Janelle Monáe’s “Lipstick Lover” was perhaps the biggest song of spring thanks in part to the borderline-NSFW video. In particular, the wet T-shirt teaser video used to promote the visual drew some eyeballs. Now, Monáe has another teaser out and it’s similarly skin-bearing.
Last night, Monáe revealed that she has a video for “Water Slide” coming out on July 7 (this Friday) and heralded the visual with a quick 15-second teaser. The setting of the clip appears to be similar to that of the “Lipstick Lover” video: At an outdoor pool party with a bunch of women wearing not that much clothing. In the teaser, Monáe and others dance, show off their bodies, and otherwise enjoy each other’s company.
The Essence Festival was the place to be this past weekend in New Orleans. Over the course of the weekend, the performances made several headlines, including Janelle Monáe‘s performance of her hit single, “Yoga,” during which, she briefly flashed her breast, which was tastefully covered by a pink pasty. While this move proved polarizing, no haters could f*ck up Monáe’s vibe.
Monáe’s festive mood continued throughout the weekend, as she and a group of women joined rapper Megan Thee Stallion on stage. In one clip, Monáe welcomes Meg to the stage — which seems to come as a surprise to the “Plan B” rapper.
In another clip, shared by Essence, Meg is seen leading the rest of the ladies in her “Hot Girl Boot Camp” themed set.
Meg is seen performing “Do It On The Tip” from her 2020 debut album, Good News. During the performance the group of women are seen twerking on stage, as Monáe appears from the side of the stage, clapping to the rhythm in support.
Janelle Monáe took the stage at the 2023 Essence Festival and flashed a breast to the attending crowd. Hitting the stage, Monáe took a break to showcase her right boob, which had a pink flower sticker covering her nipple.
While performing “Yoga,” her hit with Jidennna, Janelle Monáe freed her right boob after singing: “You cannot police me, get off my aerola.”
Last night (June 30), at Essence Festival in New Orleans, Monae gave a performance of all of her hits from over the years, including her 2015 Jidenna collaboration, “Yoga.”
The song contains the line “You cannot police me, so get off my areola,” which has become one of Monáe’s signature lyrics. During this particular portion of the song, Monáe lifted up the right side of her bikini top, flashing her breast to the audience. Her nipple was covered with a pink sticker, but nevertheless, stirred up fans throughout the festival.
This exuberant move was met with cheers and support from the audience, who were all on board with the sense of liberation she’s tapped into during this album era.
You can see a clip from Monáe’s Essence Festival performance above.
Janelle Monáe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Janelle Monae’s extremely sensual The Age of Pleasure album has had a few weeks to settle in now, and many music lovers still can’t get enough of the genre-bending release. “Phenomenal” with Doechii, “Champagne S**t,” and “Only Have Eyes 42” are surfacing as immediate favourites from the project, though there’s not a single title on the tracklist that isn’t steadily amassing streams. The singer-songwriter has a handful of live performances scheduled for this summer, the most recent one taking place on Friday (June 30) at Essence Festival.
As we previously saw her do during The Age of Pleasure‘s rollout, Monae didn’t hesitate to entice the audience with her salacious antics. A black and white bra top left little to the imagination during a portion of the show, with underboob notably hanging out. Ever the free spirit, the “I Like That” hitmaker lifted up a portion of the top at one point, fully exposing her breast which was partially covered with a pasty for modesty. Obviously, no one complained about that moment, but it was really Monae’s beautiful vocals that kept the crowd watching.
The 37-year-old performed tracks from her latest release for the most part, though we also heard throwbacks from Dirty Computer and beyond. Others who have taken the stage at Essence Fest so far include Ari Lennox and Lauryn Hill, who made up for being later after Monae’s set with a legendary show of her own.
Seeing as she previously told Rolling Stone that she’s “much happier when [her] t**tes are out,” it’s not surprising to see the creative embracing her body in all its glory. We won’t share the NSFW images directly with you here, however, you can let your curiosity get the better of you at this link. Have you given Janelle Monae’s The Age of Pleasure album a listen yet? Let us know in the comments, and tap into our review of the groovy new project at the link below.
Anybody who thought the vinyl resurgence was just a fad was mistaken: The industry has experienced a legitimate revival. As a result, music fans are interested in physical media in ways they may not have if the decades-old medium hasn’t made a comeback. That doesn’t mean everybody is listening to just their parents’ old music, though. That’s part of it, sure, thanks to rereleases that present classic albums in new ways. A vital part of the renewed vinyl wave, though, is new projects being released as records, of which there are plenty.
