Janelle Monáe, music’s foremost freeassmuthafucka, is back in action with the release of her highly-anticipated single, “Float”, featuring horns by Seun Kuti + Egypt 80. “Float” is available now via Wondaland Arts Society/Atlantic Records HERE.
According to sources closest to Monáe, “Float” is inspired by Muhammed Ali talking shit in Zaire, 1974, Jane’s evolution, Mary Poppins’ umbrella, Aladdin’s magic carpet, Ja Morant’s flotation to the rim while dunking on his ops, Sara Elise’s ropes, excerpts from Paramahmsa Nithyananda’s talks on levitation, Raul’s toast on Dec 1, and Bruce Lee’s mighty philosophy on being “shapeless, formless,” and becoming one with your surroundings, to be like water…
“Float” – which Monáe recently teased on her hugely popular Instagram – was first heard late last year as the official anthem of ABC/ESPN’s NBA Saturday Primetime campaign, with Janelle contributing voiceover narration to promo spots highlighting the biggest matchups and stars in the league. The track will be used extensively throughout all NBA coverage through mid-March, spanning promos, Primetime matchups, in-game placement, social media, and more. Most recently, “Float” was featured in an animated piece marking Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the # 1 spot on the NBA’s all-time regular-season scoring list, shared across ESPN’s socials and James’ Instagram to reach more than 275M combined followers.
Monáe will further celebrate her partnership with ABC/ESPN and the NBA by, appearing on ESPN’s wildly popular, NBA Today show to discuss the new single and more on February 17 (*check local listings for airtime) and playing in this weekend’s 2023 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, competing as part of “Team Dwayne Wade” alongside former MLB and NFL athletes as well as rapper 21 Savage, actor Simu Liu, comedian Hasan Minhaj, Latin global music icon Nicky Jam, and others. The 2023 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game airs live from Salt Lake City, UT’s Jon M. Huntsman Center on Friday, February 17 at 7:00 pm (ET), exclusively on ESPN and streaming via the ESPN app.
