. This continues to tear down the Black Community and the Black Woman and whether people realize this or not the images that are often perpetuated in the media on Black women and men influence policy, social constructions and how we are viewed by society.

I am not in support of simply showing your ass just to sell records and I don't think Janelle is doing that. She actually has something powerful to say and she is an excellent role model for young girls.

Yes I agree and I don't like how black artists are put in a box by mainstream standards. Even white artists are now usually put in boxes tbh, there's a very little space for creativity in general on the radios right now. I'm glad Janelle is finally being played on pop radio stations with Make me feel but it took years of hard work and quality before.

mjscarousel said:

cindymay said:

She hasn't rocked her old hairstyle for a while now. Since 2015 at least, before the movies.

Her old hair style was a Hair trend for a long time. A lot of girls did their hair up like Janelles. If Janelle had a machine behind her, I think that up do style would have been iconic.

Yes I remember a lot of women were rocking her hairstyle! and she started to rock natural hair in a period when it wasn't popular at all to do so. She even spoke about some industry dudes that didn't want her to rock natural hair at the beginning of her careeer. She's always been a fashion icon imo. That's why she received the CFDA award recently.

mjscarousel said:

cindymay said:

She's actually showing her ass in the make me feel video but I get your point. She's always artistic in her choices so I don't think it looks cheap. She's sending a message with this song. I'm not against artists showing skin at all if it's done in a creative way. The problem is the industry has become saturated with people/mostly women (because the industry is sexist) getting naked on screen without a meaning behind it and especially with really poor music to accompany the visuals, basically they use nudity as a way to cover the music is garbage.

I am not against artists showing skin either but most of the female artists sexually exploit there bodies and this is problematic. If you notice its mostly the Black female pop stars that are hyper exploitive in how they are presented. The industry is very racist with always having Black females play these Jezebel and sex kitten roles (these negative stereotypes on Black feminity goes back to Slavery days). That is why I have a problem with it. This continues to tear down the Black Community and the Black Woman and whether people realize this or not the images that are often perpetuated in the media on Black women and men influence policy, social constructions and how we are viewed by society.

I am not in support of simply showing your ass just to sell records and I don't think Janelle is doing that. She actually has something powerful to say and she is an excellent role model for young girls.

What is this powerful thing that she has to say by showing her a$$? In what way is Janelle showing her a$$ being an excellent role model for young girls? Please enlighten me, I'm confused.

cindymay said:

Yes I agree and I don't like how black artists are put in a box by mainstream standards. Even white artists are now usually put in boxes tbh, there's a very little space for creativity in general on the radios right now. I'm glad Janelle is finally being played on pop radio stations with Make me feel but it took years of hard work and quality before.

WOW, she is!!! Thank God, I am so happy for her! I haven't listened to the radio in years but I am so proud that she is being played on mainstream radio. She as well as her music deserves it. I think the reason as to why Black artists are placed in boxes is much deeper than mainstream standards. Racism, tokenism and political agendas play major factors as to why Black pop stars are presented a certain way compared to their White counterparts. I also think these Black pop stars contributors to their own demise and never stand up for anything. That is why I love Janelle because she wasn't going to allow labels to use her and exploit her. She stood up for herself and her beliefs. You're right, White artists are placed in boxes as well but the images they present via their brand and in their music are not as aversive and harmful compared to Black artists.

cindymay said:

mjscarousel said:

Her old hair style was a Hair trend for a long time. A lot of girls did their hair up like Janelles. If Janelle had a machine behind her, I think that up do style would have been iconic.

Yes I remember a lot of women were rocking her hairstyle! and she started to rock natural hair in a period when it wasn't popular at all to do so. She even spoke about some industry dudes that didn't want her to rock natural hair at the beginning of her careeer. She's always been a fashion icon imo. That's why she received the CFDA award recently.

