I'm still on LA time. It's so difficult for me.
Here we go morning.
Everybody is DJ Envy, Charlamagne, the Guy. We are the breakfast club. We got a special guest in the building, the goddess Janelle Monnet.
Hi, welcome.
Hello.
The first thing you said is this is the Age of Pleasure.
How's she doing first?
But that's the first thing she said, How are you listen?
Phenomenal? I'm so excited. Album comes out tomorrow today today. Oh wait, album comes out to day. Here you go like this is I have been waiting, waiting, waiting. I've been living with this record, living with this soundtrack to my lifestyle, and to finally have it out, it just means it's like I'm excited. I'm super excited.
The Age of pleasure.
Yes, that's what we're in babies.
So why did you call it the Age of pleasure?
Well, you know, I've had my age of anxiety. I've had my age of depression, I had my age of confusion, of imbalance, and you know, just realizing that we'll never live in a world where you know, something heavy won't be happening. You know, always problems will have to solve and even in the midst of that, you have to find your joy. You have to actively find your pleasure. And in the words of Maurice's White from Earth, Wind and Fire, if there ain't no beauty, make some beauty.
First of all, I want to congratulate you on having a phenomenal body of work. And everything you just said is exactly what I felt when I.
Was listening to the album.
It's almost like the mentality is like Hakuna Matada, like stress over things, no need to have worries. Let's just live in an age of pleasure. How did you get there?
Though?
Ooh? How did I get there? I mean, I think life, you know, and I'm still you know, still on a journey as we all are. But I think I got locked in with me, you know. And I think a lot of times we look at it, especially as artists, and things come to us and sometimes don't, and we look at things as like, oh we failed, or we should be working much harder. Our happiness is dependent on things that come to us, you know, good things, great things. But internally I had to get locked in with me.
I had to get really locked in with me and reprogramming my mind and exercising them muscle to be Yeah, to get to a point where my inner voice, what I was telling myself, all those things, the affirmations, all of it just rewired. I'm rewired right now. I feel like I'm on my third life right now.
Wow.
Now you mentioned, you know, you had the age of depression, the age of anxiety, the age of all those things. You know, what got you out of those places? Was it therapy? Was it just taking a break? Was it friends? Was it meditating? Was it you know whatever it may be writing your book at the time. What got you out of that anxiety and depression and some of those negative places that you said.
Yeah, having to go back to the root, the root of trauma. You know what. Usually when you're triggered by something, it's deeper, you know. And I kind of feel I feel like everybody should have free therapy, Like it should be free for everybody. We should be paying therapists more. We should be paying teachers more, nurses. We can go on and on and on, but I think when it comes to mental health, being able to understand why we're sort of going through life feeling sick mentally or feeling
like we're in a loop. I just remember being in a loop a lot and making the same stories up in my mind about things. And I got an emotional support coach who is a friend and who also like does amazing work, and she said, you're dealing with some abandonment rejects and issues. I want you to write down when you were little Janelle the first time, if somebody didn't show up for you, the first time, you felt let down, like, write all these things down. And I
had to go back. And I think also, you know, being in the pandemic, a lot of things got canceled for me, so I had no choice but to sort of, you know, stay home. And I had a unique opportunity to go inward and to heal those things and have and do all the work, the dark stuff by myself, right, you know. So I think it's a combination of that and then friends too, you know. I just remember being out with friends, and so much of my life, I
was always thinking about the future. I was like, what's next, you know, just like when you had when you're a what do you call an entrepreneur? You know, I started out as an indie artist, so I always had to sort of be the leader, you know. I'm like, I can't afford to mess up, you know, and when I
would be our friends, I wouldn't be present. And so I also had an opportunity to reconnect with my friends and have them hold me accountable, like, yo, we here, we here, we're here, like stay here with us, we love you, like everything is gonna be good, you can relax. And I felt safe there. I found a safe space.
Let me ask you a question. I just want to ask one thing about you said abandonment issues, right, m h.
