Janelle Monáe-Sincerely, Jane
When some people think about soul artists, they usually picture Bohemian sisters and chilled out brothers, sly production and songs of love and life. So when artist such as Janelle Monáe comes along, the genre is shaken up. So shaken up, they put her into her own sub-genre of alternative soul, to which I say, hell no. She’s a soul artist with an innovative sound. Ever since the up coming artist signed to Purple Ribbon, she’s released her EP, Metropolis:The Chase Suite, she has now moved to Bad Boy Records (Please don’t ruin her Diddy) and rocked shows with her off the wall energy and show antics. Any chick that jumps in a pool and climbs up a tree for a live performance gets automatic respect from me.
What also sets her apart is that her music is all a concept. Her debut EP is the story about a cyborg named Cindy Mayweather who falls in love with a human and must now be destroyed. While the rest of the EP is upbeat and odd, this track is the darkest and most socially poignant track. Set in the fictional city of Metropolis, which is now a place of anarchy, Janelle paints a story of hopelessness for Metropolis. While the city is fictional, she is relating the same events of Metropolis to what is going on in the country today. With stamping horns and hard percussion,while delivering uncut lyrics with a raw delivery.
Janelle is not an “alternative” soul artist. She’s a soul artist with the potential to flip it upside down.
Lyrics
Left the city, my momma she said don’t come back home
These kids round killin each other, they lost they minds, they gone
They quittin’ school, making babies and can barely read
Some gone off to their fall, Lord have mercy on them
One, two, three, four, your cousins is round’ here sellin’ dope
While their daddies, your uncle is walking round strung out
Babies with babies, and their tears keep burning, while their dreams go down the drain now
Are we really living or just walking dead now?
Or dreaming of a hope riding the wings of angels
The way we live
The way we die
What a tragedy, I’m so terrified
Day dreamers please wake up, we can’t sleep no more
Love don’t make no sense, ask your neighbor
The winds have changed; it seems they have abandoned us
The truth hurts, and so does yesterday
What good is love if it burns bright, and explodes in flames
(I thought every little thing had love but uhh)
Are we really living or just walking dead now?
Or dreaming of a hope riding the wings of angels
The way we live
The way we die
What a tragedy, I’m so terrified
Day dreamers please wake up, we can’t sleep no more
I’ve seen them shootin’ up funerals in they Sunday clothes
Spending money on spinners but won’t pay college loans
And all you gangers and bangers rollin’ dice and taking lives, in a smokey dark
Lord have mercy on you
Teacher, teacher please reach those girls in them videos
The little girls just broken Queen, confusing bling for soul
Danger, there’s danger when you take off your clothes, all your dreams go down the drain girl
Are we really living or just walking dead now?
Or dreaming of a hope riding the wings of angels
The way we live
The way we die
What a tragedy, I’m so terrified
Day dreamers please wake up, we can’t sleep no more
We live and then we die, and we never know the why
So now, now we go, down underground
We think that we can fly, but we never touch the sky
So down, now we go, down underground
Five, seven, eight, two, one
It is now time, for you to come home my dear
You’ve been gone long enough
You must come, you must go
-michi
