In her interview on the “Today” show, Monae spoke optimistically about her current musical lineup of “visionary artists,” and proudly said, “I feel so complete… The thing that we have in common is community. We really care about our community, and most of our music is to uplift and inspire, and do it in a jamming-ass way.”
And before she took to the stage, she spoke emphatically about wanting to “show a different perspective of young black artists.” But things got strange right after she did an extended, two minute long, cape-clad James Brown-like ending to “Tightrope” — as the song was still winding down, she began to speak to the crowd outside of 30 Rock. “Yes Lord! God bless America!” she said. “God bless all the lost lives to police brutality. We want white America to know that we stand tall today. We want black America to know we stand tall today. We will not be silenced.”