"Q.U.E.E.N." (acronym of "Queer, Untouchables, Emigrants, Excommunicated, and Negroid") is a song by American recording artist Janelle Monáe featuring the singer Erykah Badu. It was released on April 23, 2013, as the lead single from Monáe's second studio album, The Electric Lady. Stylized in the form of question and response, each line of the song has Monáe expressing her thoughts on subjects ranging from sexuality to religion. Prince, a mentor to Monáe, called the music video for "Q.U.E.E.N." the best music video of 2013.
Song info
According to Monáe on her Twitter page, "Q.U.E.E.N." was inspired by "private discussions between her and Erykah Badu," and "is meant to make you jam, dance, funk out and dialogue later." While the album focuses on the empowerment of women and the need for women to control their own images, the single "Q.U.E.E.N." also focuses on the empowerment of other oppressed peoples. The title is an acronym for Queer, Untouchables, Emigrants, Excommunicated, and Negroid. Throughout the song, Monáe uses a question-answer format to explain the stereotypes, misconceptions, and oppression of those in the LGBT community, untouchables (those in poverty), emigrants (those who were forced to leave their home countries due to dangerous/unlivable circumstances), the excommunicated (those who have served/continue to serve time in prison), and the negroid (black people of all origins).
Monáe uses various terms and phrases from LGBT slang at the beginning of the song. She opens the song with, "I can't believe all of the things they say about me, walk in the room they from left to right. They be like 'ooh, she ,' and I just tell 'em cut me up and get down." [emphasis added] Both phrases and are phrases used by many in the LGBT community, especially in the African-American gay community. She also alludes to lesbianism later in the song when she sings, "Hey, is it weird to like the way she wears her tights?" and, "Am I a freak because I love watchin' Mary?" Monáe then juxtaposes these references with religion by asking, "Hey brother can you save my soul from the devil?" and, "Hey sister am I good enough for your heaven? Will your God accept me in my black and white? Would he approve the way I'm made or should I deprogram, reprogram and get down?"
Music video
A music video for the song, directed by Alan Ferguson, was released on May 1, 2013, with a length of 6 minutes and 4 seconds. It features Janelle Monáe as herself in the future. She, along with her band members and Badulla Oblongata (Badu), have been frozen in time and placed on display in the Ministry of Droids museum. They are all described as "rebels who time travel" by a representative for the Ministry of Droids at the beginning of the video. One woman dressed in all black and another dressed in black and white arrive at the museum and knock down the guards. They then put on Monáe's song "Q.U.E.E.N." and within seconds, Monáe and her band begin to reanimate. As well as portraying herself in the video, Monáe also portrays her android persona, Cindi Mayweather. Cindi, along with her android sisters, dance and question each other throughout the song. Towards the end of the video, Monáe delivers her climactic rap wearing her tuxedo "work uniform." The camera focuses in on her as she raps and then cuts to black immediately after she finishes.