Things got a little tense earlier this week when singer and actor Janelle Monáe went from joking about a tweet to commenting on the ridiculous beauty standards placed on women and nonbinary people.
After the entertainer was photographed at a pre-Grammy gala wearing a low-cut fitted gown and leather gloves, a tweet by @gldnraes that compared them to the Monopoly mascot Mr. Money Bags went viral.
The tweet read:
"Janelle Monáe finally showing off how fine she is instead of dressing like the monopoly man."
Monáe responded to the traction of the tweet, first quipping:
"Oh, y'all n**gas liked this 26.8 times?? No new music just for this."
But they finished with the kissing emoji.
As the tweet gained traction, Monáe once again threatened:
"35.7 likes?? No new tour. Hope it was worth it beloved."
\u201c35.7k likes?? No new tour. hope it was worth it beloved. \ud83d\ude18\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675741907
After the tweet reached over 40k likes, Monáe changed her tune.
They commented on the ways people continue to criticize their appearance no matter what they wear, how much skin they show, or how feminine or masculine their apparel is, finishing with an altered line from her and Jidenna's song "Yoga."
"Get the f**k off my areola."
@gldnraes/Twitter
While Monáe hasn't released an album since 2018, they had been teasing fans with a new song "Float."
\u201c\u2601\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0af\ud83d\udd74\ud83c\udffeoat\u2764\ufe0f \n#Float\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1674593399
So needless to say, fans got a little nervous about Monáe's threats.
But, alas, not only did the Glass Onion star come through for the die hards, but they also showed a sense of humor about it all.
Monáe tweeted yet another teaser of "Float" but this time they trolled viewers with choreography featuring Mr. Money Bags.
The monocle-wearing character danced along to the lyrics:
"No, I'm not the same."
"I think I done changed."
"See, somethin' not the same."
"I used to walk into the room, head down."
"I don't walk, now I - Float."
\u201chttps://t.co/ANZeYtwN5v\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
Fans flooded Twitter with their approval of Monáe's comedic genius.
\u201c@JanelleMonae Lmaooo no but that girl\u2019s impact lmO\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae This = actual genius\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae Marketing genius\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae Hollers! I see what you did there Janelle. \ud83e\udd23\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae WHY YOU TROLL US WITH THE MONOPOLY MAN \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25 I\u2019M IN TEARS LOL\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae JANELLE, I'M- \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae This is how you do it! Great job! Love it!\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae not the monopoly man \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude02 gagging the haters while making coin\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae Wait. Is this a joke\ud83e\udd23 not the monopoly man\nIdk what ur sign is, but this was a cold response \ud83d\ude02\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae Janelle Mon\u00e1e remains the greatest with this one \ud83d\ude02 ayy I appreciate the suits and dresses \ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f style and taste are immaculate\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae Baby this exactly how you respond to a hater. I am crine.\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
\u201c@JanelleMonae The scream I let out \u2014 at the song and the picture! Pettyyyyy \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83e\udee3\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675922325
In an earlier tweet Monáe claimed her fans won, regardless of the amount of likes garnered by the Monopoly man tweet.
She announced "Float" would drop on February 16.
\u201cY\u2019all won. FLOAT. 2/16.\ud83d\udd74\ud83c\udffe\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675882376
The day following the drop, Monáe will participate in the 2023 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.
You can enjoy more of "Float" below as it was featured in a Sports Center ad congratulating Lebron James on breaking the NBA all-time scoring record.
\u201cCongratulations King James \ud83d\udc51!!!! Thank you for showing us all how to float all these years. @KingJames \n#float\u201d— Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90 (@Janelle Mon\u00e1e\ud83d\udc7d\ud83d\ude86\ud83e\udd16\ud83d\ude80\ud83e\ude90) 1675837626