Whether on screen, on stage, or on record, Janelle Monáe's immense talent — and potent voice for feminism and inclusivity — shines through.
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MusicTranscript
00:00And to those who would dare try and silence us, we offer you two words
00:05Time's up
00:08We say time's up for pay inequality
00:11Time's up for discrimination
00:13Time's up for harassment of any kind and time's up for the abuse of power
00:30Everybody should have a right to the American dream, no matter who you love, no matter where you came from
00:37No matter what you look like and no matter what God you served
00:42Music
00:55Shirley Chisholm said it best when she says service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth
01:01Music
01:06My way of giving back has been through the arts
01:09Music
01:14We go from being our father's daughters to our husband's wives to our baby's mothers
01:19Now stop putting your head down in my house
01:22You know my rule. It's all love and all pride in this house
01:26And when I read for the role of Teresa in Moonlight
01:31some might have
01:33Seen Teresa as just the drug dealer's girlfriend
01:37But to me Teresa reflects the need in our society to make sure we look out for each other
01:44Teresa reminds us that it is indeed our responsibility to protect those who are bullied
01:51Protect those who are outcasts because they're different
01:55Music
02:04I want to remind you
02:08That it was woman that gave you dr. Martin Luther King jr.
02:15It was woman that gave you Malcolm X
02:20And according to the Bible it was a woman that gave you Jesus
02:24Music
02:27And times up for the abuse of power
02:31Because you see it's not just going on in Hollywood. It's not just going on in Washington
02:36It's right here in our industry as well
02:39And just as we have the power to shape culture
02:43We also have the power to undo the culture that does not serve us well
02:49Music
03:00And I think that's what Prince respected is that we came in
03:05With our core values and our belief system and not wavering
03:08But standing up for the things that we feel we deserve as artists and as musicians
03:14Music
03:22I want to create or cater to just a red state or a blue state
03:25But I want to create a purple state and just bring people together over the music
03:29Music