Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer (2018) - full transcript

They started calling us
computers.

People began vanishing
and the cleaning began.

You were dirty if
you looked different.

You were dirty if you refused
to live the way they dictated.

You were dirty if you showed
any form of opposition at all.

And if you were dirty...
It was only a matter of time.

Yea, yea, yea, just, okay.

You will repeat after me.

Your name is Jane 57821.

My name is Jane 57821.

I am a dirty computer.



I am a dirty computer.

I am ready to be cleaned.

I am ready to be cleaned!

Unfortunate, my dear. Cleaners
please initiate the nevermind.

♪ Your so damn electic, you, alright ♪

♪ you know you got that
juice, you know you got that juice ♪

♪ You know you got that juice, uh huh, now
squeeze all that passionfruit, squeeze ♪

♪ Ain't no one fresher than you,
ain't no one ♪

I need sector clearance.

Prepare for retinal scan.

Jane 57821 cleared.

♪ Down dog, don't think about
it, down dog, don't think about it ♪

♪ Down dog, you're number one,
down dog, and don't you doubt it ♪

♪ Down dog, don't think about
it, down dog ♪



♪ You told us, we hold these
truths to be self-evident ♪

♪ That all men and women are
created equal ♪

♪ And that they are endowed by
their creator ♪

♪ With certain inalienable
rights, among these ♪

♪ Life, Liberty, and the,
and the pursuit of happiness ♪

♪ Young black wild and free

♪ naked in a limousine

♪ oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh

♪ ridin through the
hood real slow ♪

♪ I love it when I
smell the trees ♪

♪ Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh, uh

♪ I just wanna party hard

♪ sex in the swimming pool

♪ oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh

♪ I don't need a lotta cash

♪ I just wanna break the rules

♪ oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh

♪ oh, we don't need
another ruler ♪

♪ All of my friends are kings

♪ oh oh oh oh,
oh oh oh oh, ohh ♪

♪ I am not America's nightmare, I am
the American dream, oh oh oh oh ♪

♪ Just let me live my life,
I want a crazy classic life ♪

♪ I want a crazy classic life

♪ so if the world
should end tonight ♪

♪ I had a crazy classic life

♪ I don't need a diamond ring,
I don't wanna waste my youth ♪

♪ I don't wanna live on my knees,
I just gotta tell the truth ♪

♪ I don't wanna be locked down,
I don't wanna cheat on you ♪

♪ Oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh

♪ I just wanna find a god
and I hope she loves me too ♪

♪ Oh oh oh oh, ohhh

♪ we don't need another ruler,
we don't need another fool ♪

♪ Oh oh oh oh, yea oh oh oh oh

♪ I am not America's nightmare,
I am the American cool, oh oh ♪

♪ Just let me live my life

♪ I want a crazy classic life

♪ I want a crazy
classic life ♪

♪ So if the world
should end tonight ♪

♪ I had a crazy classic life

♪ I want a crazy classic life

♪ I want a crazy
classic life ♪

♪ So if the world
should end tonight ♪

♪ I had a crazy classic

♪ life

♪ ohhh ohhhh

♪ oh, a crazy classic life

♪ Yo, uh, yo yo yo uh

♪ handcuffed in the bando

♪ white boy in the sandles

♪ police like a Rambo

♪ blow it out blow it out like a
candle sambo ♪

♪ Me and you was friends but to
them we the opposite ♪

♪ The same mistake I'm in jail
you on top of shit ♪

♪ You livin life while I'm
walkin' round moppin' shit ♪

♪ Tech kid backpack now you a
college kid ♪

♪ All I wanted was to break the
rules like you ♪

♪ All I wanted was for them to
love me too ♪

♪ But no matter where it was I
always stood out ♪

♪ Black Waldo dancin with the
thick brows ♪

♪ We was both runnin naked at
the luau ♪

♪ We was both on shrooms prayin'
face down waist down ♪

♪ Member when they told ya
I was too black for ya? ♪

♪ Now my black popping like a
bra strap on ya ♪

♪ I was kicked out
said I'm too loud ♪

♪ Kicked out said
I'm too proud ♪

♪ But all I really ever felt
was stressed out ♪

♪ Kinda like my Afro when
it's pressed out ♪

♪ Ahhhh

Good morning, Jane.

Jane?

My name is Maryapple 53.

I'm here to escort you from
the darkness into the light.

Zen.

You won't be able to move
your legs for a while

I didn't think I was ever
going to see you again.

