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Django Jane
2018 single by Janelle Monáe From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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"Django Jane" is a song recorded by singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, released on February 22, 2018 as the second single, alongside "Make Me Feel", from her third studio album, Dirty Computer.[1][2] The song features Monáe rapping instead of singing and makes a direct reference to Monáe's debut studio album, The ArchAndroid. Lyrically, it has many black feminist themes.[3][4] A music video was released on the same day as the single.[5]
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Background
On February 16, 2018, Monáe revealed her third studio album, entitled Dirty Computer, through a teaser video released on YouTube. Following up on that announcement, she released both "Django Jane" and "Make Me Feel" as the first two singles from the album.[6][7]
In an interview with The Guardian, Monáe stated "Django Jane" is "a response to me feeling the sting of the threats being made to my rights as a woman, as a black woman, as a sexually liberated woman, even just as a daughter with parents who have been oppressed for many decades. Black women and those who have been the 'other', and the marginalised in society – that's who I wanted to support, and that was more important than my discomfort about speaking out."[8]
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Critical reception
Writing for XXL, C. Vernon Coleman II states, "The track finds JM tapping into a hip-hop vein and seriously going hard with the rap bars. The singer chooses a heavy-hitting track, as the punching bass kicks drive the instrumental."[9]
Music video
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The official music video for the single was uploaded to YouTube on February 22, 2018, the same day as the single's release.[10][11] The "emotion picture" was directed by Andrew Donoho and Chuck Lightning. In the video, Monáe is surrounded by many women and is shown wearing both a red and green suit. During one scene, she visually references a scene from Sebastián Lelio's Chilean film A Fantastic Woman. After being asked about Monáe using such a significant scene from his 2017 film, Lelio stated, "I love Janelle Monaé and I love her new song. I don't know if she saw 'A Fantastic Woman' and if the moment with the round mirror between Marina's legs inspired her. But anyway, it's exciting to see it reflected — pun intended — in her new video."[12]
Writing for Billboard, Natalie Maher states, "Sitting atop a throne, and surrounded by a female army in matching suits, Monae delivers an empowering anthem on "Django Jane." On the track, she confidently raps about gender, race and the intersection of it all: "Remember when they used to say I looked too man-ish, black girl magic, y'all cant stand it." Of course, the video also features mentions of "pussy power," and raised-fist symbolism."[13] C. Vernon Colemen of XXL states, "The visual is directed by Andrew Donoho and finds Janelle playing the role of crown-holder as she takes her place on her throne, while surrounded by a group of women who look like they mean business. They later break out into a choreographed dance routine while Janelle spits her bars."[9]
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References
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