We're on the verge of having Janelle Monáe's Dirty Computer in our ears. The project seems to be her most personal yet, with "Pynk," "Django Jane" and "Make Me Feel" breaking away from her previous android narrative. The latest single she's released, "I Like That," gets even more personal and reveals a side of Janelle that she rarely lets enter her work.
Produced by Organized Noize, "I Like That" rides a bumping groove accentuated by trap-ish drums, guitar and synths as she tells us exactly who she is. "Sometimes I'm mystery, sometimes I free / Depending on my mood or my attitude," she starts the first verse as she lists her many qualities, including being the "random minor note in major songs," before declaring loudly "I like that" on the chorus. While Janelle has always embraced being left of the mainstream, "I Like That" is perhaps the most in-depth break down of her pathos the elusive musician has ever provided. She goes even further with a spoken word breakdown where she reaches back to school-age memories of not fitting in and how embracing her weirdness made her the artist that she is today.
Honestly, we're here for getting to know the more human side of Janelle Monáe on this project. We'll get to do more of that very soon, as Dirty Computer is set to arrive in just under two weeks on April 27th. Get into "I Like That" below.