The Defiant Sci-Fi of Janelle Monae

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00:00 Intro
00:42 Title Card
00:49 Metropolis
01:34 Social Commentary & Androids
02:26 Past and Future of Black Culture
03:08 Dance
04:32 Transcending Ideological Borders
05:20 Conclusion

[LBAW]

Your point about how Monae uses dancing as a weapon reminds me of Deltron 3030 where rapping is used as a method of spellcasting.

[BorgesJoel]

"Dance as a weapon" reminded me of Capoeira, a Afro-Brazilian Martial Art that can also been seen as a dance. It was created by slaves. Some say that the slaves called it a Dance in order to be allowed to practice it as a way of rebelling or self-defence. Great video!!

[shaylajohnson]

I'm so glad theirs a video on Monae! I always feel like I'm trying to convince my friends on how brilliant she is musically as well as how creative the music is that she creates. She is criminally under rated.

[FishBoneWilliams]

Another great video - I don't understand any of the backlash this video has received. Love or hate the artist, Polyphonic did a great job discussing Monae's music and motivations, and I don't see how this video is any different from his other high quality pieces. Very factual and well-researched - keep it up!

[tamerebel]

This was amazingly informative, I've met her in Manchester and she has an amazing energy. I absolutely love her futuristic vision and the long-term planning of her art.

[valeskacepeda]

Music, as a form of art and expression, has always been related to politics in a certain way. I don't know why some people here seem so displeased by it.

[agirlnamedbrett.]

she's a god damn badass and soo underappreciated.

[EstevaooBlack]

Music is so much more than notes and instruments. It goes beyond what we hear, because it is just another tool for communication. Thank you for this, keep it going.

[tonylancer]

She reminds me of Maurice White and his uplifting mentality in the music he made with Earth, Wind and Fire. Great to see that Janelle has picked up the same thing.

[apollokain]

I always wondered where Dirty Computer falls in on this story. Her film for it also uses her concept of Cindy Mayweather. But it wasn’t ever promoted as another suite like the previous albums

[heathledger]

*I'm falling in love for this channel* *-*

[colinwhitehurst]

Dude you are killing it! I'm loving the Lamar and now monae videos. I feel like you could do a whole separate channel about these topics. Also did you hear the this American life about Afro futurism?

[TheQuietOne]

Electric Lady is one of my favorite albums of all time. The first half of it is about as perfect as can be..

[jcliffe]

I'm going to be honest this is one of my favorite videos you have done yet!

[ragir]

Dude, this is a great channel. Abstracting from the really cool take on people rightfully and cleverly fighting for equality, the Led Zeppelin and Flea videos add to the overall feel of the channel. I hope you're here to stay and to produce a lot of content, I will be here for all of it and might take it upon myself to become a patreon, this is some good stuff, great job!

[juicesoundsystem]

If you consider the whole album as a continuous work of art it's up there with The Who's 'Tommy' in terms of how bloody daring and conceptually interesting it is, as well as how well executed and delivered. It's a work of genius.

[mariaah]

Dude, I really wish you'd update this topic with the inclusion of her latest album, Dirty Computer.

[WhatWeDigtoday]

This video got slept on. I didnt get it in my regular feed for some reason. The entire wondaland movement has political undertones. Love the channel use music clips when you can.

[amysvlogaboutbooks]

This whole channel is amazing, but I especially love this video. Wonderful information!

[scottalain]

The quantity/quality of information and responsible research packed into six minutes here embarrasses 100-page graduate theses attempting to communicate the same thing