There has been a lot of talk about her carrying on the work of her mentor Prince with this LP. That holds true, but in very distinct places. She uses a bass line that sounds like one of his in "Take a Byte," as well as a vocal arrangement that sounds like something he would write for a woman artist. The intro to "Screwed" is a very Prince-esque guitar lick. "Make Me Feel" straight up lifts Prince's '80s vibe in every way, and could be the spiritual child of "Kiss." The point is: Monáe uses these callbacks to his aesthetic in very pointed ways and quite specifically as an homage. It doesn't overshadow her own style or infiltrate the entire work. There is a lot of Monáe on display here.