How did you feel or what made you feel that way? And the reason I asked is right, I have six kids that have four daughters, right, and one of my biggest fears is not to show up but something that I might think is small that might mean the world to them, you know, because you know, we are in the industry where we do travel, we are on the road, so you know, I'm just what bothered you so much about abandonment? Was it something big, like, you know, something
not happening on Christmas? Or was it something like I have my talent show and this person didn't come and and made me feel a way.
So what was the abandonment issue?
Well?
I think a lot of it and I've spoken about this a lot, but so if you are watching right now and you know me, but my father was an addict, So him being sort of inconsistent in my life and having to sort of navigate. And if you've had family close to you or a parent and as an addict, then you know what I'm talking about.
You know.
That our relationship what a lot of times was like where I felt most abandoned and thank god, like he's clean, he's sober. Now, we're best friends, he's written a book, he's like amazing. But I think that inconsistency. And I didn't know that because I was like, I have my mom, I have all my aunties, I have so much love
around me. But just those moments of just like you're showing you're not here, you're here now, you're in prison, You're not like okay, all right, really inconsistent And that was like one of the first things I think that when I started to write down things that that bothered, that affected me more than I knew.
Yeah, when you talk about the abandonment and rejecting issues, that have to be an incredible obstacle when you're an artist, right, And I actually like the label not supporting you the way they should, or maybe early on people not coming to your shows, or maybe people were not recept it to the music. Like how what kind of obstacles does that cause when you're an artist.
I mean, I think this business is designed to make us feel, you know, like we have to be competitive, or that we're not good enough, you know, or if an opportunity goes to another person, that that person is
better than you. But I mean, as I've you know, been in this industry for a little bit, and I always I just remembered moments where I thought something was for me and then you know, another artist got that opportunity or didn't work out, and then fast forward and I'm I'm in an even better place and even better opportunity has happened. So I've learned that the universe, you know, me and my emotional support coach, we talked about this a lot, the universe is not trying to do me
any harm. Sometimes you got to work with the universe. You got to get out the way, like get out the way. You never know, you know what what is being set up for you, And here you are thinking you're in control of the situation and you're actually you're making matters worse. Just let it, let it flow.
I call it divine misdirection m you know, because like that because in your mind you think you should be going this way, but God is like, no, no, this is gonna happen, and you're gonna go this way.
But you're really really end up on the path you're supposed to be.
On right exactly, and you just have to trust that and and move with it. I think I'm definitely floating a lot more and being more like water, you know, just allowing allowing myself to to have to have a moment of just drifting in the way, in the way that I think about, you know, what I can do, who I can be.
You seem like you're in a happier place now, just pleasure in a sad place, but just watching you now, watching you perform, watching your videos, watching you around, you seem like you're in a place of happiness.
Yeah, man, I am. I am. And sometimes, like I was saying, we were not always there, you know, because you have life life life. Depending on where you are, we're always going to be trying to problem solve and some things are great, but at the same time, everything's happening. I say when everything everywhere all at once, like you guys have seen that movie and sometimes that that definitely has been where I've been, and I know people will feel me when I say that, but I'm actively here.
I think one of the things that I got an opportunity to do during the during the pandemic was my friends own this party collective everyday people. I don't know if y'all heard of everything. Yeah, it started here in New York and they've been doing it for over a decade, but they're international global.
Yeah. I saw them in Ghana over New.
Year exactly, so you know those sort of parts. It's like the most beautiful brown and black people together from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, the Caribbean, Jamaica, Atlanta, New York, like super Pan African, the diaspora, together in a safe space, dancing free from feeling like police are gonna come in and you know, shut us down or stop all the black
joy that is happening, free from gun violence. It's just like, it's what you fight for, it's what you fight to protect, what I've always tried to fight to protect that safe space for us, and so seeing that gave me so much joy. It gave me something to write about. It gave me a soundtrack. Is what I like to call this album is a soundtrack to our lifestyle. Yeah, so that has been a beautiful saving grace because when you have community that also is super helpful. That keeps you
happy because it's like, oh, you get me. You know, a lot of times you feel like you're living in systems that were never designed for you, that were never built for us to actually benefit or have the American dream. But when you're around your people and we are together, it was like reconnecting with like, this is what it's about. This is this is what it's always been about, and we have to we have to fight to preserve it.
