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Janelle Monaedoesnt make albums.
Monae is a formidable actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter with a sci-fi heart.
2018sDirty Computerrelayed this in its balance of techno-fascist horror, sapphic romance, and pointed rebukes of misogyny.
I used to consider myself a futurist, she toldRolling Stonethis year.
I know what that means, to obsess about the next thing.
A present tourist is what Im calling myself right now.
Funk, rap, jazz, and soul music melt into dancehall, reggae, and dub.
or the smooth-jazz and quiet-storm jam Dorothy Dandridge Eyes.
The effortlessness ofPleasures experimentation is a reminder that Monaes Dungeon Family card is still valid.
Her brain seems bigger than the box people put her in.
Im a new, updated version of myself, she told Angie Martinez in a recent interview.
Ive updated my code.
I could go from sci-fi to jazz to hip-hop, she mused with Los Angeles radio host Big Boy.
What we lose in narrative heft and allegorical depth is recouped in aqueous grooves.
Janelle Monae is trying to get out of her head.
Shes letting go of her and our anxiety.
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Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed where the radio host Big Boy is located.
Its since been updated.