Whatever you might be into, each month brings a new slew of vinyl releases that has something for everybody. Some stand out above the rest, naturally, so check out some of our favorite vinyl releases of June below.
The Age Of Pleasure was definitely the most-talked-about album of June, due in part to Monáe’s racy rollout and in part to the music just being excellent. In the video above, Monáe shows off the striking vinyl edition, which features warm alternate cover art and a gigantic painting of breasts on the inside.
As part of its Anthology series, Vinyl Me, Please is revisiting an iconic Waylon Jennings run, from 1973 to 1981, with an eight-album box set. It’s a must-have for fans, as it comes alongside 28 pages of listening notes and even a podcast that dives into Jennings’ storied career as one of country’s biggest icons.
Otis Redding — Otis Forever: The Albums & Singles (1968-1970)
Rhino
Redding tragically died in a 1967 plane crash, but the music kept flowing after that. Four posthumous albums were released from 1968 to 1970, including the beloved The Dock Of The Bay. That and more has been compiled in a new box set (limited to only 1,000 copies), which features the four albums and mono versions of 24 singles from the albums.
Willie Nelson is 90 years old and not stopping, as he has Bluegrass, a new album (his 151st!), on the way soon. For now, though, it’s time to look back with a quick series of reissues. First up is 2002’s The Great Divide, which features collaborations with folks like Sheryl Crow, Rob Thomas, Alison Krauss, and others.
At 82 years old, Bob Dylan is showing no signs of slowing. He just dropped Shadow Kingdom, his 40th album, in early June, and it features new recordings of songs from the first half of Dylan’s esteemed career, along with a new instrumental track, “Sierra’s Theme.” The reinterpretations stem from Dylan’s 2021 concert film, Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs Of Bob Dylan.
Madonna — Finally Enough Love: The Rainbow Edition
Rhino
Last summer, Madonna dropped Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, a retrospective box set that offers a great overview of her pop dominance. She decided to revive the project here in Pride Month by re-dubbing it Finally Enough Love: The Rainbow Edition. Naturally, the vinyl it’s pressed on comes in a variety of vibrant colors, making it an awesome way to celebrate.
Gossamer was a huge moment for Passion Pit, as the 2012 sophomore album vaulted the group into the mainstream conversation with a No. 4 peak on the Billboard 200 chart and the multi-platinum single “Take A Walk.” They’re a bit late but the new 10th-anniversary reissue is still appreciated, and fans will love this: The reissue features “American Blood” and “Almost There,” both of which were previously only available as bonus tracks on the 2012 Japanese CD release.
Included on Flaming Lips’ 6-CD Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots 20th Anniversary Box Set was a collection of four fan-favorite tracks only officially available as part of that release. Now, they’ve been given their first-ever vinyl release on a new standalone collection, pressed on lovely pink vinyl.
TLC — CrazySexyCool and FanMail (Vinyl Me, Please Reissues)
Vinyl Me, Please
Much has been made about the 50th anniversary of hip-hop in 2023, and part of Sony’s celebrations include teaming up with Vinyl Me, Please for some fresh reissues. For the occasion, TLC’s two biggest albums, FanMail and CrazySexyCool, are getting new releases, and the former even comes with a 7-inch.
Towards the end of 2022, Alex G wrapped up a headlining tour with three sold-out hometown shows at Philadelphia’s Union Transfer. Now he’s sourced a new live album from those performances, but vinyl isn’t just the best way to hear it: It’s the only way, as the 14-track Live From Union Transfer isn’t currently set to be released on any format besides LP.
Ever since Janelle Monáe kicked off the rollout for their new album The Age Of Pleasure last year with a series of risqué vacation photos, the multitalented, nonbinary singer has been a hot topic of discussion online — particularly from those fans who noted the divergent approach to presentation compared to Monáe’s early career.
Monáe, though, sees these apparent recent transformations as pulling together “every version” of herself, as she told the creators of the StyleLikeU YouTube channel. Dressed for the first time in months in one of her signature black-and-white suits, Monáe shed tears as she talked about honoring those past versions of herself, as well as the struggle to reconcile her old looks with fans who critiqued her “Monopoly Man” era.
While it was clear that Monáe kept a sense of humor about the jokes at the time, the multidisciplinary artist admitted during their StyleLikeU interview that they had some self-consciousness about their “boobies” during the tuxedo era. Now, of course, Janelle says she feels “much happier when my titties are out.”
The whole interview is worth checking out for how Monáe addresses patriarchy, her sexuality, and coming to terms with her body as it grows and changes. Check it out above.
