Janelle Monáe’s figure has become a center of attention lately (especially since she stopped dressing “like the Monopoly Man.”) The latest example of that is with the teaser video she shared for the upcoming single “Lipstick Lover” yesterday (May 9). The clip starts with her singing and playing guitar before transitioning to a clip of her emerging from a pool wearing a wet, white t-shirt, which left little (if anything) to the imagination. The revealing video certainly had people talking and it’s trending on Twitter today (May 10).
As for how Monáe achieved the body that she has, she actually answered that question recently.
Last week, Monáe turned heads at the Met Gala with a look that People described, “On fashion’s biggest event Monday, the Grammy-nominated artist, 37, showed up in a larger-than-life tweed coat in black and white and a button-up dress in honor of the night’s ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’ theme. However, while impressive in size, the pieces were taken off in a performative way to unveil the circular mesh dress and skin-baring two-piece underneath.”
As she walked the red carpet, one reporter asked Monáe how she’s reached her current shape. She responded, “Jamaican food and… sex.”
After recently being dissed for “dressing like the Monopoly Man,” by a Twitter troll, Janelle Monáe has made it her personal mission to remind the world of her sex appeal. To begin the month of May, the R&B singer previously joined countless other famous faces in New York at the Met Gala, using her time walking on the red carpet to do a dramatic outfit reveal that left her nearly naked under a see-through, structured dress. Later that evening, cameras caught her dancing up a storm in nothing more than a bikini while standing on a bar at an after-party, clearly having the time of her life.
Now that the buzz from Anna Wintour’s annual event has died down, Monáe is taking more steps to keep all eyes on her. On Tuesday (May 9) morning, the 37-year-old posted a video on her Twitter page, which begins on a wholesome note as she strums at her guitar and croons out a song she plans to release later this week. In the final 15 seconds of the clip, we see Janelle soaking in the clear blue pool water, wearing a skintight white t-shirt, with the word “PLEASURE” written across the front.
As she maintains eye contact with the camera, Monae saucily saunters out of the pool, her chest obviously on full display under the soaked shirt. As she flaunts what she’s got, her beautiful voice continues to play in the background, as well as confirmation of her upcoming single’s title and release date. According to this morning’s tweet, “Lipstick Lover” will arrive on DSPs this Thursday (May 11).
The solo effort will be the Kansas native’s second release of 2023, following her work with Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 on “Float,” which has also since seen numerous remixes arrive online. Are you looking forward to hearing Janelle Monáe’s “Lipstick Lover” single later this week? Let us know in the comments, and tap back in later for more pop culture/hip-hop news updates.
The video starts with Monáe wearing a wide-brimmed hat, playing an acoustic guitar, and singing a new song. After about 30 seconds of that, the video cuts to a revealing clip of Monáe, wearing a wet, white t-shirt that says “pleasure” on the chest as she emerges from a pool. The song continues all the while and the video ends by noting the song, called “Lipstick Lover,” is set to drop this week, on May 11.
On the track, Monáe sings, “I’ll take my time / Just wanna feel your hips on mine / I really got a thing for my lipstick lover, lover, lover, lover / I’d do anything for my lipstick lover, lover, lover, lover / I really got a thing for my lipstick lover.”
While Monáe’s primary output lately has been related to her successful acting career, she’s been paying more attention to the music side of things recently, like in February when she dropped the new single “Float.”
Janelle Monáe’s rap songs are more common in her discography than people may realize. While her singing abilities are well documented and have been showcased many times, she’s talented with rapping, too. Considering this and the fact her studio albums have some sort of concept/narrative, she truly puts her all into her creative musical expression.
Each of her studio albums has a song displaying her rap skills. Besides these moments, she’s had singles where she focused on rapping, too. Her most recent single, “Float,” is one of them. The song’s cover art features a semi-visible tracklist, so her upcoming project may have even more rapping. In the meantime, we’ve gathered some of her discography’s best past rap moments.
5. “Dance or Die” (feat. Saul Williams) (2010)
This rapped song from Janelle Monáe is on her debut album, The ArchAndroid. This one is more of a hybrid because her sung vocals are woven throughout the song, too. Not only do they appear on the hook, but they appear as ad-libs during her rap verses too. However, they do not detract from the skill displayed during the rapped moments.
Janelle uses fast rapped flows on this one. She drops a whopping six verses on the track, but her fast delivery makes it not even feel like that many. This song offers listeners an intro to the concept Janelle created for this album. She raps about the state of the world her character is in and how it’s up to people to make the change they want to see. There’s a cinematic feeling to this one that comes through with the guitars, horns, and bouncy drums.