Did they hurt you?

Is it okay if I call you Jane?

What?

It's what we have in your file, right?
Yeah...

If there's anything else you'd rather
be called, you just let me know.

I'm here to make your
experience sweet as pie.

Why are you talking to me like
you don't know me zen?

Like I said, my name is
Maryapple 53,

and I don't know you,
at least not yet.

But what I do know is that you
have some bugs.

So we are here to get you clean.

We'll be with you shortly.

♪ I'm not the kinda girl you
take home to your mama now ♪

♪ I tell you no lies,
I tell no lies ♪

♪ Your code is programmed not to
love me but you can't pretend ♪

♪ Oh what a surprise

♪ maybe it's lust maybe it's
love maybe it never ends ♪

♪ Oh say your goodbyes

♪ Say'em now, play in my hair and
nibble there all on my mocha skin ♪

♪ Yeah, just take a byte

♪ take a byte,
just take a byte ♪

♪ Help yourself,
help yourself ♪

♪ It's alright,
it's alright ♪

♪ I won't tell, it feels so good
when you nibble on it ♪

♪ Take a byte,
just take a byte ♪

♪ Help yourself, you look so
good just help yourself ♪

♪ Don't think twice,
don't think twice ♪

♪ I won't tell

You will repeat after me.

I will repeat after you.

Your name is Jane 57821.

My name is Jane 57821.

I am a dirty computer.

I am a dirty computer.

I am ready to be cleaned.

I am ready to be cleaned.

Ready for cleaning.

She's ready for cleaning! I heard her,
I heard her actually, but um which

well?
Which... which memory exactly?

Any memory you see.
Trash 'em and bag 'em.

Yes, yes. Trash and bag. Okay.

