Was Janelle Monáe intentionally silenced by NBC for speaking out against police brutality? It's not clear if the network did on Friday morning when the 29-year-old songstress gave a meaningful speech after her performance of her new song "Hell You Talmbout."
Monáe's new protest anthem is out and as part of her promotional stint for the single she appeared on the "Today" show to perform. Following her performance, the R&B singer-songwriter took the chance to speak her mind on the ongoing police brutality against the black community.
"God bless. God bless all the lives lost to police brutality," Monáe was quoted as saying by Consequence of Sound. The "Tightrope" hitmaker then went on to say, "We want white America to know that we stand tall today. We want black America to know we stand tall today. We will not be silenced!"
Unfortunately, Monáe got a quick response from her speech and it appears that it wasn't one she was asking for. Before she could even fully express on national television what she wanted to add, show anchor Savannah Guthrie cut off the momentum by talking while the singer was giving her speech.
It wasn't clear whether Guthrie or NBC intentionally silenced Monáe while she was speaking out against police brutality, but, clearly, many were not pleased with what happened. Many took to Twitter to voice out their concern over what happened.
The Today Show cut off Janelle Monae's performance for calling out police brutality this morning https://t.co/3VWKLONQVE
— Salty Spice (@Skylxrfaith) August 15, 2015
They want the song... but not the message. "Janelle Monáe Cut Off While Speaking on Police Brutality on 'Today'" https://t.co/H42pRlDkTF — Garf (@NobleSasquatch) August 15, 2015
dang @TODAYshow, just couldn't let her finish, huh? love ya @JanelleMonae! #BlackLivesMatter cc: @deray @Nettaaaaaaaa pic.twitter.com/QeGhY5lQGJ
— marla york. (@theseMYtweetz) August 14, 2015
According to Slate, Janelle's new song was strategically tailored to be a protest anthem. The lyrics of the song even mention the black people who had fallen victim to police brutality and racism in the country.
On Instagram, Monáe described the single as a "vessel" toward the change they need in the society to fight the unbearable treatment and promote to those who are victims of these issues to speak up since "silence is our enemy."
This song is a vessel. It carries the unbearable anguish of millions. We recorded it to channel the pain, fear, and trauma caused by the ongoing slaughter of our brothers and sisters. We recorded it to challenge the indifference, disregard, and negligence of all who remain quiet about this issue. Silence is our enemy. Sound is our weapon. They say a question lives forever until it gets the answer it deserves... Won't you say their names? - #Wondaland #HYTB @deepcotton @stbeautyband @romangianarthur @twopointoh @jidenna link in bio A photo posted by Janelle Monáe (@janellemonae) on Aug 13, 2015 at 10:09am PDT
Meanwhile, Monáe and Jidenna finally addressed the issue on the similarities of "Classic Man" and Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX's "Fancy."
"Ever since the decision of Robin Thicke and Pharrell, we believe that it was important to make sure that we are safe," Jidenna said referencing the "Blurred Lines" lawsuit against Thicke and Williams. "When that Robin Thicke verdict came out, we realized the game had changed in music. I'm glad we were safe," Jidenna added as quoted by StereoGum.
However, Monáe made a strong statement when she spoke of Azalea saying: "Hey, she steals from us, we steal back."
© 2017 Jobs & Hire All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