She is, she has always been a fashion icon to me and always out of the box. She reinvents her style and hair with each album and era. I love her natural hair its so beautiful. I can see industry dudes not wanting her to rock her natural hair. There is a push for Black women to wear straight and European style hair if they want to make it in the industry. Its really sad. Beauty comes in all hair textures and skin tones and as Black women we don't see many varied representations of our beauty in the mainstream.

mjscarousel said:

cindymay said:

Yes I agree and I don't like how black artists are put in a box by mainstream standards. Even white artists are now usually put in boxes tbh, there's a very little space for creativity in general on the radios right now. I'm glad Janelle is finally being played on pop radio stations with Make me feel but it took years of hard work and quality before.

WOW, she is!!! Thank God, I am so happy for her! I haven't listened to the radio in years but I am so proud that she is being played on mainstream radio. She as well as her music deserves it. I think the reason as to why Black artists are placed in boxes is much deeper than mainstream standards. Racism, tokenism and political agendas play major factors as to why Black pop stars are presented a certain way compared to their White counterparts. I also think these Black pop stars contributors to their own demise and never stand up for anything. That is why I love Janelle because she wasn't going to allow labels to use her and exploit her. She stood up for herself and her beliefs. You're right, White artists are placed in boxes as well but the images they present via their brand and in their music are not as aversive and harmful compared to Black artists.

Me neither most of the time because the music is really bad most of the time. I simply saw the charts on Mediabase for the US but I was especially surprised to see make me feel on the playlists of national radios over here (I live in Italy). About popstars not standing up for anyything it's sadly valid for white popstars as well. Could you see a Taylor Swift doing something political?

[Edited 3/26/18 17:02pm]

New article about the album, and a slight breakdown of "Make Me Feel" and "Django Jane". Prince mention of course. A few snips below.

Janelle Monae's 'Dirty Computer': What We Know, What to Expect

"Django Jane" is a diss record aimed at the haters.
And a strong one, too. For the first time ever, Monáe takes time to do a little stunting: "Already got an Oscar for the casa/Runnin' down Grammys with the family/Prolly give a Tony to the homies/Prolly get an Emmy dedicated to the highly melanated." On the surface, "Django Jane" feels like a bold step away from Monáe's previous output, which featured tinges of rap, though never this overt. Ultimately, though, the trap-rap song feels like the natural next step for Monáe; she's not abandoning what brought her to the dance, but given her credentials, she can afford to shit-talk. "Box office numbers and they doin' outstanding," she says at one point. "Remember when they used to say I look too mannish."

Sexual liberation will be a key theme.
Over the course of her career, Monáe has faced inquiries about her sexuality. Up to now, she's kept that part of her world private, only saying that she's "sexually liberated." The video for "Make Me Feel" speaks to such liberation. "It's a celebratory song," Monáe told The Guardian. "I hope that comes across. That people feel more free, no matter where they are in their lives, that they feel celebrated. I'm guilty feeling like I can't just be … like either it's this or it's that, it's black or it's white. But there's so much grey." Still, the world has changed a great deal since Monáe's first LP in 2010; back then, the dialogue surrounding LGBTQ issues wasn't so prevalent, and a film like Moonlight – an LGBTQ film with a black director (Barry Jenkins) and an all-black cast – probably couldn't have won an Oscar for Best Picture. The video for "Make Me Feel" alludes to such liberation: In the "Make Me Feel" clip, we see Monáe beguiling both a male and female companion.

Her videos highlight the nuances of black culture, celebrating its power and dignity without apology or regret. With "Django Jane" and "Make Me Feel," Monáe promotes a sense of unity and strength, looking toward the outer limits with the same verve as Sun Ra. The timing seems right for Monáe's latest epic: Superhero film Black Panther – which is full of Afrofuturist themes – has grossed more than $1 billion in the worldwide box office. The film's success proves that mass audiences are ready for sci-fi stories centered around black people and black culture. Just the thing Monáe has pushed for all along.

