Analysis Of Q. E. N By Janelle Monáe

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The song “Q.U.E.E.N” by Janelle Monáe provides a concrete example of intersectionality. Janelle Monáe expertly blends the discrimination felt by women and African Americans in her upbeat song from 2013. She sings, “She who writes the movie owns the script and the sequel/ So why ain't the stealing of my rights made illegal?/ They keep us underground working hard for the greedy But when it's time pay they turn around and call us needy/ My crown too heavy like the Queen Nefertiti/ Gimme back my pyramid, I'm trying to free Kansas City” (Monáe, 2013). In this verse, Monáe is able to address the sexism she faces in the music industry when she asks “So why ain’t stealing of my rights made illegal?” right after she addresses the fact that she is self made (“he who writes the movie owns the script and the sequel”). …show more content…

This proves as a powerful simile because it subtly brings attention to the black position in modern America as she refers to the pyramids, which were built on slave labor, and to Queen Nefertiti who was a powerful black ruler of an African empire that is often whitewashed due to American media. For instance, Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra still permeates the minds of many Americans and is seen as an accurate representation of Egypt, when in fact it further enforced eurocentric beauty standards. The lack of African identity in Egypt pop-culture is mixed with the lack of African culture in music and modern culture. She reiterates this sentiment by saying she’s trying to free her own community (Kansas

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