Janelle Monae wanted to use her performance on The Today Show last week as a way to communicate her views on police brutality and systemic racism -- but the producers were less interested in giving the telecast a social justice bent.

During her live performance Friday morning (Aug. 14), Monae gave "Hell You Talmbout," her label Wondaland Records' latest single, its onstage debut. The song is a musical tribute to some of the recent victims of racially motivated violence, and accordingly Monae concluded the performance with a similarly-themed speech.

"Yes Lord! God bless America!" she told the crowd. "God bless all the lost lives to police brutality. We want white America to know that we stand tall today. We want black America to know we stand tall today. We will not be silenced..." Then, the camera suddenly panned to one of the show's anchors.