Why did you Why did you purposely and purposely make the album so short? But I like it though, because I was, you know, I was riding riding on the way this morning.
I'm like, it's a vibe, a great vibe. It sounds like you're out of contract because the music never stops, Like.
Yeah, it feels like you're on the island with the Oh my god.
I love it.
If it made me feel like I was in Ghana for.
New Years, Yeah, exactly, I love hearing y'all say this, because that that was important. I said, I want. What I did was we would have those parties together and I would I would say, if we have the party on Friday or Saturday, we're going to the studio Monday Tuesday, and we're gonna make three songs. And if these songs can't work at our party. Because I was very specific about this, I said, I want my friends to fuck with it. I was like, if we love it, that's it.
Like that's that's all. So I made this with friends for friends, and I would tell my DJ DJ NNA Quad and I was like, listen, play it. Do not say is me. If they're not shazamin, it's not going to the album. If they sit down, it's not going on the album. So I would literally be in a corner with a drink like, oh my god, I got oh,
I got oh, I got what are they thinking? And I tested all the songs like that, and I mean, it was just a beautiful thing for people to be like float I did like that Champagne ship, I did lipstick. Everything got like sort of tested with the people I intended for it to be for, and that was enough. I wanted to keep it short enough where you wanted to keep playing it over and over again if you
couldn't take a vacation. I wanted you to put this on and and feel like, oh, I'm there, I'm in Jamaica, I'm in Ghana, and when you're on vacation with friends, you want to play it. You know that that brings me. Creating and giving people an experience is my purpose. Like I love I love doing that.
Now.
You also sit on the album, especially in Float that you said sometimes you feel like you're your own worst enemy.
Why do you feel that way?
Yeah, I said, I used to be my own enemy. Yeah, because you know, I think we we live within this matrix, right, and even within this matrix is a matrix in our mind what we have based on our set of experiences, based on our upbringing, our programming. We tell ourselves stories and narratives, and you know, some things I'm not proud about what I would tell myself. So I was just super hard on myself for a very long time. Super
Perfectionists wanted things to be. If it wasn't exactly how it was supposed to be, in my mind, it was trash. I couldn't see the beauty even in the flaws or the misdirections, the improvisation of life. I couldn't see that, and that keeps you in sort of a prison. And even in terms of just like yeah, that's it. You know, it's like what I think of me will determine my quality of life. You know, it's not what you think of me or what you think of me, it's what the fuck I think.
But you do know that the fact that you are a perfectionist and makes you who you are, Like, that's what separates you.
From another artist out there.
Like I agree, we can tell that when you put energy into something, whether it's a performance, whether it's a video like We're gonna get Ganail money today top like the ain't gonna be no half assed just roll out of bed like we're.
Gonna get This is something planned, This is something that.
You've thought of for years, That that that you know you're putting into fruition.
But I wonder what makes what makes you? I wonder what you think makes you the best version of yourself? Is it perfection or happiness? Because I feel like you're super happy on this out It's like.
It's at Yeah, I think I mean, I think you're right. I think it's balanced. You gotta have balance. I think when it's when it when you start obsessing over when the process is in fun, I don't love it. I think I think how you get there is also important, you know, I think sometimes and it's not all the time, but there are moments where we get the end result and when you guys see it, it's like it feels, you know, remarkable or intentional. But how I how we
get there too is important. Like I redesigned just in terms of how you even do business now, I'm like, we don't just because this is the way that it's supposed to be dying gonna know. We need to make it fun, you label boy? Yeah no, no, no, no, no, we need how do we make this fun? How do we make this fun? How do we what? What?
What?
What is not making us want to even meet? Like how do we have meetings and they don't feel so heavy? They don't feel so long and drawn out? Like we got to get to a point where we're redesigning how we're how we're creating it. And even with this project, I was like, I'm not I'm not forcing anything. I'm going off feel how do I feel? How is this making you feel? You know?
Yeah, what did you get to the point where?
And maybe you you've always been there where it seems like you're so free with your sexuality. And I mean we've seen you perform, you know, with your top off, We've seen you swimming between legs, we've seen you coming out of the water. It just seems like you're so free and happy. When did you get to that point?
