Janelle Monáe’s ”Metropolis: The Chase Suite”

Cosmophonia

Musician and film star Janelle Monáe began her catapult to fame with her five suite and three album "Metropolis" series, which builds a wonderfully rich futuristic universe, chock full of references that situate it within the traditions of science fiction, Afrofuturism, and music of all genres. In this episode, we focus on the first iteration of this series, the 2007 E.P. "Metropolis: The Chase Suite." This E.P. introduces the main character and conflict of the story: Android Cindi Mayweather has transgressed the laws of her society by falling in love with a human, and now must face life on the run. This work provides inspiration for discussions about imaginations of the future, ethics of technology, the importance of the physical media of albums, and of course, robot love.

References

Janelle Monae, "Many Moons" Short Film

Sesame Street, Pinball Sequence