♪ I live my life in a magazine

♪ I live my life
on a TV screen ♪

♪ I live my life
on birth control ♪

♪ I lost my mind on
rock and roll ♪

♪ And I, I, I hear
the sirens callin' ♪

♪ And the bombs are fallin' in
the streets we're all, screwed ♪

♪ And I, I, I it's
my birthday baby ♪

♪ Thought I'd go sex crazy but
I feel so screwed ♪

♪ Sex, body, we're gonna crash
your party ♪

♪ Let's get screwed

♪ I don't care,
I don't care ♪

♪ You fucked the world up now

♪ we'll fuck it all back down

♪ let's get screwed

♪ I don't care

♪ we'll put water in your guns

♪ we'll do it all for fun,
let's get screwed ♪

♪ I, I, I hear
the sirens callin' ♪

♪ And the bombs are fallin' in
the streets we're all ♪

♪ The streets we're all,
screwed ♪

♪ I, I, I it's your
birthday baby ♪

♪ Thought we'd go sex crazy
but we feel so screwed ♪

♪ I, I, I hear the
sirens callin' ♪

♪ And the bombs are fallin' in
the streets we're all ♪

♪ Streets we're all screwed

♪ Haha we're so screwed

♪ let's get screwed

♪ I don't care

♪ let's get screwed

♪ I don't care

♪ see everything is sex except
sex which is power ♪

♪ You know power is just sex

♪ you screw me and I'll
screw you too ♪

♪ Everything is sex except sex
which is power ♪

♪ You know power is just sex

♪ now ask yourself who's
screwing you ♪

♪ 100 men telling me cover up my
areolas ♪

♪ While they blocking equal pay
sipping on they Coca colas ♪

♪ Ohhh, fake news, fake boobs,
fake food what's real ♪

♪ Still in the matrix eating all
the blue pills ♪

♪ Ohh, the devil met with Russia
and they just made a deal ♪

♪ We were marching through the streets
they were blocking every bill ♪

♪ I'm tired of hoteps
tryna tell me how to feel for real ♪

♪ Yeah, yeah this is my palace

♪ champagne in my chalice

♪ I got it all covered like a
wedding band ♪

♪ Wondaland,
so my alias is Alice ♪

♪ And we gon start a muthafuckin'
pussy riot ♪

♪ Or we gone put em on a
pussy diet ♪

♪ Look at that I guarantee
I got'em quiet ♪

♪ Look at that I guarantee they
all inspired ♪

♪ A-town made it out there

♪ straight out Kansas City yeah
we made it out there ♪

♪ Celebrated, graduated made it
pass, fail ♪

♪ Sassy, classy, kool aid with
the Kale ♪

♪ Momma was a g, she was
cleaning hotels ♪

♪ Poppa was a driver,
I was working retail ♪

♪ Kept us in the back
of the store ♪

♪ We ain't hidden no more,
moonlit nigga, lit nigga ♪

♪ Already got an Oscar
for the casa ♪

♪ Running down grammys with
the family ♪

♪ Prolly give a Tony
to the homies ♪

♪ Prolly get an Emmy dedicate it
to the highly melanated ♪

♪ Archandroid orchestrated

♪ yeah we highly melanated

♪ archandroid orchestrated

♪ yeah, jaminati still jammin

♪ box office numbers and they
doing outstanding ♪

♪ Runnin outta space on
my damn bandwagon ♪

♪ Rememba when they used to say
I looked too mannish ♪

♪ Black girl magic
y'all can't stand it ♪

♪ Y'all can't ban it,
made out like a bandit ♪

♪ They been trying hard just to
make us all vanish ♪

♪ I suggest they put a flag on a
whole 'nother planet ♪

♪ Jane bond, never Jane Doe

♪ and I django never sambo

♪ black and white, yeah that's
always been my camo ♪

♪ It's looking like y'all
gone need sommo ammo ♪

♪ I cut'em off, I cut'em off I
cut'em off like Van Gogh ♪

♪ Now pan right for the angle

♪ I got away with murder,
no scandal, huh ♪

♪ Cue the violins and violas

♪ we gave you life,
we gave you birth ♪

♪ We gave you god,
we gave you earth ♪

♪ We fem the future,
don't make it worse ♪

♪ You want the world? Well
what's it worth? ♪

♪ Emoticons? Decepticons?

♪ And autobots,
who twist the plot ♪

♪ Who shot the sheriff,
then fled to Paris ♪

♪ In the darkest hour,
spoke truth to power ♪

♪ Made a fandroid outta
your girlfriend ♪

♪ Let's get caught downtown
in a whirlwind ♪

♪ And paint the city pynk,
paint the city pynk ♪

♪ And tuck the pearls in just in
case the world end, huh ♪

♪ And nigga down dog,
nigga move back ♪

♪ Take a seat you
are not involved ♪

♪ And hit the mute button, let
the vagina have a monologue ♪

♪ Mansplaining I fold'em
like origami ♪

♪ What's a wave baby Thissa Tsunami
for the culture, I kamikaze ♪

♪ I put my life on the
life line ♪

♪ If she the G.O.A.T. Now would
anybody doubt it? ♪

♪ If she the G.O.A.T. Now
would anybody doubt it? ♪

♪ Do anybody got it? Do anybody got it?
I say anybody got it? ♪

I don't know what this is,

this doesn't even look
like a memory.

What is that, that a dream?

You just pull the content,
keep moving.

Uhh, yeah but, what is it?

Delete it and move on.

What just delete everything?

Yeah. Just delete it.

War is old.
So is sex.

Let's play god.
You go next.

Hands go up.
Man go down.

Try my luck.
Stand my ground.

Die in church.
Live in jail.

Say her name.
Twice in hell.

Uncle Sam.
Kissed a man.

They called this place "the
house of the new dawn".

This place where they drained
us of our dirt...

And all the things that
made us special.

And just when you thought you
could remember something,

just when you thought you
could see the past clearly,

they would hit you with
nevermind.

This gas would take over,

and then you were lost.
Sleeping.

And you didn't remember
anything at all.

Jim crow Jesus.
Rose again.

♪ Pink like the inside of
your, baby ♪

♪ Pink behind all of the
doors, crazy ♪

♪ Pink like the tongue that
goes down, maybe ♪

♪ Pink like the
paradise found ♪

♪ Pink when you're
blushing inside, baby ♪

♪ Pink is the truth you can't
hide, maybe ♪

♪ Pink like the folds of your
brain, crazy ♪

♪ Pink as we all go insane...