It's the age of pleasure? Baby, you know, it's like it's a movement. It's not just me like you, you feel people wanting to And I just gave myself permission, you know, I just divested in certain systems and programming and and uh, you know it's like why not, you know, why why would I waste my earth experience? Scared to jump, scared scared to exercise my freedom? You know why? Why? Who?
What am I concerned about? And once you deal with that and you release, you know, your concerns and you give yourself permission, it's a different world.
And you never were nervous that people are going to be too judgmental, or the label was going to feel this way, or how my fans might look, or if there's young like you never.
Felt that way. To church people that followed me, you never felt.
Yeah, I mean, I am my label. I'm signed to my own label since since the beginning. Wonderland Records shout out. But yeah, of course I have a partnership and all those things. But I mean, at this point, you know, I'm very thankful for the career that I've had. Like I started off selling CDs out of my trunk and living in a boarding house with six other girls, Like I know how to hustle, I know how to work, and you know, I have big ideas and I know I have a great team. I have a great creative team.
I have a safe space, and that's important. I will be lying if I told you I always felt this free. I didn't. I did not feel safe to be this version of myself for a very long time. And I had to sort of forgive myself for that too, because you think about so many years that you lived concerned about Oh well, now I'm Janelle mon A, so I
have to whatever I've I've given them. You know, I've had success because of this, you know, this this sort of part of me that I've I've shown them what happens if I, you know, become the glitch, glitch in that you know, glitch in my in that matrix, And what happens, what happens if I if I decide that I want to be all of me, and I think what you're seeing now is me being all of me.
I think people don't realize how much, you know, as much as we love our families and the way we grew up and we grew up in these in church and and all these like sort of systems and ways of life, how much that how much we carry that with us when we're when we are evolving, and there's this constant struggle of honoring that side of you, that that tribe that has shown up for you, and also
honoring where you are now and who you've become. And I think even just in terms of yeah, just in terms of safety, like I was always taught cover up, you know, you you don't want to draw too much attention to you. You could be raped if you're going down the street at midnight in a short mini skirt, you know, or when you're in church. For me, it
was skirt to the floor. Yeah. And then and then you see how they talk about other people, Oh look at her, Oh she fast, Oh she look a look at her skirt, And don't show your cleavage, don't show your breast because people will not pay attention to your message. These are things that I was programmed with, like don't don't you're not if you show your skin or you you know, show too much skin, you could not be
taking seriously as an artist. And the slut shaming, you know, even in high school for girls who were having sex. It was just like, you know, and I'm non binary, but growing up as a girl, these things were were always implanted me. And then let's not even talk about the reverse side. Sorry, yeah, now y'all got me talking of when I decide. You know, I love wearing suits. I love wearing tuxedos. I love Yeah, I feel sexy, fly love. I have my reason for it. I like it.
It makes me feel good. The amount of times I couldn't tell you that people would say, why are you wearing that suit? You know, you got a nice body. Why you want to show you more of your skin? Just wear a dress, be more feminine, you know, like take off that Monopoly man.
Suit, Peanut Man. Yeah.
No, people would say that, and I laugh, you know, ha ha ha. But I don't think it's funny at all. I don't think that's funny. I don't think it's funny to again try to police and already in a patriarchal, massogynistic conservative the country that we live in, where we already don't have freedoms to criticize anybody or respect them or don't respect them based off how they dress. I've never loved that. I never loved the respectability politics of it.
So from every angle, I never felt like safe enough. And I'm just so happy. I always felt like I had to also defend, defend why I wore a suit for ten plus years. I always felt like I had to defend it. I always felt like, you know, in the midst of me trying to bring something something new and saying, hey, it's not about the clothes, it's not about the lack of or whatever whatever. It's me. It's my soul. It's bigger than that. But yeah, just thinking back on all of where I was a little bit,
I would be lying, I'm saying. I say, I'd be lying if I didn't say that some of those some of those things didn't get to me. But I'm so happy. I'm not. I'm not in that space.
I always though to Fly.
