Janelle Monáe says Chadwick Boseman's encouragement helped her release her album

It came as a shock last month when news broke that Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman had sadly passed, and his close friends are still grappling with his loss. For Janelle Monáe, who grew close to Boseman in the last few years, the artist is remembering him for his humanity, his talent, and the legacy he leaves behind with his body of work.Explaining on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that she met Chadwick through Oscar-winner Lupita Nyong’o when the two stopped by Janelle’s Atlanta recording studio while she was working on her album Dirty Computer, Janelle beamed as she recalled him dancing, playing the drums and just being “present.” “We ate, we listened to music, and I just remember Chadwick that night being so present, like we were not talking about work. We were not talking about the past. But we were just right there, he was playing drums, we were dancing. And him just being so kind and loving,” she remembered.Noting she was nervous to release the album, Janelle continued, "I had played them songs that nobody had listened to and just the encouragement that I got from him seeing him smile, seeing him dance—you could feel that his spirit was one of wanting to give, give people the feeling of love, the feeling of hope. Even at parties, where we're supposed to be drinking and acting wild and crazy, he still took that time to tell me that he was proud, he was excited and to dance with me and make me feel like, 'Yeah, I can release this project.'"

 

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“I think you realize how much you need to have people that you love. It’s not as much about them loving you – it’s about you needing to love people.” I can’t stop crying. I am also inspired. Outside of your incredible artistic contributions You did the hardest work, THE HEART WORK humbly & selflessly. And for that you and your light will never expire. Our love language was dancing with each other no matter how stuffy the party was . The ancestors lit up our feet time and time as we tried to “out JB” each other . Every time i saw you it was SPIRIT first, no ego . You led with humility , coolness , & that SMILE . One of my personal highlights in life was hosting you and sum of the BP family in atl as y’all filmed . We were just a bunch of kids listening to music, you were on the drums, and just dancing until the wee hours . no work talk , just creating moments . Together . We got to tear up the dance floor one last time this year. I hold those moments close . Until next time my brother . Save a dance for me . “You have to cherish things in a different way when you know the clock is ticking, you are under pressure.”-Long Live Chadwick B. 1 of 1

A post shared by Janelle Monáe ????? (@janellemonae) on Aug 31, 2020 at 11:48pm PDT

But it was the last time Janelle saw Chadwick that will forever remain her lasting impression of the Get On Up star.“I had an opportunity to dance with him one last time this year, it was at an Oscar’s party, and he tapped me on my shoulder,” she said, clearing the frog in her throat. “I’ll never forget it. He tapped me and he said, ‘Let’s have this dance.’ And we danced for a good three to four minutes smiling. We both love James Brown. Obviously he had an opportunity to portray James Brown in the film [Get On Up]. We would try to figure out who could out-James Brown each other!”“I just remember that moment and I will always hold that dear to me.”[video_embed id='2026854']RELATED: Letitia Wright pens moving poem for Chadwick Boseman [/video_embed]The singer/songwriter/actress, known for her roles in Hidden Figures and upcoming Antebellum, has always been ambitious and a triple threat, even when the global pandemic forced her to cancel all of her 2020 tour dates (“I cried.”). So it came as no surprise that, before Chadwick’s untimely passing, there had been rumours in the news that Janelle wanted a role in a Black Panther sequel. So Stephen had to ask, in light of everything, what the film means to her now.“It’s still revolutionary. It’s still Afro-futurism: us, seeing ourselves in the future, thriving. Being able to tell our stories from our own words and mouth,” she mused. “It’s iconic […] I think Chadwick’s legacy will live on through Black Panther.”“I will really miss him. I feel like his spirit lives on forever through the incredible work he has done.”[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Blind dog uses his other senses to play fetch [/video_embed]