She's doing something with Spotify. A documentary on Afrofuturism and she curated some playlists on it.

cindymay said:

mjscarousel said:

WOW, she is!!! Thank God, I am so happy for her! I haven't listened to the radio in years but I am so proud that she is being played on mainstream radio. She as well as her music deserves it. I think the reason as to why Black artists are placed in boxes is much deeper than mainstream standards. Racism, tokenism and political agendas play major factors as to why Black pop stars are presented a certain way compared to their White counterparts. I also think these Black pop stars contributors to their own demise and never stand up for anything. That is why I love Janelle because she wasn't going to allow labels to use her and exploit her. She stood up for herself and her beliefs. You're right, White artists are placed in boxes as well but the images they present via their brand and in their music are not as aversive and harmful compared to Black artists.

Me neither most of the time because the music is really bad most of the time. I simply saw the charts on Mediabase for the US but I was especially surprised to see make me feel on the playlists of national radios over here (I live in Italy). About popstars not standing up for anyything it's sadly valid for white popstars as well. Could you see a Taylor Swift doing something political?

[Edited 3/26/18 17:02pm]

Yes, you are right White pop stars don't stand up for anything either and I could never see Taylor, Katy, Adele etc making the thought provoking songs that Janelle does. They seem to play the rules by the man and do what their told (although I do think Adele makes better quality music but its basic adult contemporary). Well come bring to Italy. America is messed up, going down hill! I am happy for Janelle if that is the case. No one never gives her credit for her music videos but they are always very creative and artistic as well. What are your favorite music videos?

mjscarousel said:

cindymay said:

Me neither most of the time because the music is really bad most of the time. I simply saw the charts on Mediabase for the US but I was especially surprised to see make me feel on the playlists of national radios over here (I live in Italy). About popstars not standing up for anyything it's sadly valid for white popstars as well. Could you see a Taylor Swift doing something political?

[Edited 3/26/18 17:02pm]

Yes, you are right White pop stars don't stand up for anything either and I could never see Taylor, Katy, Adele etc making the thought provoking songs that Janelle does. They seem to play the rules by the man and do what their told (although I do think Adele makes better quality music but its basic adult contemporary). Well come bring to Italy. America is messed up, going down hill! I am happy for Janelle if that is the case. No one never gives her credit for her music videos but they are always very creative and artistic as well. What are your favorite music videos?

Yes Adele's better than Swift and Perry but her music bores me to death after 2/3 songs. Music videos are not recognized anymore like they used to be but yes her music videos are GREAT! I think my absolute favorites are still Many Moons and Queen but I also love Make me feel, Django Jane and Primetime.

[Edited 3/27/18 15:11pm]

StrangeButTrue said:

I think that translates to her music as she often embodies a character or tells a story within her releases similar to David Bowie. TBH initially I wasn't that big on her because I thought her voice was a bit awkward/tinny but it has grown on me exponentially. I don't consider her a stellar singing talent but she has a stage presence with talent to back it up that is much needed nowadays.

I think Bowie and her have a very similar approach to music. Their acting background is evident and it translates to their music, they have been very theatrical/cinematic in their music. She was inspired by him (the David Bowie clones in the Make me feel club are a nice tribute to him). Bowie himself was a supporter of Janelle's music (his wife Iman said so) even though sadly I don't think they ever met each other in person. I find her voice to have a great quality: it's very versatile. She can sing a lot of different genres and styles and sounds convincing doing so. Prince liked a lot when she sang jazz and I definitely hope in the future we can hear her sing other jazz stuff.

Homegirl's body, damn son. mmm

Apparently she's going to release another track soon, the title is Pynk and it features Grimes. Let's wait and see.

cindymay said:

mjscarousel said:

Yes, you are right White pop stars don't stand up for anything either and I could never see Taylor, Katy, Adele etc making the thought provoking songs that Janelle does. They seem to play the rules by the man and do what their told (although I do think Adele makes better quality music but its basic adult contemporary). Well come bring to Italy. America is messed up, going down hill! I am happy for Janelle if that is the case. No one never gives her credit for her music videos but they are always very creative and artistic as well. What are your favorite music videos?

Yes Adele's better than Swift and Perry but her music bores me to death after 2/3 songs. Music videos are not recognized anymore like they used to be but yes her music videos are GREAT! I think my absolute favorites are still Many Moons and Queen but I also love Make me feel, Django Jane and Primetime.