I thought that's what made people love you because it was so different. It was not the norm, it was not what everybody else did, and it was still fly cool.
Thank you.
Do you feel the need to defend the turn though, because I saw people getting at you, saying you was being a hypocrite, You was contradicting yourself because back then you say people women shouldn't have to show so much again, or they shouldn't show so much again.
But then when did I say that.
I don't know. I just saw it on social I don't know if you actually said that.
I never, No, I never, I never. I never said that I said that if I if I ever said anything, I mean, we should just pull it up because I've never look.
For it, but I try.
You will never see anything. I said that showing my skin is not what makes me sexy, even right now, like it's in me. I have the sex cells, literally, like I've never never what I ever try to tell somebody what they shouldn't wear. I'm saying for me, you know. And I think that was probably at a time where I felt like I had to defend another reporter, you know, defend myself from another reporter asking me when I'm basically winter, So why do you keep wearing that suit?
Yess exactly what you said essence essence interview, and you said, people don't ask jay Z to take his shirt off when he rhymes. My skin is not what makes me sexy. It was up to me to show people and young girls there was another way.
That's not all I said. They omitted that it says I'll like skirts and dresses just like everyone else. That ain't even the whole quote. Oh that's what you're talking about. It's so interesting. Yeah, no, I said I like skirts and dresses just like everybody else. I wanted to show another way, another way of being sexy. That's it, and it's not one way. It's not the way, and that's the whole point. Nobody should be should feel like made to feel like they are, they have to like. It's
about bodily autonomy. I guess that's the thing. Like, whether you're clothed or you're not clothed, you should People should should respect you period and not treat you differently based on your appearance. It's like if you're sagging your pants and he has on a suit. He shouldn't get the guy, and the suit shouldn't get the job over you. Police shouldn't stop you because they see you would a gold chain around your neck.
Like.
We got to get to a point where you know, we're respecting all types. Everybody can be their authentic selves and and feel safe. That's what it's about. Sagging as way, I don't think so. I used to think so because that's how I was programmed. Sagging is bringing down the black community. Pull your pants up.
I just think it's whack.
Why, especially when you're a certain age old with your pants, your pants hanging off your ass.
My pants are fine.
It's expression if I want to, if I want to express myself.
Like I just I'm not I'm not into I've never been into respectability politics. And I think that there were people who tried to use my image And we talked about this on the show last time when I was here. Yeah, they tried to use my image to defein the nounce, to talk down on on on on on the on other women who were expressing themselves, showing their skin, like
we all want autonomy. I wanted to. I wanted a time of me to wear my suit for teeny years without y'all telling me I look like the peanut Man. And I did that, and I ain't put my titties up because did y'all ask DiAngelo to put his titt's up when he did untitled Did y'all do y'all ask Rick Ross?
Put? Like?
Come on, now, I can name so many album covers and things like the double standards that we have to Like, let's not even get into how in some states I could go to jail and if you go in a gym with your shirt off and I go to gym with my shirt off, I could go to jail and you could just keep pumping iron, you know, like we have to get to We gotta get to that. That's the thing we need to be talking about.
You know when I feel like when you did that, that was a big fuck you to everybody.
Let me show you how much I don't give a fuck.
Yeah. And the other thing is, as much as people are getting to understand me a little more and you're seeing all of me, I'm understanding people more. I mean, the Missagyny is jumping out in this country. The double standards, the cis heat patriarchal conservative conservatives like y'all are. We gotta divest from that system. It is holding us back.
It's the same thing that right now, while we have bills in place, let's talk about the trans community, let's talk about drag, let's talk about the LGBTQI plus communities, and how many laws right now are put in place simply saying that you could go to jail if you were dressed in drag my suit. If I was somewhere and I was doing the drags, I could go to jail for wearing that suit. You know, like there's no protection for us. They're saying, we can't even talk about
being queer or being trans in school. We can't even talk about being black. Black history, critical race theory is being a race. There's an erasure that is happening, happening, and all of this is connected. The same people that criticize me for being black, queer, pan sexual, uh, you know, having bodily autonomy are the same people making these laws.
