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Home > Atlanta Music Scene > Archives > 2008 > August > 12 > Entry

Janelle Monae at Variety Playhouse

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PHOTO CREDIT: Robb D. Cohen

A little poetic license, if you will…

If Andre “Dre” Benjamin’s fans were anticipating a female (sort of) version of him, as much as they do another one of his guest rhymes on a record…

If one could imagine a whole artistic direction fashioned from his “Hey Ya!” moment…

If pop culture could get behind a beauty in a conservative, black-and-white, Elvis-like uniform as much as it can beauties in various stages of undress…

If starmakers like MTV and BET could be as courageous as Antwan “Big Boi” Patton and Sean “Diddy” Combs were in getting into record deals with her..

If commercial radio was just as fearless…

If the general commercial radio listener hadn’t been lulled into thinking soul music couldn’t be expansive enough to incorporate punk rock, new wave and maybe a little Charlie Chaplin…

If (perhaps) she snared a performance on Jimmy Kimmel (a burgeoning musical starmaker in his own right)…

If things like commercial TV, radio and video airplay, first-week sales numbers and the number of magazine covers you’re on didn’t hold so much weight…

If way, way more than the thousand or so that sold out the Variety Playhouse last night had seen the just-right, absolutely dynamic opening set she and her band put on for Gnarls Barkley…

And if exciting, interesting, talented artists simply got their due…

There would be no “ifs”, “ands” or other qualifiers about it — Atlanta’s Janelle Monae would already be a star.

Make that — a widely-known star.

Were you there Monday, and if so, what did you think? (See the rest of the photo gallery HERE ). Planning to pick up her major label debut CD “Metropolis:The Chase — Special Edition,” in stores today? And/or check her out tonight at Criminal Records?

Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment |

Comments

By BadBoy

August 15, 2008 9:05 PM | Link to this

dats wut im talkin bout yo diddy always got sum new superstars for ya’ll keep it pushin Janelle, its bad boy baby

By MR.RBG513

October 9, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this

I love your music, you look, your sound and most importantly your message. Very creative, please come bless Cincinnati, we need you!

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