"Django Jane" is a song recorded by singer and songwriter
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe Robinson (; born December 1, 1985) is an American singer, rapper and actress. She is signed to Atlantic Records, as well as to her own imprint, the Wondaland Arts Society. Monáe has received eight Grammy Award nominations. Monà ...
, released on February 22, 2018 as the second single, alongside "
Make Me Feel", from her third studio album, ''
Dirty Computer
''Dirty Computer'' is the third studio album by American singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, released on April 27, 2018, by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records. It is the follow-up to her studio albums '' The ArchAndro ...
''. The song features Monáe rapping instead of singing and makes a direct reference to Monáe's debut studio album, ''
The ArchAndroid
''The ArchAndroid'' is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Janelle Monáe, released on May 18, 2010, by Wondaland Arts Society, Bad Boy Records, and Atlantic Records. Production for the album took place at Wondaland Studios ...
''. Lyrically, it has many
black feminist
Black feminism is a philosophy that centers on the idea that "Black women are inherently valuable, that lack women'sliberation is a necessity not as an adjunct to somebody else's but because our need as human persons for autonomy."
Race, gen ...
themes. A music video was released on the same day as the single.
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.
In an interview with ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', 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."
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."
Music video
The official music video for the single was uploaded to
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
on February 22, 2018, the same day as the single's release. 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
Sebastián Lelio Watt (born 8 March 1974) is a Chilean director, screenwriter, editor and producer. He received critical acclaim for directing the films ''Gloria'' (2013) and ''A Fantastic Woman'' (2017), the latter of which won an Academy Award ...
's Chilean film ''
A Fantastic Woman
''A Fantastic Woman'' ( es, Una mujer fantástica) is a 2017 drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio, written by Lelio and Gonzalo Maza, produced by Juan de Dios and Pablo LarraÃn and starring Daniela Vega and Francisco Reyes. It was selected ...
''. 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."
Writing for ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', 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."
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."
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Django Jane
2018 singles
2018 songs
Janelle Monáe songs
Songs written by Janelle Monáe
Songs against racism and xenophobia
Songs with feminist themes
American hip hop songs
Bad Boy Records singles
Atlantic Records singles