The group marched to the police precinct on West 42nd Street to perform their newly released single “Hell You Talmbout“, an ode to Eric Garner, Sandra Bland, Aiyana Stanley Jones, and others killed in police-related incidents.
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In support of the march Janelle Monae and her label, Wondaland Records, released their rally cry against racially-motivated violence titled “Hell You Talmbount”.
A year ago, as the #BlackLivesMatter movement ignited a civil-rights revolution for a new generation in the wake of Michael Brown’s murder, it began its call to action with one phrase: “Hands up, don’t shoot!” in reference to the spike in police brutality against black men and women this decade. It is a song about awareness. She and Jidenna participated in a march in Philadelphia on Wednesday to speak out against the issue, and rally alongside the Black Lives Matter movement. Today, they’re doing the same in New York.
Jidenna, Monáe, Roman GianArthur, George 2.0, St. Beauty, and Deep Cotton take turns chanting over a spare drumline while urging everyone listening to say their names.
She told the audience, “They say a question lives forever, until it gets the answer it deserve (sic)”. Listen to the record and read their message below.
On Instagram, Monae said of the track: “
This song is a vessel.
It carries the unbearable anguish of millions“, she writes.
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“Silence is our enemy”, she added.
