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Click on the turntable on the left to listen to a continuous stream of music featured on Pretty Much Amazing - updated every day. For more, you can check out the Best Songs of 2011, or our Best Albums of 2011.
While Janelle Monae has been making music for years, 2009 will be the year for her. Earlier in 2008, Janelle Monae inked a deal with P. Diddy and his Bad Boy Records and re-released Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Speciel Edition). Originally, Monae planned to release four “suites” ever so often, tagged with the Metropolis moniker, opposed to releasing a full length debut. But somewhere along the line, her plans changed, presumably after signing herself off to Bad Boy.
Janelle Monae is now set to release a full length album in 2009′s first quarter. Aren’t excited yet? Take a listen to some of her stuff. 2008′s Metropolis is an amazing seven-song-set and an ubran masterpiece. The Chase Suite is an adventurous robo-Soap Opera that centers around the forbidden love of an android named Cindi who falls in love with a human named Anthony.
Metropolis features Janelle Monae’s beautiful singing and funky beats on stellar tracks like “Many Moons” and “Sincerely, Jane.” It’s hard to categorize this album because it’s hard to categorize Monae herself. The best way to describe Janelle Monae might just be to think of a female Andre 3000 who sings as well as he can rap.
With a set like this and Bad Boy’s money to back her next album, one can only dream of the possibilities: will Andre 3000 and Janelle Monae share the mic (once again?), will Mark Ronson do some work with her? What about Amy Winehouse? That has one has been a fantasy of mine for quite a while now, actually.
Here’s why she will be big in 2009:
by on December 16, 2008 ‡ 0 reactions
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Holy shit! What is this? My ears are multi-orgasming.
“Sincerely, Jane” is too good! Wow. Just, wow.
Did I say Wow?
Another PMA-approved artist, another day, another eargasm.
Nice, very nice. I dig her!
Paste agrees:
http://www.pastemagazine.com/store/product/46/BI/paste_back_issues/paste_magazine_issue_46_september_2008_single_copy
yay Paste Agrees… yawn.
But this chick is serious. Hot shit
Good find Luis.
It’s a cliche, but Janelle is a breath of fresh here.
“Sincerely Jane” is especially good.
i found janelle three weeks ago after browsing around on diddy’s myspace page and was blown away by her. she’s like outcast meets adele meets …herself! cd is 7 bucks and is amazing! “mr. president” and “many moons” -oh snap, the jams! it’s funny i was going to write to PMA about her….
Many Moons = my favorite song of this year !!!
awesomeness
she looks like a young Lauryn Hill
can’t wait for her album!
thanks
JUST NOW!?!? Janelle is so fantastic. I love Violet Stars Happy Hunting, and of course Many Moons. And how can you not love that adorable face/haircut?
Sincerly Jane has also been a favorite of mine; when the claps start coming in the pre-chorus…WOW.
haha totally agree w/ the Andre 3000 comparison. It was the first thing I thought when I first saw her music video.
Nice to see I’m not the only one.. and those two tracks really are killers. Thought this year was going to be her year with the re-release of the EP, so hopefully the album can really get the word out. Just pray she doesn’t get messed with too much to become more ‘accessible’, you know Diddy will have his hands all over it.
My favourite JM songs:
Violet Stars Happy Hunting
+
Many Moons
back to back is pretty fantastic.
She is single-handedly the next Outkast.
GQ did an article on her. If she doesn’t generate buzz, that’s okay with me. I will continue to enjoy her.
Forgot to mention, there’s a music video/short film for ‘Many Moons’ and it pretty much sums up how awesome Janelle is in the space of 6-odd minutes.
I fail at hyperlinks… how embarrassing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy-ugv9kxG0
hyperlinks are the future nick.
thank you, that was awesome.
i fail at commas.
I hate to sound bitter (although I probably am), but you’re a bit late on her- no?
Hot dang. She rocks. I’m a little sad that I didn’t find out about her til now though. Thanks!
@ Zilla: Admittedly.
I still love you!
wow i am so happy to see that you posted about her…ive been a fan for a while now and seeing her on concert was amazing…so many nice comments too