It's all connected. And I think until we again divest from those systems and understand that the same oppressions that are trying to oppress me are also the ones that are gonna coming from you. We're not. We're I don't. I don't think we will see the sort of liberation that we that we want.
Does it bother you when you see things like you know, like the article Charlamagne read and they omitted some things for clickbait? Or whenever you talk about something everybody's so into your relationship, right, like you say non binary and people are like, well, what does that mean?
Is she with this? Does that bother you? Does that stick on you? Or is it like go after yourselves?
You know what? No, And I'm gonna, actually, I'm gonna. I'm gonna, yes, give me some policanta. Yes, let's like it. Let's let's walk around, Let's walk around. Let's let's let's let's do it.
Because all right, all right, come on, said, walk around.
Let's right. I'm sorry, you know, I'm saying this because I just want to know. I want you guys to know this.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, I want you guys to know. The freedom is waiting on you. It's right there. Don't be scared. I'm gonna hold your hands. I come in love, I come in peace. And of course you know there are things clickbaitable things and all of that, but in this age of pleasure, we don't even we understand that not everybody is as evolved as we are. And I've had to understand that. Don't get frustrated by it. I don't know
what people when. I don't know what happened in everybody's lives or your life or my life, or you don't know what happened in my life to make me get to the point that I'm at. So we just we have to just give each other grace and give ourselves, give each other grace. I don't get upset. Like again, it's what I think about It's what I think about
me that determines my quality of life. And I know that I want to live the best Earth experience that I possibly can, and with the people I love, and with the people who get that, and with the safe space. And my prayer and my hope is that people have safe spaces where they can. I'll say this freedom, our level of freedom will always trigger somebody who has not decided that they are ready to get free. I'll always
trigger that establishment. I'll always trigger proved conservatives or people who are respectability politicians or who are anti lgbt QI plus communities who are anti black. I will always do that as a non binary person, I will always trigger that for them. So you have to know that, don't get frustrated with it. Hopefully they'll come around. They'll come around.
You know, you said someone I thought was dope said someone album you said, I forgot what song it was when you said you no longer lead with ego, and I wanted to ask you, what do you think the difference between ego and confidences?
What song was that? By the way, you said what I said, what song was that?
That was? Eyes for two? Oh? This is good? This is strong? What does this mean? When it's like strong, that means the energy that I've.
Never seen a flame that bit. I've never seen the flame that big.
Listen, I'm from the future. I keep trying to tell you. I am from the future. I have told you all this. I've told you all this since I came out, you know, being an android. I'm just I'm ahead, and I've been ahead, and I've been trying to get It's like I'm I'm actually back having fun because I'm too far ahead. I'm not even playing. I'm too far ahead. So this is my little moment to have fun. We're going to go
into election season next year. Everybody should be definitely focused on that and this summer though, we're in an age of pleasure. We are we we we we are creating safe spaces for our people. And ego versus confidence. I think I think, yeah, I think ego. Oh hmm. I just believe in balancing all things. And I think that there's an unhealthy version of ego that like, it doesn't
allow you to have that vulnerability. It doesn't allow you to really really connect like on a on a on a vulnerable level that is powerful, Like if you're sharing your feelings and it blocks that. It blocks you from really sharing your feelings and saying, hey, I'm hurt or I need help or or or I was wrong. It stops us from apologizing, It stops us from being held accountable. Uh, it blocks our growth. You know if it's unhealthy. I think being confident, I mean it's balancing all things. You
can be confident, overly confident about being a beginner. I always say this, like, don't be afraid to be a beginner. I think that the conflict happens when you think you know more than you do and you're in fact, a beginner and you're you sold yourself that dream that I know what I'm doing, I got it together, and in fact, you don't.
When you say beginning, is it you meaning starting over or trying something new.
To try.
Or yeah, yeah yeah, like and not even just acting or something like that. But like what can I say? Like, uh, if you ain't studied, you may not ace the tests, you know what I'm saying, Like, being confident without doing the work is not it? Like you can be confident though if I know I practiced, I show I've shown I've done the work to get my perform ormans together, Like I know I'm gonna go on this stage and I'm gonna kill it like that, Like that's a different
level thing because you've done the work. But when you actually don't even have the experience and you're confident for no reason, I mean, sometimes it can work. You can pull So I don't know, I need you know what. I think I'm prematurely answering this question. This is a really good question. I'll think about it. I'll think a little bit more about it. I don't know.
