Janelle Monáe, Django Jane | Track Review 🎵

Janelle Monáe shows off her rap skills on her uncharacteristic single, “Django Jane,” from her 3rd studio album, Dirty Computer.

“This is my palace, champagne in my chalice / I got it all covered like a wedding band.” It’s been nearly four years since the world heard from eclectic R&B artist Janelle Monáe.  In 2013, Monaé was being a “Q.U.E.E.N.”, not to mention collaborating with the likes of Erykah Badu (“Q.U.E.E.N.”), Miguel (“Primetime”), and Prince (“Givin’ Em What They Love”). After a long wait, Monáe is back with her third full-length album, Dirty Computer.  Upon announcement of Dirty Computer, she issued two advance singles: “Make Me Feel” and “Django Jane.”

“Django Jane” commences with an enigmatic, somewhat nebulous introduction.  Honestly, it makes the listener question, what’s going on.  Once the production work settles, it’s clear the sound resembles a contemporary rap song.  There are synths, a prominent bass line, and hyper-rhythmic drum programming. Indeed, “Django Jane” ends up being a rap song. Janelle Monaé enters in dropping bars – straight rhymes, no pop-rap.

On the one big rap verse, Monaé issues numerous one-liners.  Starting with the excerpted opening lyrics, she explicitly spits, “…Wondaland, so my alias is Alice / And we gon’ start a motherf*ckin’ pu**y riot.”  Some other notable lyrics excerpts are listed below.

“Straight out of Kansas City, yeah we made it out there
Celebrated, graduated, made it pass/fail.”

“....Kept us in the back of the store
We ain’t hidden no more, moonlit n*gga, lit n*gga.”

“Remember when they used to say I look too mannish
Black girl magic, y’all can’t stand it.”

“Jane Bond, never Jane Doe
And I Django, never Sambo
Black and white, yeah that’s always been my camo
It’s lookin’ like y’all gon’ need some more ammo.”

Final Thoughts 

Clearly, “Django Jane” is Janelle Monáe at her most unapologetic. Uncharacteristic it may be, “Django Jane” is jam-packed with action.  It’s different than anything she’s recorded, of course she proved she could rap on “Q.U.E.E.N.”

Janelle Monáe • Dirty Computer • Bad Boy • Release: 4.27.18

Photo Credit: Bad Boy