Hell You Talmbout Analysis
In Janelle Monáe’s “Hell You Talmbout” she talks about people living in poverty. She first starts with the first verse saying that in poverty there is a lot of violence, from bombs being thrown, guns being pulled out, and a body lying on the streets from police brutality. In the chorus she repeats “Now what the hell you talking ‘bout?” this could be seen as Janelle speaking to an outsider who does not see all the violence and poverty, while those who live in those conditions experience it every day. In the second verse, Janelle addresses the topic of how fast drugs are traveling in poverty and how they are stealing from one another to get money for drugs. In the line “the poor man eats off of the rich men’s dollar,” Janelle refers to how many
of those in poverty have food stamps, because they cannot afford to survive on their own so they need the governments help to stay alive. At the end of the verse, she explains how our taxes pay for prisoners in jail, which is something some people may disagree on but we have no choice on doing. This connects with Schwalbe’s (2008) idea of the government extorting the society. In the third verse, she continues on telling us how some of those in poverty are trying to better themselves in order to get out of there by going to college, but their minimum wage job is not helping them, but even though they are getting minimum wage, the thought of living a better life keeps them from quitting. This song connects with social inequality because it shows how class in society is. The people in poverty needs the help of those in power to survive. They get welfare, food stamps, and etc. from the government. Those in poverty are easily given into theft, extortion, and exploitation. In poverty, many steal from one another in order to make money or to steal something they cannot afford, they are also likely to be extorted from the government, and as well exploited from their job, especially when they think that the harder they work the more likely they will be able to get out of poverty and live a better life.
of those in poverty have food stamps, because they cannot afford to survive on their own so they need the governments help to stay alive. At the end of the verse, she explains how our taxes pay for prisoners in jail, which is something some people may disagree on but we have no choice on doing. This connects with Schwalbe’s (2008) idea of the government extorting the society. In the third verse, she continues on telling us how some of those in poverty are trying to better themselves in order to get out of there by going to college, but their minimum wage job is not helping them, but even though they are getting minimum wage, the thought of living a better life keeps them from quitting. This song connects with social inequality because it shows how class in society is. The people in poverty needs the help of those in power to survive. They get welfare, food stamps, and etc. from the government. Those in poverty are easily given into theft, extortion, and exploitation. In poverty, many steal from one another in order to make money or to steal something they cannot afford, they are also likely to be extorted from the government, and as well exploited from their job, especially when they think that the harder they work the more likely they will be able to get out of poverty and live a better life.