♪ So here we are in the car

♪ leaving traces of us
down the boulevard ♪

♪ I wanna fall through
the stars ♪

♪ Getting lost in the dark is my
favorite part ♪

♪ Let's count the ways we
could make this last forever ♪

♪ Sunny money keep it funky

♪ touch yo top and let it down

♪ yeah somethin like that

♪ Owww! Somethin like that

♪ yeah somethin like that

♪ 'cause boy it's cool,
if you got blue ♪

♪ We got the pink

♪ Pink like the lips around
your, maybe ♪

♪ Pink like the skin that's
under, baby ♪

♪ Pink where it's deepest
inside, crazy ♪

♪ Pink beyond forest
and thighs ♪

♪ Pink like the secrets you
hide, maybe ♪

♪ Pink like the lid of your
eye, baby ♪

♪ Pink is where all of it
starts, crazy ♪

♪ Pink like the holes
of your heart ♪

♪ So here we are in the car

♪ leaving traces of us
down the boulevard ♪

♪ I wanna fall through
the stars ♪

♪ Getting lost in the dark is my
favorite part ♪

♪ Let's count the ways we
could make this last forever ♪

♪ Sunny money keep it funky

♪ touch yo top and let it down

♪ yeah somethin' like that

♪ Owww! Somethin' like that

♪ yeah somethin' like that

♪ 'cause boy it's cool,
if you got blue ♪

♪ We got the pink

♪ yeah somethin' like that

♪ Owww! Somethin' like that

♪ yeah somethin' like that

♪ 'cause boy it's cool,
if you got blue ♪

♪ We got the pink, I just wanna, I just
wanna, I just wanna paint the town ♪

♪ I Don"t wanna to
hide my love ♪

♪ I just wanna hold your hand

♪ and be the one
that you think of ♪

♪ When you need a holiday

♪ when you wanna drink roseé ♪

♪ I just wanna paint your toes

♪ in the morning
kiss your nose ♪

♪ 'Cause when I'm with you
I Don"t feel afraid ♪

♪ Maybe this love will
indoctrinate ♪

♪ I echo every
word that you say ♪

♪ The way you feel yeah
I feel the same way ♪

♪ Remember the night when
I combed your hair ♪

♪ I hope I don't freak
you out when I stared ♪

♪ I donate my truth to
you like I'm rich ♪

♪ The truth is my love
ain't got no off switch ♪

♪ So if the walls
come tumbling down ♪

♪ And if the ocean
really does drown ♪

♪ And if my memories
never come back ♪

♪ I"ll still remember where
we first was naked at ♪

♪ Picture our faces
in new oasis ♪

♪ When we made love
we left many traces ♪

♪ Just like the blush
that's on your cheeks ♪

♪ Deep inside
we"re all just pink ♪

♪ Pink like the inside of your,
baby ♪ -♪ we're all just pink

♪ pink like the folds in your doors,
maybe ♪ -♪ we're all just pink

♪ pink like you're fingers in
my, maybe ♪

♪ Pink is the truth
you can't hide ♪

♪ Pink like your tongue going
round, baby ♪

♪ Pink like the sun going
down, maybe ♪

♪ Pink like the holes in your
heart, baby ♪

♪ Pink is my favorite part

♪ Yeah

♪ baby don't make me spell
it out for ya ♪

♪ All of the feelings
that I've got for ya ♪

♪ Can't be explained but
I can try for ya ♪

♪ Yeah baby don't make me
spell it out for ya ♪

♪ You keep on askin' me the same
questions, why ♪

♪ And second guessing all
my intentions ♪

♪ Should know by the way I use
my compression ♪

♪ That you got the answers
to my confessions ♪

♪ It's like I'm powerful with
a little bit of tender ♪

♪ An emotional sexual bender

♪ mess me up yeah but no one
does it better ♪

♪ There's nothin better

♪ that's just the way
you make me feel ♪

♪ That's just the way you make
me feel ♪

♪ Uh huh

♪ so good so good so,
fuckin real uh huh ♪

♪ That's just the way
you make me feel ♪

♪ That's just the way you make
me feel ♪

♪ You know I love you so please
don't stop it ♪

♪ You got me right here in your
Jean pocket ♪

♪ Layin' your body on a shag
carpet, ooh ♪

♪ You know I love it so
please don't stop it, ah ah ♪

♪ It's like I'm powerful with
a little bit of tender ♪

♪ An emotional sexual bender

♪ mess me up yeah but no one
does it better ♪

♪ There's nothin better

♪ that's just the way
you make me feel ♪

♪ That's just the way you make
me feel ♪

♪ Uh huh so good so good
so fuckin real uh huh ♪

♪ That's just the way
you make me feel ♪

♪ That's just the way you make
me feel ♪

♪ Oh! That's just the way that
I feel now baby ♪

♪ Good god, I can't
help it, uh, hey ♪

♪ That's just the way that I
feel, yeah ♪

♪ Please! I can't help it!

