Janelle Monae made an appearance on NBC's "Today" show on Friday to perform her new single "Hell You Talmbout" for the first time onstage. She attempted to use her platform at the show to raise awareness and speak out against police brutality, but she was cut off during her speech, Billboard reported.
"Yes Lord! God bless America!," Monae told the crowd, according to footage from the performance. "God bless all who 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..." A host started to talk over Monae, and the camera panned away from the artist as the network cut to a commercial break.
"Hell You Talmbout" is a tribute song dedicated to those who have died due to police brutality, according to the Guardian. It supports the Black Lives Matter and Say Their Names movement and Monae's song mentions names of people who have died in the past year, including Eric Garner, Sandra Bland and Michael Brown. Monae explained the meaning behind her song in an Instagram post on Friday, following her "Today" show appearance.
"This song is a vessel. It carries the unbearable anguish of millions," Monae wrote in the caption. "We recorded it to channel the pain, fear, and trauma caused by the ongoing slaughter of our brothers and sisters. We recorded it to challenge the indifference, disregard, and negligence of all who remain quiet about this issue. Silence is our enemy. Sound is our weapon. They say a question lives forever until it gets the answer it deserves... Won't you say their names?"
Watch the footage of her "Today Show" performance and see Monae's Instagram post below.
dang @TODAYshow, just couldn't let her finish, huh? love ya @JanelleMonae! #BlackLivesMatter cc: @deray @Nettaaaaaaaa pic.twitter.com/QeGhY5lQGJ
— marla york. (@theseMYtweetz) August 14, 2015
This song is a vessel. It carries the unbearable anguish of millions. We recorded it to channel the pain, fear, and trauma caused by the ongoing slaughter of our brothers and sisters. We recorded it to challenge the indifference, disregard, and negligence of all who remain quiet about this issue. Silence is our enemy. Sound is our weapon. They say a question lives forever until it gets the answer it deserves... Won't you say their names? - #Wondaland #HYTB @deepcotton @stbeautyband @romangianarthur @twopointoh @jidenna link in bio A photo posted by Janelle Monáe (@janellemonae) on Aug 13, 2015 at 10:09am PDT
