Forget The Pajiba 10: This Year, It's The Pajiba 2 And It's Janelle Monáe With Tessa Thompson In 'Dirty Computer'

By Tori Preston | Miscellaneous | February 19, 2018 |

By Tori Preston | Miscellaneous | February 19, 2018 |

Were you one of the lucky people who witnessed the mysterious and gorgeous trailer for Janelle Monáe’s “emotion picture” Dirty Computer on the big screen when you went to see Black Panther this weekend? I wasn’t. I mean, my theater showed a huge chunk of Tamborine, Chris Rock’s new stand-up special on Netflix, which is cool too. Not, like, the combined forces of Janelle Monáe and Tessa Thompson on a single screen “cool”, but whatever. We can’t all be winners.

If you’re like me and missed seeing the trailer debut in the theater, here it is in all its mind-blowing glory:

As it’s defined on the YouTube page, an “emotion picture” is “a narrative film and accompanying musical album” — and it’s also a play on the term “motion picture,” which I literally just figured out as I typed this sentence. Don’t judge me. Though there is no release date for Dirty Computer yet, neither the film nor the album. Based on the brief futuristic glimpses in the trailer, I can’t help but wonder if we’re going to be getting another chapter in the saga of Cindi Mayweather, the android savior. Smart money is on yes.

Dirty Computer will be Monáe’s first album since 2013’s The Electric Lady. But I mean, she’s been pretty busy starring in movies like Hidden Figures and Moonlight. It’s not like she’s been twiddling her thumbs. Point is, it’s never too early to start mentally and physically preparing yourselves for this. If nothing else, I’d be willing to forego our traditional Pajiba 10 and just nominate this trailer for an honorary standalone “Pajiba 2” instead.