Janelle Monae & Erykah Badu’s “Q.U.E.E.N.” Video: Watch Them Break Free

Carl Williott | May 1, 2013 8:16 pm

It’s so good to have Janelle Monae back in our lives, isn’t it? We were already obsessed with “Q.U.E.E.N.,” Monae’s collaboration with Erykah Badu, and now The Electric Lady‘s lead single has gotten an equally enthralling video treatment. The tale begins in the Living Museum, “where legendary rebels throughout history have been frozen in suspended animation.” And — you guessed it — among those trapped are Janelle and her Wondaland crew and their “dangerous accomplice” Badoula Oblongata, banished for launching Project Q.U.E.E.N. back in the 21st Century.

It’s exactly the type of stylishly futuristic and playfully absurd aesthetic we’ve come to expect from Monae, and the dystopian intro perfectly sets the tone for the defiant and quirky jam that follows.

Visually, it’s stunning and yet deceptively simple, dealing mainly in blacks and whites and symmetrical shots. And it ends as abruptly as the song does, which would suggest there’s more to this Project Q.U.E.E.N. tale on the way.