20GAYTeen the Rate: WINNER!!

Aw! "What I Need" should have been Hayley's last standing song. And yes it should have made the top 10!

I'm gonna need Years & Years and Ssion to vacate the rate immediately.

 

Troye and Ssion are my two lowest scores left and they are even positive scores.

 

So that top 15 is really strong, but Up In Fames was gone too soon, as was Django Jane. And I'm sure it was discussed but why isn't Sanctify in the rate?

 

Awww. I was really hoping for What I Need to be top 10 though.

Up in Flames making a surprise top 20 placing and Bloom missing out on said placing... PopJustice.

 

That's a shame. I love it.

 

Hello my long suffering and never wavering voting public!

I'm elated to announce that I am now engaged! I've gone back and forth about posting about this as it's quite personal and the reality of the situation hasn't really sunk in yet. It's odd cause I've written at length about different harrowing traumas of my life on this forum without second thought but sharing such an intensely happy moment feels like a weird moment of blurring my Trouble in Paradise side with my real self.

But, I wanted to tell you all because it changes how I was planning on finishing up this rate. We leave on July 5 to vacation with my fiance's (!!!!) family. I was originally planning on bringing my laptop and finishing up the rate piece by piece in the lazy mornings. If I'm being honest, that feels a bit odd now. I love this rate, I'm committed to this rate, but it's not my job. This forum is probably my favorite hobby but it's just that. So, I've changed the plan and I know it's not ideal for those of you itching to see the final results. I'm going to do my very best to get us to the Top 10 via some very bare bone write ups (scores, my thoughts, your commentary). Then when I return on July 20th, I will work through the Top 10. I felt like you all deserved to know the plan and why since you've been so supportive as I've struggled through running my first (and last) rate! Like I said at the beginning I'm 110% committed to finishing this rate, it's just gonna take a bit of time.

Thanks for all your support and love! This rate has been so eye opening musically and personally as I learn about so many diverse members of a community I'm so proud to be a part of!

 

Congrats @Trouble in Paradise !! And I'm sure we can survive waiting till the end of July.

Another point, What I Need should've made top 10.

 

Congratulations @Trouble in Paradise, have an amazing vacation, I'm so happy for you!

 

OH MY GOD CONGRATULATIONS @Trouble in Paradise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So happy for you and your fiance! Have a lovely time together on vacation.

 

Aw congratulations! I must say, this feels so right in a rate full of celebrating queer love.

The changed schedule is totally understandable, life comes first!

 

The next cut comes from Vito Russo who’s book The Celluloid Closet is consider a must read for homosexuality in Hollywood. He also c-founded GLAAD!

15. “I Like That”
By Janelle Monae
8.334

Highest Scores: 11 x 1 (@LE0Night ) 10 x 10 (@Ana Raquel @Sanctuary @The Hot Rock @yuuurei @Untitled @inevitable @slaybellz @Posh Spears @ohnostalgia @Music Is Life ) 9.5 x 2 (@Lost Boy @Trouble in Paradise )
Lowest Scores: 2 x 1 (@Empty Shoebox ) 4.2 x 1 (@Untouchable Ace )
My Score: 9.5

A little crazy, little sexy, little cool
Little rough around the edges but I keep it smooth
I’m always left of center and that’s right where I belong
I’m the random minor note you hear in major songs​

What a bop! An absolute earworm and a half with some killer lyrics. Once again Janelle proves she’s just as talented a rapper as she is a singer. Also few things describe me better than “the random minor note you hear in major songs!”


As for the song’s inspiration, Monae has said this:

[It’s] inspired by wack ass fuckboys everywhere (from the traphouse to the White House) who make the lives of little brown girls so damn hard. Like they told ya’ll back in those Black Women’s studies classes…BUT SOME OF US ARE BRAVE…​

What about you all?

Untouchable Ace I don't like this theaux.

Posh Spears Ugh I remember being rated a 6 by someone on Facebook in middle school and I deactivated my account cus I was so embarrassed ddddd! She really snapped on this one girls. An amazingly triumphant and endlessly catchy song - quite possibly my favorite on Dirty Computer.

Slaybellz Best song on the album.

Pop3blow2 Not one of my faves on Dirty Computer, but still solid. The rap saves this for me.

Untitled Those Alicia Keys pushing her luck vocals! That show-stopping spoken bit! My heart was stolen on first listen

Constantino The weakest Janelle song in the rate and it’s still a solid 8/10? The talent, it really did LEAP right out didn’t it?

Yuuurei Miiight be my favorite song on the album, I just love everything about it.

Ufint I like that. It’s better than good, but not amazing.

Kalonite I really like the rap here, but the first section doesn't work too well, and I'm rarely on board with a fade-out. Still good, but not up to the standard of the rest of the album.

The Hot Rock Me at any waking moment internally until I'm dead: “~oh me, oh me, oh me, oh myyy”

 

A 2????? Get taste!

 

Me not being the lowest scorer for a Janelle song? I could not believe it!






Also: YOU GO @Trouble in Paradise !! Rooting for you guys!

 

I'm low key glad I couldn't vote at the time because I would probably give all of Janelle songs 5 or 6s but I've seen the light since and they are all 9-10s for me now.


Also so happy for you @Trouble in Paradise, congrats xx