I can't wait to hear an answer. I only have eyes for two is a very system. I think destroying record. Like I feel like you, you know.
It's what destroying record?
People? Awa, you should only have eyes for one.
Yeah that's right. Yeah, I love it.
I want people to hear it.
I can't wait.
Sounding joint like it's the second and last.
Yeah, I love it. It's so pretty. I remember when I was recording it and just wanting wanting people to I imagine everybody like whine whining to it and you meeting somebody that night at the party. That's the that's the part of the party where two complete, three complete strangers are just like super open.
I love the record.
I don't know if I can love it so much in front of my wife. I want to see what she was going to say about it.
That's all.
Oh did she listen to it?
Not yet? Because I got it, Okay, I'm.
So happy I listened to the album. That makes me. I was like, I was wondering because sometimes you do interviews and people just don't listen to the work, and I'm just like, I want to just talk about the art the music. I mean, can we get into these collaborations?
Absolutely?
Doci, who is just phenomenal. We have a song called phenomenal together. I love her. I'm a ray on the rush Nia Long who has always been my crush. One of the reasons why what I got confident though, and in just being like, I'm about to free free the nipples because Along told me I had pretty titty.
That's the reason why.
So that's it, that's it, Like Along tells you, what are you going to say? Like, that's the confidence I needed. I didn't. I was like, Oh, that's it, that's it. Because she came to the house and we were recording our song, The Rush Together, and I showed her some of the press photos and she was like, oh, no, you need to go with that photo. She was like, Oh, that's it. You got some pretty titties. Go ahead, and.
That's not even watching an interview and I want to rewind you.
I don't need any more affirmation. And then Grace Jones, who also was on the project, came over. This is who I was hanging out with when I was making the record. I showed her stuff. She was like, go, baby, do it, do it? Do it? Do it? Like that? That is the level of just that's the affirmation that I need. Like she's been a free ass motherfucker. You know, like she she's done this, you know, in her own way. So she's been an inspiration for me. And I'm so
happy she's on the project. C K, who's also like dope. His his his music is so good. He's on the project with me, shay Son and Egypt eighty We have yep with also got Horns unlimited. They did all the outcast hornso delicious, all that they're on the project. Who am I missing?
By the way, we didn't send none of those features. Only the only feature that's listed is Sean. I listened to that this morning. I didn't know what was because.
It was Nancy is on their sister Nancy Yep, she's on there, like obviously you can't go anywhere without hearing bombbomb. So she did some original stuff on there and and yeah, and I'm gonna do some remix stuff with some more features. People didn't get a chance to get on this on this version, but stay tuned. This is a this is this is like this moment as you can see, like, I love what's going on and hip hop? How are you feeling about all the girls?
Like yeah, man?
Define And then when as I said, when I listened to your project one. I thought more of that. I was like, I don't know what's going on in the universe. I don't know what the universe trying to tell us. Yes, but it's like, yeah, you really, like women are really leading in a real way right now.
I mean being non binary and still being able to like see myself and everything that that black women are doing. I mean they are killing it. I was listening to a Spotify playlist when I was working on my album called Feeling Myself, and that's all like women rapping, and
I think, what y'are? Y'all? Y'all, you guys are experiencing a revolution right now of and and and also like a resistance against division, like we are not being divided the same people that would try to divide the Janelle Monnet in the suit up against you know, another artist.
A Cardi or a Meigh.
Yeah, and those and those are all women that I love and I respect and appreciate. But you have to understand for years, like even it's the whole conversation of Lauryn Hill versus Little Kim. I'm sure you guys were out. I love them both, but and I think they were strong.
They were strong in all their ways, but it was there were definitely times where I felt like, you know, people would would not understand that they were strong within their own rights, and they would use Lauren's image to the great Little Kim's image, and I never liked that. Growing up, I saw that and I was like, that's not cool. Like, I love both of them. I think they're both strong. They're using you know, they're using their power in different ways, but they're saying the same thing.