In the heart of Pride Month, the LA Pride Festival & Parade went down in Los Angeles this past weekend. Janelle Monáe made sure to put her stamp on proceedings with their own float, from which they sang some songs from their new album, The Age Of Pleasure. She also took a minute to deliver a rousing speech about celebrating and protecting the LGBTQIA+ community.
They said, “We are here, we are queer! We are trans! We are the LGBTQIA+ community and we celebrate us right now! We celebrate all that we are from all different walks of life. We protect each other. We use our privilege to protect those who don’t have any. We use our voice. We use and exercise our right to vote to protect our trans family! […] We protect Black folks here. We protect brown and Black. All of us protect each other. We love each other and we create safe spaces for each other, ’cause there’s no pleasure without safety. So thank you for this safe space right now. I love you so much!”
This follows a recent interview in which Monáe said, “You respond by fighting back, by speaking out against, standing with our trans community, my siblings. As a nonbinary, queer, pansexual person, I am proud to be in this community. I will never sit back and be silent about the injustices that are happening against our trans community.”
Janelle Monáe is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Not only are we living in the Age of Aquarius, but thanks to Janelle Monae, we’re now also living in The Age of Pleasure. The 37-year-old shared her new album earlier this weekend, and already the internet can’t get enough of it. Unsurprisingly, a title from the project was picked to appear on our latest R&B Season playlist update, along with tracks from other favourites like Maeta and Ar’mon.
Taking the top spot today is “Liquor Store In The Sky,” a collaboration between BJ The Chicago Kid and Freddie Gibbs. Since dropping on Friday (June 9), the nearly three-and-a-half minute-long effort has already amassed upwards of 55K streams on Spotify alone. From Maeta’s When I Hear Your Name album we’ve picked a solo effort called “Questions.” Elsewhere on the UK songbird’s LP, you can hear her connect with Lucky Daye, Ty Dolla $ign, Ambré, and other friends.
R&B duo Emotional Oranges gave us more heat in the form of “Wrong Hands” to kick off June on a strong note. From BLK ODYSSY’s DIAMONDS & FREAKS project, we’ve hand-picked “PINK MARMALADE” with Eimaral Sol, though the full 15-track album is worth streaming when you have the time. As promised, Monae’s “Champagne Sh*t” comes after that. The catchy song is second on The Age of Pleasure‘s tracklist, right after the previously released “Float” single with Seun Kuti and Egypt 80. Others who appear alongside Janelle include Doechii, Grace Jones, CKay, and actress Nia Long.
The first of our two final selections is Ar’mon’s “Assignment” single. Closing things out behind that is “Kissing New People,” marking Ty Dolla $ign’s third consecutive week appearing in our list of picks. Tap into this weekend’s full R&B Season round-up exclusively on Spotify above. Are there any new arrivals you think we should’ve added? Let us know in the comments, and find more HNHH release recommendations on our Fire Emoji playlist at the link below.
The album rollout for Janelle Monae’s The Age of Pleasure has been one of the singer’s most successful (and salacious) to date. Her long-awaited LP finally landed this New Music Friday (June 9), complete with features from Doechii, Grace Jones, and Sister Nancy, among others. The genre-bending artist shared “Float” with Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 and later, “Lipstick Lover” as singles, but of the new arrivals on the tracklist, titles like “Champagne Sh*t,” “Phenomenal,” and “Black Sugar Beach” appear to be fan favourites.
Not only does the project’s cover show off a topless Monae happily swimming with friends, but her famous breasts also made numerous appearances while she was outside promoting The Age of Pleasure. Not only did she briefly reveal them to a crowd watching her perform live earlier this spring, but the Dirty Computer songstress had them painted on the album’s vinyl version too. She happily flashed the artwork to fans in a new clip shared on social media this weekend, only causing her fanbase to grow further.
In the video, Monae confidently struts across a room wearing tiny red and white booty shots, a cropped t-shirt with “PLEASURE” clearly written across the front and knee-high white boots. As she walks, the singer’s collaboration with Doechii blasts through speakers behind her. “And they all bow to you / How you feel? Phenomenal,” the 37-year-old lip-syncs along the catchy track. “Ready for round two? / B*tch, I feel so phenomenal.”
As she approaches the camera the vocalist lifts up The Age of Pleasure vinyl she’s carrying in her hands, quickly opening it to reveal her bare breasts forever immortalized for fans on the inside. Obviously we’re keeping things PG, but you can find the uncensored footage here. Have you streamed Janelle Monae’s new LP yet? If not, check it out here, and read HNHH‘s full review at the link below.
W A T E R
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(@JanelleMonae) July 6, 2023
(@AKISTALLI) 