♪ It's like I'm powerful with
a little bit of tender ♪

♪ An emotional sexual bender

♪ mess me up yeah but no one
does it better ♪

♪ There's nothin better

♪ damn

♪ that's just the way
you make me feel ♪

♪ That's just the way you make
me feel uh huh ♪

♪ So good so good so
fuckin real uh huh ♪

♪ That's just the way
you make me feel ♪

♪ That's just the way you make
me feel ♪

♪ Oooo, that's just the way you
make me feel, you make me feel ♪

♪ So good so good so,
fuckin real, so good so good ♪

♪ That's just the way
you make me feel ♪

♪ That's just the way you make
me feel ♪

They're taking everything
away from me.

Huh.

I don't even remember how we
met anymore...

I'm not sure if any
of this actually happened

Listen.

Thinking will only
make it harder.

It's best if you just
enjoy the process.

Accept it.

People used to work so hard to
be free.

But we're lucky here.

All we have to do is forget.

But I don't want to forget you.

You don't have a choice.

♪ Oooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

♪ oooooo ooooo ooooo ooooo

♪ sometimes a mystery
sometimes I'm free ♪

♪ Depending on my mood
or my attitude ♪

♪ Sometimes I wanna roll
or stay at home ♪

♪ Walking contradiction
guess im factual and fiction ♪

♪ A little crazy, a little sexy
a little cool ♪

♪ Little rough around the edges
but I keep it smooth ♪

♪ I'm always left of center and
that's right where I belong ♪

♪ I'm the random minor note
you hear in major songs ♪

♪ And I like that

♪ I don't really give a fuck if I was
just the only one, who likes that ♪

♪ I never like to follow, follow
all around, the chase is on ♪

♪ Oh me oh me oh me oh my

♪ oh me oh me oh me oh my I

♪ oh me oh me oh me oh my

♪ I like that

♪ I Don"t care what I look
like but I feel good ♪

♪ Better than amazing
and better than I could ♪

♪ Told the whole world I'm
the venom and the antidote ♪

♪ Take a different type of girl
to keep the whole world a float ♪

♪ Cause I'm crazy and
I'm sexy then I'm cool ♪

♪ Little rough around the
edges but I keep it smooth ♪

♪ I'm always left of center and
that's right where I belong ♪

♪ I'm the random minor note you hear
in major songs and I like that ♪

♪ I don't really give a fuck if I was
just the only one who likes that ♪

♪ I never like to follow, follow
all around, the chase is on ♪

♪ Oh me oh me oh me oh my

♪ oh me oh me oh me oh my I

♪ oh me oh me oh me oh my

♪ I like that

♪ I remember when
you called me weird ♪

♪ We was in math class, third
row I was sittin' by you ♪

♪ Right before
Mr. Ammon's class ♪

♪ Cause my mama couldn't
afford new J's, Polo, ♪

♪ Thrift stores, thrift clothes,
that was all I knew ♪

♪ Do you remember?

♪ I remember when you laughed when I
cut my perm off and you rated me a 6 ♪

♪ I was like, damn

♪ but even back then, with the tears in
my eyes I always knew I was the shit ♪

♪ I like that

♪ I don't really give a fuck if I was
just the only one who likes that ♪

♪ I never like to follow, follow
all around, the chase is on ♪

♪ Oh me oh me oh me oh my

♪ oh me oh me oh me oh my I

♪ I like that

♪ oh me oh me oh me oh my

♪ I like that

♪ I like
that ♪

Wh-what is that?
That's not memory.

What part of delete everything
you don't understand?

Mother Victoria? May I speak
with you for a minute?

I hope this is important.

It's about Jane 57821.

Go on.

It's as if she remembers me.

Like really knows me. She tells
me things about myself.

About where I'm from.

She says that my name was zen.

And I made films, played
instruments.

And she says that,
that we were in love.

That's enough. Now
you know that's impossible.

A dirty mind will do
anything to survive.

Right now she's dirty.

Tomorrow after the walk
she'll be clean.

And if she's lucky in a few days
she'll be a torch just like you.

And we'll have all this
nonsense behind us.

Yes, mother.

♪ La la la la ooooo la la la la
ooooo la la la ♪

♪ Ia la la la ooooo
la la la la oooo la la la ♪

♪ Iaaaaaa

I thought we deleted this beach
stuff already.

You remember...

It's too late.

Just walk.

♪ Ohhhhhhh oooo ohhhhh

♪ oooooo oohhhh oooooo

Good morning. Che Achebe.
Patient 06756.

Jane?
I'm Maryapple 54 and I'm your torch.

