I got a note recently from a new reader complaining that I wasn’t writing here often enough. I do have a reasonable excuse: I’m all about my doctoral dissertation right now so that I can head off to NASAlicious for postdoctoral fellowship phun and phrenzy. But, I figure I have a few minutes this morning for a political rant/Music You Should Be Listening To so that I can highlight the new musical love of my life, Janelle Monáe. Also, for the record, my poetry blog has been getting fairly regular updates!
EDIT: Check out this piece as published on Is Greater Than.
Before I go on, let me share her spectacularwow video for the lovely and enduring song “Tightrope”:
Are you ready to get up outta your seat and break it down?!? There are so many things to be inspired by here: her dancing, her tuxedo, her fresh saddle shoes, her delicious voice, fabulous brown eyes, fantastic live backing band and dancers, the righteous beats. Take your pick!
A couple of weeks ago, when Monáe’s album, The ArchAndroid came out, I spent one morning reading all of the reviews being counted at MetaCritic and counting the number of reviews that mentioned Michael Jackson somewhere in them. Last count was four. Usually, I think such comparisons are obnoxious. That’s like comparing someone to G-d as far as I am concerned. But in this case, I think they were fair. I was looking for them as a listener!
From the sci-fi narrative about AI/robot Cindi Mayweather (the main character in her cinematic LPs) to her incredible ability to wander through two different styles of rap in one song (oh hell yes) while singing in a raw punk voice on another, all the while using vocal chords that produce the sweetest soul sound since Beyoncé, Janelle Monáe, who is 30x the complete musician that Beyoncé will ever be, signals the arrival of a new, stunning musical talent, née force. As far as I am concerned, the last time that happened, Michael Jackson had just introduced himself as the future, singular King of Pop.
And like the King of Pop, Monáe has become something like church for me. Her lyrics are empowering. Whether I’m high or low, I got to tip on the tightrope! I have to bring wings to the weak and bring grace to the strong! And I can do it while dancing myself into a positive frenzy. Yes Yes Yes!!! I can wake up every morning and listen to that, yes I can!
In fact, I was so busy bopping my head to her music while writing my dissertation and while driving to physiotherapy, too busy getting my boyfriend to dance with me and learning how to “tip on the tightrope” that I forgot to notice that The ArchAndroid debuted on the Billboard 200 at #17, below Kei$ha, Justin Bieber and a host of other crap. What gives?!? How could Kei$ha sell more? Janelle is sexier AND keeps her clothing on!!!
In the end, I was inspired to write this morning because yesterday Racialicious linked to a few blog posts about why this phenomenal phenomenal phenomenal artist isn’t getting more buzz/airplay. Jezebel posited that it was because we prefer to waste our time on bad girls. But one of their commenters understood what was going on when ze said, “She’s too weird for urban radio, and just black enough for alternative radio to ignore her.”
And that’s just a damn shame. Janelle Monáe is making beautiful, politically conscious, uplifting, booty-shaking music, and everyone who doesn’t have a chance to hear it is being punished. The Root highlights this segregation in radio airplay and discusses how Monáe might break through that glass ceiling. It’s well worth the read, but I think it left out a crucial part of the discussion: we can go on and on about how crossover artists have a hard time, but it’s not any old crossover artists. Like the Jezebel commenter noted, it’s Black crossover artists. I don’t remember Eminem and the Beastie Boys having a hard time getting played on both Power 106 AND KROQ when I was a kid in Los Angeles.
In the meantime, since Monáe is the musical equivalent of a force of nature, I’m not too worried about her. As she said in her liner notes (a quote that will appear in my dissertation dedications!):
Dedicated to the “THRIVALS”: a generation not bound by many of the old limitations that previous black generations were, nor occupied with race as a potential barrier to their accomplishments (words by Nat Irvin II).
I don’t think she intends to be toppled by racism anytime soon. Of course, she will be happier, and so will you, if you go buy her album and enjoy it.
Comments on this entry are closed.