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[JANELLE MONAE] “PYNK” ISN’T CUTE.

Janelle Monae is an R&B sensation. Born in Kansas in 1985, she has always been passionate about music. She got her big break in 2010 with the release of her debut album The ArchAndriod which placed 17 on the Billboard top 100 album chart and received a Grammy nomination.

With three albums under her belt, she is getting ready to release her fourth studio album Dirty Computer.

On April 10th, 2018 she released the third single from her upcoming album entitled, “PYNK.”

Check out the music video for “PYNK” here:

The purpose of this video is to make the viewer uncomfortable and it certainly does just that- but not in the way that she was intending. The pants that look like an actual vagina come off as really weird and almost creepy. It makes the video hard to watch. She was taking the angle where she wanted to make men uncomfortable so it is more a feminine space but she even made women uncomfortable. When she first spreads her legs apart to show the full pants I was highly disturbed.

I do like the pink background and theme but the pants just ruin it. Then Janelle goes to sing the first line of her song in a baby voice- that is just creepy. She wanted to take a more creative approach with this record but all I see is someone who is desperately trying to be different.

Her first verse is honestly just odd and sets the tone for this song- one that you really don’t want to listen to it.

She sings,

“Pynk, like the inside of your… baby
Pynk behind all of the doors… crazy
Pynk, like the tongue that goes down… maybe
Pynk, like the paradise found
Pynk when you’re blushing inside… baby
Pynk is the truth you can’t hide… maybe
Pynk, like the folds of your brain… crazy
Pynk as we all go insane”

What kind of lyric is “pynk, like the inside of your…. baby.” I really don’t understand why that lyric wasn’t changed. It really doesn’t make sense. I don’t know what she even means by “baby.” Like an actual baby or your p*ssy?

The movements that Janelle does in the video are very awkward. They show her staring directly at the camera with wide eyes, which is pretty concerning. Then it cuts to a girl’s head in between her vagina pants. Why?

Then some girl’s underwear says, “I grab back” which references the president of the United States. Trump was caught saying, “I’ll grab her by the pussy” which caused a huge uproar. But why did this video have to make a political statement? I personally think that’s cheesy.

Grimes is also featured on the track and she is not seen in the entire video, which raises questions because she is one of the best visual performers in the game right now. The director Emma Westenberg should have taken more tips from her.

The song is really slow paced and monotone, paired with lyrics that make no sense. This song is certainly a flop. I get the direction they were going with this song but it doesn’t play out like they might have envisioned.

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ON THIS DATE IN HIP HOP HISTORY [APRIL 13TH]

Welcome back everybody. We’ve got a good one today. On April 13th, 1993, the world was introduced to Mobb Deep. The Queensbridge duo released their debut album Juvenile Hell. Havoc and Prodigy burst on to the scene in their late teens and never looked back. Both Havoc and Prodigy shared time behind the boards and with the mic and made one hell of a duo. Juvenile Hell was not a massive mainstream success, but the duo went on to make plenty of classic music. They’ve sold over 3 million records throughout their career. “Shook Ones (Part II) is arguably one of the best known rap songs of all times and defined a term that countless artists would use throughout history. The two kids from the projects were telling their story and became famous for their hardcore delivery and street driven lyrics. They most recently released an album in 2014. On a sadder note, Prodigy passed away last June. But their music will live on forever. So over the weekend, check out the latest update to our playlist. It will feature all of Juvenile Hell and some other classic Mobb Deep hits. Enjoy your weekend y’all, may it be filled with dope music. I’ll see you back here next week for more hip hop history lessons.