That means that I'm here to bring you
from the darkness into the light.

Let's go. ♪ Alone, don't
fight your war alone ♪

I always used to say I would
never hurt a fly...

But I would put one to sleep.

♪ We will win this fight

♪ let all souls be brave

♪ we'll find a way to heaven

♪ we'll find a way

♪ war is old, so is sex,
let's play god ♪

♪ You go next, hands go up,
man go down ♪

♪ Try my luck, stand my
ground, die in church ♪

♪ Live in jail, say her name,
twice in hell ♪

♪ Uncle Sam kissed a man

♪ Jim crow Jesus, Rose again

♪ I like my woman
in the kitchen ♪

♪ I teach my children
superstitions ♪

♪ I keep my two guns on my blue
nightstand ♪

♪ A pretty young thang, she can
wash my clothes ♪

♪ But she'll never ever wear my
pants ahhhhh ♪

♪ I pledge allegiance to
the flag ♪

♪ Learned the words from my mom
and dad ♪

♪ Cross my heart and
I hope to die ♪

♪ With a big ol piece of
American pie ♪

♪ Love me baby

♪ love me for who I am

♪ falling angels

♪ sing and clap yo hands

♪ don't try to take my
country ♪

A dirty computer is
someone who is told because of

their sexual orientation,
their gender, the class that

they come from...
Those that are in those

marginalized groups,
being told that they

have these bugs,
that they have these viruses

and they need to be cleansed.

But dirty computers
don't see their bugs and

their viruses as negatives.

They see them as features,
as attributes, something

to be celebrated.

My name is Jane 57821.

I am a dirty computer.

I am a dirty computer.

I am ready to be cleaned.

I am ready to be cleaned.

So on the album you have three,
three different stages.

The first few songs represent
the reckoning, you know

realizing that hey, I represent
to society a dirty computer.

It's like the first time
a black person is

called a nigga,
or the first time a woman

is called a bitch by a man
and having to reckon

with what that means.
And then you have the

celebration towards the
middle of the album where

you have those songs like
'pynk' and 'make me feel'

and 'django Jane'
that's saying hey,

despite being a dirty computer,
despite what the world

says about me, I'm going
to celebrate my bugs,

I'm going to
celebrate my viruses.

Y'know, I'm going to be
the best fucking dirty

computer I can be.

And then when you get
to a song like 'American',

that's a part of the
reclamation.

That's saying that
I am a dirty computer,

but I too am American.

You know my ancestors
helped build this country.

We worked hard - blood,
sweat, and tears.

And those are the stages,
and so visually what

we wanted to do was we
wanted to create a story that

allowed you to focus in on
what it would mean to have

those in the position of
power erase your identity.

When we were working
on the music,

we were envisioning this dystopian
near-future um society,

an America that had kind
of succumbed to,

I guess the worst impulses
of our current president

and it became something
really sickening and dangerous.

We were trying to figure out:
How can we take the music,

how can we take a film,
how can we tell this like really

cool story with these elements?

We had come into the story
with ummm seeing that Jane

had been captured and
put in this institution.

So 'crazy classic life'
is a memory.

They're erasing her memory,
so this is how we get to

see what the outside
world looks like.

What her experience was
before she got put in.

The fact that these songs
and this album and these

concepts came along at this
point in our history of this

country was really
gripping and poignant.

We use that as fuel.

With 'I like that' I was

trying to accomplish making
a video that really celebrated

black girl magic. I kind of knew where
she was going and what direction

she was going in with her project before it
even came out, and I wanted to kind of show

that she was going to be stripping
down a little bit and showing

a little bit more of herself and
being more vulnerable.

The song is about embracing
the things that make you

unique even if it makes
others uncomfortable.

And so it was important to sort
of exaggerate certain images

to show that my world y'know
how I see life umm is

just slightly different,
y'know it's, it's surreal.

On one of our shoot days we umm,

we shot with a umm,
an actual peacock.

So he started to take flight
behind Janelle and she like

freaked out and like ran off set
and said she was done,

basically like that was the end
of the shoot day,

but we got everything
we needed so it was cool.

♪ It's like I'm powerful

♪ with a little bit of tender

♪ an emotional sexual bender

With 'make me feel'
I knew that I wanted

to come out with a
focus on duality.

And 'make me feel'
with the song and what

it represents in terms of
women's empowerment and agency

over your body and image it was
important to have clothing

and dancing and just like
performance that gave you

the rawest sexy most unfiltered
version of who I am.