[Edited 3/27/18 15:11pm]

I love all her videos but I think Queen is my favorite. I think Tightrope may be my second fav video. I like the ending of the video and the adlibs towards the ending of the song are beautiful. I agree about Adele's music as well. Its not as interesting and creative as Janelles but in terms of the Pop world, its the best we getting these days. What are some of your favorite songs on Electric Lady? Some fans did not like it as much as ArchAndroid but I LOVE Electric Lady as well.

cindymay said:

Apparently she's going to release another track soon, the title is Pynk and it features Grimes. Let's wait and see.

Thanks, Can't Wait! What are some other artists you would like to see Janelle collab with? I wish she could have worked with Michael. I always think of him when I listen to Locked Inside and I think of J5 when I listen to Its Code. I like the song she did with Duran Duran. I wouldn't mind if she did something with Jack White or maybe even D Angelo.

mjscarousel said:

cindymay said:

Yes Adele's better than Swift and Perry but her music bores me to death after 2/3 songs. Music videos are not recognized anymore like they used to be but yes her music videos are GREAT! I think my absolute favorites are still Many Moons and Queen but I also love Make me feel, Django Jane and Primetime.

[Edited 3/27/18 15:11pm]

I love all her videos but I think Queen is my favorite. I think Tightrope may be my second fav video. I like the ending of the video and the adlibs towards the ending of the song are beautiful. I agree about Adele's music as well. Its not as interesting and creative as Janelles but in terms of the Pop world, its the best we getting these days. What are some of your favorite songs on Electric Lady? Some fans did not like it as much as ArchAndroid but I LOVE Electric Lady as well.

I don't love Electric lady as much as Archandroid and Metropolis but I think mostly because she was playing kinda safe on that one. She was still Cindi but she wasn't really going on with the story and she wasn't taking risks on that one like I think she did with Archandroid or even with Make me feel and Django Jane now. I still listen to Electric lady though which by the way contains one of my favorite songs from her that it's Sally Ride. That song is everything and I'm so sad she never performed it live. Other favorites from that record are: what an experience, Dorothy D.'s eyes, look into my eyes, givin' em what they love, victory.

mjscarousel said:

cindymay said:

Apparently she's going to release another track soon, the title is Pynk and it features Grimes. Let's wait and see.

Thanks, Can't Wait! What are some other artists you would like to see Janelle collab with? I wish she could have worked with Michael. I always think of him when I listen to Locked Inside and I think of J5 when I listen to Its Code. I like the song she did with Duran Duran. I wouldn't mind if she did something with Jack White or maybe even D Angelo.

Her song with Duran Duran was getting a lot of airplay in Italy. I thought Pynk would have been out at this point. I hope she'll release another track before the project drops, Pynk or another one. I'm noticing she's being very quiet for having a project coming out soon. The Grimes thing was leaked for a moment last week on a site but after that there was silence again. We know nothing about the record yet or the visuals. Yes it would have been really cool if she and Michael met. I always thought he would have liked Janelle. Her and Jack White woud be cool too, I would love that. I loved her previous work with Grimes. Recently I thought she and St Vincent could cook something together. Maybe Kendrick Lamar as well?

[Edited 4/8/18 8:31am]

Pink is fun... Although I hate the colour

Pynk's video is out! Janelle and Aerosmith, I never thought about this combo tbh. She remains a queen of visuals. I don't get where Grimes is, maybe she helped on the production.

FullLipsDotNose said:

Pink is fun... Although I hate the colour

I'm not a fan of the color either.

Pink like the tongue that goes down, I see you Jane

Janelle loves her some pussy. She blocked me on Twitter for saying that a few years ago.

Boy it's cool if u like blue, but we got the Pynk! Really like this 1 from jump, kinda poppy, but Janelle-like .

cindymay said:

Pynk's video is out! Janelle and Aerosmith, I never thought about this combo tbh.

Where is Aerosmith in this?

TrivialPursuit said:

Janelle loves her some pussy. She blocked me on Twitter for saying that a few years ago.