This song has a closing rap verse from Janelle Monáe’s album The Electric Lady. For some listeners, the song has two highlights: the verse from Erykah Badu and Janelle’s outro rapped verse. Ms. Badu’s verse precedes Janelle’s rapped one. But between these moments, there’s an instrumental passage where a trumpet comes in and sets the tone for Janelle’s verse.
While the song celebrates individuality, Janelle’s rapped verse focuses on the unification of people and her power as a person. Strings come in during it, which gives it a grandiose and motivational feeling. Her delivery is a combination of confidence with just a hint of aggressiveness. It makes the words she says stick and resonate as they effectively contrast the sonically lighthearted aspects of the first portion of the song.
3. “Turntables” (2020)
This single is a song that finds Janelle Monáe in her full political rap bag. Listeners have seen Janelle speak on things like this for years, and this song captures her thoughts on the topic of this country well. The song was created for the documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy. The music video, credited as an “Emotion Picture,” captures multiple facets of the Black experience in America.
There’s footage from the Civil Rights era, protests from our modern era, and celebratory moments from both periods. Janelle raps against various backgrounds, all of which reference the country in one way or another. Her punchlines here reference her dissatisfaction with the country we’re in, while others proclaim she’s ready to make changes to it. Her delivery is not aggressive but confidently rhythmic. She and most of her listeners have known the country has had issues for centuries.
2. “Float” feat. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (2023)
This is Janelle Monáe’s most recent single, and finds her in her rap bag on a different level. Janelle has put the work in as an artist and an actress for over a decade. More recently, many people have recognized her talent and she takes pride in her continued accomplishments. This song is a declaration of this confidence and finds her speaking on how she has changed as an individual.
Like our previous entry, she sings on the hook and raps on the verses. There’s a certain relaxed confidence in Janelle’s rapped verses. She’s not bragging about material possessions but about improving her mental perspective. The production’s soundscape fits this well with triumphant horns balanced with relaxing keys and stuttering trap drums.
1. “Django Jane” (2018)
This rap song was the first single for Janelle Monáe’s most recent album Dirty Computer. Janelle’s music overall has a charming and uplifting tone to it. However, things are different this time around. Produced by Nana Kwabena, this one has a slightly menacing yet confident feel. Trap drums, strings, and what sounds like a bell appears throughout the song.
Janelle declares her pride in making it to the level she’s at while also boosting Black women worldwide. One unique thing about this song is it has no hook. This is something listeners in the rap world have seen done many times. Janelle did it with ease going through flow switches to keep the song interesting and also did the whole song without ad-libs. Many listeners hail this as her best-rapped moment. What’s your favorite moment where Janelle Monáe rapped? Let us know in the comments section.
Jack Donaghy once said, “Never go with a hippie to a second location.” But you do go with Janelle Monáe to a second location, if you’re lucky enough to be invited.
Following the Met Gala, the musician and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery star hosted an after-party at the Standard Hotel’s the Boom Boom Room; the guest list included Billie Eilish, Jenna Ortega, and Lil Nas X. But no one, with the exception of Monáe herself, had more fun than Florence Pugh.
Here’s how Vogue described the scene that led to Pugh looking delighted while Monáe performed a possibly unreleased song on a bartop:
Throughout the evening, in a sort of Studio 54-inspired variety show, a constant flow of entertainment in varied forms kept the party moving, with cones of french fries and hamburgers making the rounds, a corner banquette gossip session between Eilish and Lizzo, and Coco Rocha performing an impromptu dance number in a shimmering gold column dress and sky-high tousled hair, all before reaching a fever pitch once Janelle Monae, wearing a pair of equally sky-high Thom Browne wedge heels and a look that continued to shed until she was in a black-bikini-esque getup took to the bartop to delight guests with a few of her hits and a heaping dose of inspiration
“This is once in a lifetime,” Monáe said at the party. “You could be in bed, but y’all are out, because tonight, this year, we are in the age of pleasure. We are doing the stuff that makes us feel good unapologetically.” The only way to top this level of enjoyment is for Pugh and Monáe to reunite in Paddington 3.
Janelle Monaé is enjoying every bit of the spotlight. Even though the artist hasn’t been releasing much music over the last few years, that certainly doesn’t mean she has been out of view. Monaé has appeared in several acting roles, including a critically acclaimed turn in last year’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. The film was a sequel to the hit 2020 film Knives Out, which starred Daniel Craig. Monaé’s role in the film even earned her several awards. However, many fans have been eager for new music. The artist’s last release, Dirty Computer, was released more than five years ago.