When Janelle put on that
chain mask and she came out

I was just blown away.

Like that was my
favorite outfit,

and I had seen her practicing
in rehearsal like how

she was gonna interact
with the guitar and things

like that and I was like 'wow
I can't wait to shoot that.'

so I did 'make me feel'
and 'django Jane'

at the same time and I knew I
wanted those to go together.

What you don't know is there is
a video for 'django Jane'

that did not get released.

'Django Jane' was a ah
an interesting come about.

Uh very different than your
average music video.

Um I had been working with the
team on 'dirty computer'

and 'django Jane' was obviously
like an essential keystone

piece of the project.

And they shot a really cool
video with a great team,

but uh as many of us in
the music video world know

visual effects are
time consuming

and expensive and the 'django Jane'
video was initially entirely

green screen, so as deadlines
were coming and I was kind

of tracking along with the video
and watching progress

there was this moment
where you realize there

was no chance of finishing it
in its original form.

We didn't have an idea
for django until Sunday

morning before our
Monday evening shoot.

So in the span of three
and a half, maybe four days

we wrote the video, shot the
video, edited the video,

colored the video and upload
it and it was just a total

whirlwind of a process.

♪ Pink like the inside
of your baby ♪

♪ Pink behind all of
the doors crazy ♪

The infamous vagina pants,

the labia pants, the flower pants.
They have so many names.

I was actually calling them

the coochie pants at first,
but then everybody

just calls them vagina pants
and I guess that's

what they are, so
a friend of mine

who is a designer Duran Dontick,

he uhh made some sketches
and sent them over to Janelle

and I think Janelle
had a really clear idea of

what she wanted from them
as well so she sent notes back

and then he sent a new
version and kind of went

back and forth and he flew
in the night before ahhh

we were gonna shoot
this scene and uhh came

to the desert with
these pants and put them on her

and the dancers and
made some adjustments

and yeah we shot the next day.

Doing the fitting I was like
I can't believe it.

I just kept opening my legs,
closing them, open them,

close them. I mean,
they're very fun.

There's some women
in the 'pynk' video

that don't have on the pants
because one of the things

we wanted to say is that
you don't have to have

a vagina to be a woman.

You don't have to look
like her to be respected

and so umm for us we wanted to
just showcase the diversity.

We wanted to be as
inclusive as possible,

uhhh and we also wanted, yeah we,
we wanted to do something fun.

It took two, two and a
half years probably

to make this thing
and during that time

there was probably
a good ten times that

all of us were throwing
in the towel,

it's not happening, it's not
gonna happen, it's over.

The label was, you know,
emailing us, we're costing

so many people money.
I'm spending money,

we're spending money
as wonderland.

Oh it was stressful, but it really, really
happened the way it was supposed to.

I kind of walked away with this,
this feeling of pride that, y'know

we're able to make
this content, we're able

to show these different
sides of humanity and

show there's beauty
in the imperfections

So I think there are some really,
really, really heartbreaking moments.

One in particular is when
Tess is walking me down

the hall and I'm going
to get my last dose of

nevermind and y'know I'm
basically gonna become a torch.

And I just remember when
we were doing that scene

it was just, uh, painful,
just going through it and

just thinking about what it would
really mean to lose your identity.

To have, have two actors that
already know each other really helps,

'cause we didn't have
rehearsals.

Tessa was a trooper. She was filming
Westworld, she was filming another movie,

and she was with us.

And her schedule was bananas.

When it was time for
her to like forget me

and to be like a torch,
she was very convincing

to the point that I was just like,
"this is, this is next level."

It's as if she remembers me,
like really knows me.

She tells me things about
myself, about where I'm from.

She says that my name was zen.

It's just kinda crazy, 'cause it
all lived, it all lived

and died in that one day
where like we're either

going to have a great day
today and this thing is

gonna make it, or if
we have a horrible day today

this whole project is
gonna be crazy.

The last scene was
that hallway scene,

and we knew by that time
that if it was gonna work

it was going to really have
to come together,

and um they did it they,
it really came together

and they really did.

It was important that
I was working with women

on this project, and black
women in particular and

Lacey Duke was one of
my first picks to work with.

She knows my music,
she knows me as a person,

as an artist and we would
just have great conversations

around art and around
the importance of making

sure that our stories are told
and we had so much fun.

Emma Westonburg, um I love her.

