Janelle Monáe on Iggy Azalea: ‘She Steals From Us, We Steal Back’

By Sameer Rao Aug 20, 2015

Janelle Monáe is crushing media appearances as of late. While promoting her Wondaland artists’ latest music and tour (including the celebrated protest anthem "Hell You Talmbout"), she appeared last week on Hot 97’s "Ebro in the Morning" radio program with Jidenna and Deep Cotton to talk about numerous wide-ranging topics—police brutality, Nigeria, fashion, and the "Classic Man" sample controversy.

For those without background: Jidenna’s breakout single came under some fire for sounding a lot like the now-demonized Iggy Azalea’s "Fancy." Azalea confirmed that Jidenna and Wondaland sampled the song in a short Twitter exchange with a fan: 

 

Jidenna spoke on the controversy, highlighting how the case against Robin Thicke and Pharell for "Blurred Lines" by Marvin Gaye’s estate changed the nature of how sampling worked. But the mic drop moment from Monáe happened when "Ebro" co-host Peter Rosenberg discussed the irony of a hypothetical lawsuit from a publicly-recognized appropriator:

Rosenberg: Wouldn’t it have been ironic if Iggy Azalea had sued someone for having a record that sounded like "Fancy"? [laughs]

Ebro: That’d have been so insane!

Monáe: Hey, she steals from us, we steal back.

Bam. Game, set, match. 

(H/t Vibe