It's all different expressions of.
And that's what we are. We are in And I also it made me feel like, oh, this is my time to feel safe now you know what I'm saying, because I'll just say again, there were just moments looking in the music industry, I didn't feel safe. I didn't feel safe walking in a room like this, even in a thing, you know, because you you just didn't. You just didn't feel safe. So now we are, now that everybody knows that we are not going to even play into the division. It's not gonna work. Get used to it.
That's right.
Well, let's let's get into a joint off that you.
Want to hear what y'all want to hear.
Okay, I like phenomenal. I like No Better, I like only Eyes for Two.
I like only Eyes for two, I like Lipstick Lover, and I like float.
Ooh, seemed like y'all like the album. Basically, Okay, let's do what's good.
Ooh, phenomenal.
We can do phenomenal. I love yeah single. We can do listick glover. Excuse me, we do.
Yeah, and then we do phenomenon. All right, Well, we appreciate you for joining us. Anytime you in town, you know you can come on up beautiful and yes, this is a safe space for you, so whatever you want to come, we love you and appreciate.
I appreciate y'all. Thank you so much, and happy pride, I must say. And let me ask you a question. How are you guys showing up for you know, as allies for the l g B t Q plus community.
If you listen to this show every day, you would know what they call us husband's husband.
I love every day. That's good.
I love it. Gusbands, that's really cute. I love it.
Tell us we're pushing an agenda all the time what they tell us.
Yes, wow, okay, that's.
What I guess. That's what it's called. When you just embrace it everything.
It's so interesting how people think like being gay or being trends or being non binary, being queer, like it's on some new ship, like we just made up within, Like that's the thing. You just got to be patient. People. They have to they have to educate themselves, and there's so much information out here. Get educated. Like this is nothing new. We have We have been here, We've been queer, We've been you know, we we we have been living
outside of the cis head patriarchal conservative lifestyle. And I just want to just say happy pride and whatever our allies in those communities or not in those communities can do to stay with us and be with us. It's a lot of really really evil people trying to on a human and human level stop us from existing.
All I want to answer you a question too, because you know, I feel like what we describe to do here is create safe spaces for all black voices. And what I realized is regardless of who comes up here, like it can be you know, Jason Lee, be Scott Flame, when Roll Laverne, whoever it is, if they're from the l g B t q I a community, somebody's going to have criticism, you know, and.
So that's just what it is. And I think that you have to know that.
Yeah, everybody, everybody has to know it. And I think, you know, I think, but on a human and human level, and we're in when we're in conversations with people who hold those world views. My hope is that because all those conversations lead to is Okay, well, we don't have to care about trans people anymore. We don't. As we know, a lot of our trans siblings are being murdered every
single day just for existing. And I think the language, whether we oppose it right then and there, when somebody says something transphobic or homophobic or not, that language travels, and it travels on a policy level, it travels on a like, oh, we don't need to care about them, in the same way that white people would think, oh, we didn't need to care about black people, you know, and white it's up to white people to talk to
their people. So those of us who are more privileged in this country, if you're listening right now, we need you. We need you to just stand up, say something, speak out, support, vote, do the right thing.
You privileged to come back prejudice absolutely well, it's Janelle.
Right now, and I'm not shaving my under arms. I've seen the comments. They will not be shaved. You will get into it. I don't know. I just felt like saying that.
Okay, okay, it's a breakfast club.
Go morning.
Holdo, we just got to do read for BT on the show.
This is great. I love that. All right.
When we come back, we got more with Jenail monations.
Don't move.
It's the breakfast club on BT. But lock, we got more with Jail Money. It's the breakfast club on BT.
We're back.
Let's get into our interview with Janelle Money. It's the breakfast club on BT.
Thank you, Yes, y'all better be professionals, gonna take Okay, let's do it.
Chris Ball, you will last night. Yeah, that's what you said.
All right, first right, here we go one, two three, all right, more right, gotta change your two three.
I love it.
One more please?
Okay, all right, it's my.
H so much, thank you, thank you love.
Uh wras moo, we got it?
Who used him?
He so