Janelle Monae Flows Through New Song 'Yoga'

Janelle Monae Flows Through New Song 'Yoga':

Janelle Monae delivers a dexterous flow on "Yoga," a new track with rising MC Jidenna that's set to appear on The Eephus, a new compilation EP featuring tracks from the various artists on the R&B futurist's Wondaland label.

Monae's characteristically pristine vocal talents are on full display on "Yoga," as she flips familiar melodies on their head, intricately layers her voice to create a dense spectrum of harmonies and relishes the ridiculousness of the track's infectious refrain, "Baby bend over / Let your booty do that yoga." The sentiment certainly fits the track's sparse, trap-heavy production, over which Jidenna breezily muses in a sing-song voice, "She did that yoga / Looking for my loafers man, I woke up in a toga."

"Yoga" marks the first new music from Monae since the 2013 release of her second album, The Electric Lady. The five-track Eephus EP is scheduled to arrive this summer, and will feature songs from Monae, Jidenna and other members of the Wondaland roster, including Roman GianArthur, St. Beauty and Deep Cotton. Previously, Jidenna and GianArthur teamed up for the latter's single "Classic Man," which will appear on the Eephus.

The Eephus marks Wondaland's first project after striking a deal with L.A. Reid and Epic Records earlier this year after being courted by numerous major labels, as Billboard reported. "It's not just one type of artist, but there's a connective tissue," Mikael Moore — Monae's manager and official head of Wondaland — said of the tight-knit group. "It's about the collective rather than individuals — Janelle is the proprietor, but they're partners with her."

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