Riffing on the popular dating advice book, Princess Nokia points out the differences in genders on her new single “Boys Are From Mars.” Offering her own, slightly salty advice to listeners, she asserts that not only are men and women from different planets but that it’s also up to women to set the terms of engagement in the gender war — and in love. Yung Baby Tate joins her sister-in-arms to spit her own clever verse goofing on men’s inability to deliver and telling girls to “focus on yourself” while doing helpful activities like tai chi and yoga.
“Boys Are From Mars” is Princess Nokia’s second single of the year after the J-Lo-inspired “It’s Not My Fault” which symbolized coming of age for “the average millennial woman, taking control of herself as the subject.” However, whereas “It’s Not My Fault” and Nokia’s other most recent video, “I Like Him,” took a techno-futuristic approach to their respective visual components, the lyrics video for “Boys Are From Mars” takes its inspiration from retro cinema instead — particularly the Saturday afternoon matinee double-features of the 1970s, which featured Blaxploitation and martial arts flicks as their main draws. As the lyrics flash on the screen, the two artists can be seen in silhouette, throwing flare-legged high kicks and waving curved Chinese swords.
Listen to Princess Nokia’s “Boys Are From Mars” with Yung Baby Tate above.