I saw her work online
through a friend and

I was just blown away.
When she sent the treatment

over for 'pynk' I was like you
ma'am, your mind is crazy,

let's do this. I love working
with Andrew as well,

uhh he came through.

I'm telling you like
Andrew came through.

We were able to connect
over this story, over what

it meant to be a dirty computer,
how important it was

to create something that
dirty computers could

feel umm seen by,
you know celebrated and loved.

Chuck lightning really did
help bring this story together

and write it up and make sure
that all of our ideas were there.

Chuck knows me best
because we did the

album together, so he knew the
integrity of the project.

Nate Wonder and Wynne Bennett
putting them in the room

as producers umm on this
project was just incredible.

I would just watch them take so
many amazing like new and

interesting synth sounds and like
they exceeded my expectations.

Alan Ferguson has been around since
like the Genesis of us making visuals.

He did 'many moons'
and he's believed in me

umm when nobody on the visual
side even knew who I was.

He said, "I'll do this."
Like he's put in

a lot of blood, sweat,
and tears like us.

The ambition for it. Wanting to push
the boundaries. I really respected that.

Y'know I really hope
the film kind of shows

there is a world out there
and there is a community

and there is a rebellion
that you can be a part of.

And you don't have to fall into line
with the way that you're supposed to be.

I think we all believed
in the message so much.

You know that we just
wanted to help,

so it really didn't
matter you know if

who had the idea,
at the end of the day

everybody was pitching
in to make sure that

we could make this
emotion picture umm

and Janelle's vision come um to life and
be as great as it could possibly be.

It was great to work with Janelle
and her wonderland team.

She and her team really have
fun in collaborating and

in actually in the making of
and I think that is uhhh

what makes beautiful stuff,
and that is worthwhile as well.

What I'm learning throughout this
process is like, freedom is not free.

It comes with a price.
It comes with great sacrifice

and I'm realizing that
more and more and more

as I've done this project
and I've put out these visuals.

I'm just thankful y'know
to be able to have an outlet,

to be able to have songs,
to be able to have visuals

a story that allows me,
even in my darkest hours,

even in my most
insecure moments,

in my most vulnerable
moments that I can put on

'dirty computer' and you know
I can reconnect with who I am

and, and what I am,
and be proud of my dirt

and be proud of where I come from
and I can find myself again.

♪ I pledge allegiance
to the flag ♪

♪ Learned the words
from my mom and dad ♪

♪ Cross my heart and
I hope to die ♪

♪ With a big ol' piece of
American pie ♪

♪ Love me baby,
love me for who I am ♪

♪ Fallen angels singing,
"clap your hands" ♪

♪ Don't try to take my country,
I will defend my land ♪

♪ I'm not crazy, baby, naw

♪ I'm American,
I'm American ♪

♪ I'm American, I'm American

♪ seventy-nine cent
to your dollar ♪

♪ All that bullshit from
white-collars ♪

♪ You see my color
before my vision ♪

♪ Sometimes I wonder if you would fly would
it help you make a better decision? ♪

♪ I pledge allegiance
to the flag ♪

♪ Learned the words
from my mom and dad ♪

♪ Cross my heart and
I hope to die ♪

♪ With a big ol' piece of
American pie ♪

♪ Just love me baby,
love me for who I am ♪

♪ Fallen angels singing,
"clap your hands" ♪

♪ Don't try to take my country,
I will defend my land ♪

♪ I'm not crazy, baby, naw

♪ I'm American,
I'm American ♪

♪ I'm American, I'm American

♪ let me help you in here

♪ until women can get equal pay
for equal work ♪

♪ This is not my America

♪ until same gender loving
people can be who they are ♪

♪ This is not my America

♪ until black people can come
home from a police stop ♪

♪ Without being shot
in the head ♪

♪ This is not my America

♪ until poor whites can get a
shot at being successful ♪

♪ This is not my America

♪ I can't hear nobody
talkin' to me ♪

♪ Just love me baby,
love me for who I am ♪

♪ Fallen angels singing,
"clap your hands" ♪

♪ Don't try to take my country,
I will defend my land ♪

♪ I'm not crazy, baby, naw

♪ I'm American, love me baby

Action! ♪ I'm American, love
me for who I am, fallen angels ♪

Let's go. ♪ Until Latinos and
latinas don't have to run from walls ♪

♪ This is not my America

♪ but I tell you today that the
devil is a liar ♪

♪ Because it's gon' be my
America before it's all over ♪

♪ Please sign your name on the
dotted line ♪