Closer Look at Afrofuturistic Aesthetics presented in Janelle Monáe's "Q.U.E.E.N" featuring Erykah Badu

Drawing from the arguments of Lillvis, how does Badu, Jones, and Monáe’s music constitute transformative, Afrofuturist narratives?

"Afrofuturism, the cultural aesthetic of specifically black posthumanism, contends that boundary crossings enable black subjects to connect to black history in the present and also find authority in the potentiality of the future" (Lillvis, 58).

The above quote from Lillvis' chapter, "Afrofuturist Aesthetics in the Works of Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe, and Gayl Jones" contextualizes Afrofuturism as a means of disrupting boundaries e.g. race, gender, sexuality, etc. Specifically, this disruption is a form liminality that enables Black subjects to exist between: pasts, presents and futures, to gather/exchange knowledge and experience for the creation of one's multiple selves and cultural productions. In other words, Afrofuturism defies a sole, true Black authenticity and experience by embracing the "interstitial spaces between powers, cultures, subjectivities, and temporalities" (Lillvis, 60). With this understanding of Afrofuturism we can see how both Janelle Monáe and Erykah Badu enact Afrofuturism aesthetics in their work.

Lillvis argues "considering the artists alongside one another confirms their shared commitment to temporal liminality" (Lillvis, 64). Lillvis' argument breaks from critics that continually situated Erykah Badu as "history-focused" and Janelle Monáe as "future-focused."Lillvis first makes clear that 1). Erykah Badu musically emerged in the 90s (which was when Afrofuturism the term was coined by Mark Dery) and explicitly used her music videos, image and musical style as conveyors of an Afrofurturistic aesthetic. And 2). Janelle Monáe follows Badu by employing Afrofuturistic aesthetics—as well as— rhetoric to her music. As did Lillvis, I offer a brief analysis of the Afrofuturistic aesthetics present in Janelle Monáe's song "Q.U.E.E.N." featuring Erykah Badu.

Monáe's song, "Q.U.E.E.N" is set in a museum, which by definition alone lends itself to a temporal liminality as a place where history is presented and constantly in interaction with people of the present (and arguably the future too). Furthermore, the museum represents a world in stasis, one which subjects of the Afrofurturistic aesthetic will disrupt and reimagine. The opening voiceover triumphantly says, "It's hard to stop rebels that time travel, but we at the Time Council pride ourselves for doing just that." As a music video, this could suggest that the Afrofurturistic cultural production, presence, existence is a disruption of the linear flow of time, and would be potentially stopped by the power structures at be, such as the succinctly named, "Time Council." The opening scene shows two potential time travelers that undoes the Time Council's stasis, freeing the musicians across time, specifically "Cindi Mayweather" (Janelle Monáe) and "Badoula Oblongata" Erykah Badu. Lillvis speaks fully on the anachronistic features of the museum e.g. typewriter, drum kit/guitar with presumed African men in rites of passage. I want to look closely at this still of Erykah Badu and Janelle Monáe.

We see Badu sitting, queenly, on a chair with a poodle on leash. Her composure and dress in white and gold, suggests a sense of divine royalty. With the backdrop of a wall of clocks we can think about how Badu does not let time rule her, rather she traverses/rules it. Monáe symbolically passes behind Badu which could suggest that she is following in Badu's example of Queenness and Afrofurturistic production. From song beginning to end, Monáe is posing questions challenging hierarchy, oppression, gender, sexuality, class, etc. Monáe projects with forward thinking, actions, and rhetoric while lifting the "rebels" of the past. Such as these lines  from “Q.U.E.E.N” below.

"My crown too heavy like the Queen Nefertiti

Gimme back my pyramid, I'm trying to free Kansas City

Mixing masterminds like your name Bernie Grundman

Well I'm gonna keep leading like a young Harriet Tubman

You can take my wings but I'm still goin' fly

And even when you edit me the booty don't lie

Yeah, keep singing and I'mma keep writing songs

I'm tired of Marvin asking me, What's Going On?"

There is much to mine/mind in this music video, though I think what really shines in Badu’s and Monáe’s work is how no song of theirs is created within a vacuum. By creating in the between spaces everything of past, present and future regardless of space, culture or circumstance is accessible to them. In a way, Afrofuturism finds a means of creation, given in whatever is in proximity. This empowers Afrofuturistic subjects to present themselves fluidly, queenly even as does Badu and Monáe.

-Jorrell Watkins

Works Cited

Lillvis, Kristen. Posthuman Blackness and the Black Female Imagination. 2017.