[Edited 4/10/18 15:16pm]

TrivialPursuit said:

cindymay said:

Pynk's video is out! Janelle and Aerosmith, I never thought about this combo tbh.

Where is Aerosmith in this?

It's a sample in the song or at least I read so somewhere on a music blog.

[Edited 4/10/18 13:50pm]

cindymay said:

cindymay said:

mjscarousel said:

I love all her videos but I think Queen is my favorite. I think Tightrope may be my second fav video. I like the ending of the video and the adlibs towards the ending of the song are beautiful. I agree about Adele's music as well. Its not as interesting and creative as Janelles but in terms of the Pop world, its the best we getting these days. What are some of your favorite songs on Electric Lady? Some fans did not like it as much as ArchAndroid but I LOVE Electric Lady as well.

I don't love Electric lady as much as Archandroid and Metropolis but I think mostly because she was playing kinda safe on that one. She was still Cindi but she wasn't really going on with the story and she wasn't taking risks on that one like I think she did with Archandroid or even with Make me feel and Django Jane now. I still listen to Electric lady though which by the way contains one of my favorite songs from her that it's Sally Ride. That song is everything and I'm so sad she never performed it live. Other favorites from that record are: what an experience, Dorothy D.'s eyes, look into my eyes, givin' em what they love, victory.

I think the Archandroid is better in terms of creativity and really pushing artistically. However, I love Electric Lady as well. There are a lot of great songs on the album. I loved Can't Live Without Your Love (I think this is the best song on the album), Dorothy D's Eyes, Electric Lady, It's Code, Suite V Electric Overtrue, Look Into My Eyes. I don't know if she will continue with her Cindi character she seems to be pulling in another direction artistically. Maybe down the road she will finish that saga of her music up. I love the risks it looks like she is taking with this new record. Its so liberating.

cindymay said:

mjscarousel said:

Thanks, Can't Wait! What are some other artists you would like to see Janelle collab with? I wish she could have worked with Michael. I always think of him when I listen to Locked Inside and I think of J5 when I listen to Its Code. I like the song she did with Duran Duran. I wouldn't mind if she did something with Jack White or maybe even D Angelo.

Her song with Duran Duran was getting a lot of airplay in Italy. I thought Pynk would have been out at this point. I hope she'll release another track before the project drops, Pynk or another one. I'm noticing she's being very quiet for having a project coming out soon. The Grimes thing was leaked for a moment last week on a site but after that there was silence again. We know nothing about the record yet or the visuals. Yes it would have been really cool if she and Michael met. I always thought he would have liked Janelle. Her and Jack White woud be cool too, I would love that. I loved her previous work with Grimes. Recently I thought she and St Vincent could cook something together. Maybe Kendrick Lamar as well?

[Edited 4/8/18 8:31am]

Wow that is amazing. I found the song on online and fell in love. Duran Duran seem to adore her and enjoyed working with her. Yea I notice she is has been semi quiet lately despite having a new album in the works for releasing. I have been enjoying her interviews though and the inspiration behind this new album. I am sure she will do more promotion once the album drops. I actually like this mysterious route she is going with the promotion and keeping the fans guessing. It is building up anticipation and excitement. I think the Grimes song is hot and the visuals are fire. She is really pushing herself and taking risks this era. I think Michael would have loved her and it would have been interesting to see what songs and concepts they would have came up with together. Janelle reminds me so much of a young MJ/Prince creatively and how she brands herself. I think that is why Prince was so drawn to her because he saw a lot of himself in her. I like to see her work with Kelis as well. She is another great artist and I think her style would go well with Janelle's. Kendrick is a nice mainstream choice.

cindymay said:

Pynk's video is out! Janelle and Aerosmith, I never thought about this combo tbh. She remains a queen of visuals. I don't get where Grimes is, maybe she helped on the production.

Bish better go the fuq off! Damn Janelle just slay me every time! I am loving all the risks she is taking this era visually and artistically! What a ride she is taking us on! I am so proud of her and I am so glad she is doing this and man o man is she gorgeous! Real black girl magic in that video!