Luckily for fans, Monaé has still managed to keep fans satisfied with a few singles. Since her last album, she has also released the singles “Stronger” and “Say My Name (Hell You Talmbout).” Additionally, she contributed to the Lady & The Tramp soundtrack with her song, “That’s Enough.” Earlier this year, fans finally got more music from Monaé. In February, she released her latest single, “Float,” after a two-year break. While Monae showcases her vocal skills in the song, she also incorporates hip-hop elements. It was a bit of a switch-up in style for her, but “Float” is a catchy tune that’s likely to get stuck in your head.
Last night, Janelle Monaé was in attendance for the Met Gala. Upon arrival, she was demure and elegant. She paid tribute to Karl Lagerfeld, as was the theme of the event, with her stylish red carpet look. When she arrived on the scene, she was wearing an oversized monochrome Thom Browne coat. Then, in a stunning reveal, she stripped it off to show off her body in a two-piece and see-through hoop skirt combo. Monaé owned the look and flaunted her trim figure as she walked up the stairs to the gala.
At the afterparty, Monaé let loose completely. In a video posted to Instagram by The Shade Room, the singer can be dancing on top of the bar at The Boom Boom Room in NYC. In the spicy clip, Monaé is adorned in the same two-piece from the carpet look sans-hoop skirt. A crowd cheers her on from behind as she moves her body to the DJ’s beat. It looks like she’s really living her best life. What do you think of the clip? Sound off in the comments below!
And she wants more people to have access to such positive experiences and opportunity.
On Wednesday, March 22, it was announced that Monáe is entering a partnering with the Warner Music Group/Blavatnik Family Foundation Social Justice Fund “to expand the programs of her non-profit, Fem The Future, whose mission is to build a fem-forward future by creating opportunities for under-resourced girls and non-binary youth of color in music, the arts, and education,” per press release.
The partnership has been kickstarted by a $150,000 grant, serving “as a pilot for longer-term collaboration.”
“In partnership with the Social Justice Fund, we’re giving girls the chance to own their power — and change the world,” Monáe said in a statement. “The SJF grant will support Fem The Future as it develops programming for girls and non-binary youth and shines light on their talent — helping them build confidence, expand educational opportunities and make informed decisions about their bodies, their lives and their futures. A beautiful future begins with uplifting the next generation of artists, activists and freedom fighters.”
Janelle Monae started their speech at the Critics Choice Awards by clarifying that their pronouns are “she/her, they/them and free-ass motherfucker” https://t.co/5xWfo8qEQo
“I’m Janelle Monáe, and my pronouns are she/her, they/them, and free-ass motherf*cker,” she said, adding (as relayed by People), “I try to make an effort in my work … to highlight the ones who have been pushed to the margins of society, who’ve been outcast or relegated to ‘the other.’ This is a deeply personal choice for me because I grew up to working-class parents: My mother was a janitor, my father was a trash man, and my grandmother was a sharecropper in Aberdeen, Mississippi.”
Janelle Monáe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
March is about celebrating women, and these ladies are taking full advantage. Megan Thee Stallion gears up to return to the stage, Keke Palmer teases a new drop, Halle Bailey shares the first look of her look-alike doll, and more! Megan Thee Stallion Gears Up For Return After taking a hiatus for court dealings involving […]
San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park will once again play host to the Outside Lands festival this year, from August 11 to 13. Ahead of then, the lineup was unveiled today (March 7), and it’s led by Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Odesza, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, Megan Thee Stallion, Zedd, Janelle Monáe, Maggie Rogers, and Fisher.
There are plenty of highlights beyond that, too, including Lil Yachty, JID, Interpol, Willow, Father John Misty, Tobe Nwigwe, Orville Peck, Aespa, Beabadoobee, Alvvays, Alex G, Soccer Mommy, Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal), Raveena, Inhaler, Ethel Cain, Samia, The Jungle Giants, and Wednesday.
ranger dave is pleased to announce the outside lands 2023 lineup! don’t miss @kendricklamar, @foofighters, @odesza, lana del rey, & more as we celebrate 15 years, august 11-13
Monáe was part of Dwyane Wade’s Celebrity All-Star team this year, among the likes of Simu Lu and Alex Toussaint. While Monáe is equally as much of a force in music as much as she is in film, it appears basketball isn’t one of her strong suits.
During the game, Monáe played defense on her counterpart despite her team having possession of the ball on offense. At one point, Wade was heard explaining to Monáe “When we down here, I need you to be ready to score,” according to Rolling Stone.
But all-in-all, it appears Monáe was in good spirits after the game, and even had a good laugh about the whole ordeal.
“I got cut from my team as a kid (it was traumatic!) and now I’m laughing,” said Monáe in a tweet after the game.
Nah fr that was bucket list. I got cut from my team as a kid (it was traumatic!) and now I’m laughing. Thank you @NBAAllStar for having meeeee
(@JanelleMonae) 
(@lamour) 
