Your Freedom's In A Bind

Last Wednesday, at subterranean club Love, yours truly had the privilege of seeing KiD CuDi do his thing for the third time in as many months.

He always has infectious energy...

Look at Vashtie, super-duper proud with the camera:

Underneath the hat is Hollywood Holt, the dude who CuDi opened for...

Note sure why that was :/

Recently signed to G.O.O.D. Music,

We might be witnessing a star in-the-making.

Performing "Super Boo," a song from his forthcoming album, Man On The Moon:

Boz, he can be your super boo?

And just like I was certain Janelle Monae was special, I might have to put the same stamp of approval on CuDi. Although they're very different artists, both present us with a unique swag that smells somewhat honest: CuDi doesn't mind sharing his insecurities with his listeners, and Janelle Monae's content (although a bit wacky, IE: robots), boasts powerful underlying messages. Neither of them care if you think they're a weirdo.

 How fitting... 

Her video for "Many Moons" in a post alongside the Man On The Moon:

Out of curiosity: 

Who showed you a screenshot of the video back in June?!?!

Mystic Referee, Don't Look On Me With Scorn

MGMT has a 13-minute song called "Metanoia."

S Dot told me about it, and then I found an explanation of what Metanoia means on The Sky Report, a blog that was unknown to me until now. Pretty dope...

Metanoia in the context of theological discussion, where it is used often, is usually interpreted to mean repentance. However, some people argue that the word should be interpreted more literally to denote changing one's mind, in the sense of embracing thoughts beyond its present limitations or thought patterns.

MGMT continues to tickle my soul.

Courtesy of Blind I For The Kids, you can listen to the track HERE.

And also on Blind I, an interview with founding members of HipHopRepublican.com is posted. It's absolutely worth watching... these kids don't know anything about hip hop, and Blind I's iReport hands them their ass. Catch it HERE.

Janelle Monae co-signed Solange pretty hard

by posting a Myspace blog supporting her.

Frankly, I'm not surprised... I would generally make fun of this sister-of-a-pop-star move, but I listened to SoL-Angel and The Hadley Street Dreams, and Solange's honesty alone proves she's more truthful and real than her never-candid sister, Beyonce. From Ms. Monae:

I would love for you guys to support Solange. I think she is one of the coolest and sweetest girls I have met in the "music industry" so far... and I am very picky about who I hold conversations with. She believes in art and is unafraid to express herself creatively, which I think an artist must embody. I think it is important, for the sake of music and art, to have more girls like Solange around.

Solange's album is currently up on her Myspace page.

Bloc Party's album Intimacy was released digitally,

but I haven't bought it yet.
PMA posted some tracks that leaked,
and they definitely sound good.


Listen to them HERE.

And via The Audacity of Dope

(via NahRight), Rolling Stone covers

the 10th anniversary of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

You can read it HERE.

All The Lights That Lead Us There Are Blinding

Considering this record was a middle school favorite, I've felt a little conflicted about the beef Noel Gallagher had with Jay performing at Glastonbury. But, after watching Hov's entrance to the festival (where he obnoxiously half-sings "Wonderwall"), I applaud his poking fun at the incident. I also appreciate that even though he butchered the record, he simultaneously gave it a nod. And he brought out a guitar?! LOL, well done... 

Watch Jay's full, mashed up, guitar-heavy set at Glastonbury HERE 

or watch Lupe's full set HERE.

Here's the original "Wonderwall" video:

And just for kicks, 

this still from Janelle Monae's video shoot 

makes me eager to see the final product. 

The video is for her single, "Many Moons"

I really dig her sound and message... I just hope other people will too.

I'm Sure They'll Have a Place For You Too

I saw a great show at Highline last week...

Thanks to that ATL shawty, Mr. Jones, for the company :)

She really brought the energy during "Creator"...

I need to hear more of the music before I give my full seal of approval, but her beats are definitely nuts and she comes off pretty organic on stage.

"Crazy" (off St. Elsewhere) proves how talented CeeLo is:

His voice is just as amazing live as it is on the record. Hands down - one of the best male vocalists of our time.

"A Little Better" (off The Odd Couple) is one of my theme songs:

"I've got a heart made of gold in me!"

Word?? Me too.

"Run" (off The Odd Couple):

I think that clip proves he's a rock star at heart :)

"Going On" (off The Odd Couple) is currently my favorite track on the album:

I highly recommend reading the lyrics.

And watching my favorite music savant - Danger Mouse - mechanically bop his head to the beat? It's just mesmerizing.

And I'm mega late with posting this since I saw her the week before last at The Blender Theater showcase, but it's whatever... enjoy!

JANELLE MONAE

"Smile" shows Janelle's softer, less alien/robot side:

And based on the introduction he gave her, I'd say Diddy is clearly a believer:

That, or he's a washed used car salesman, clinging to talent outside his wheelhouse, solely to preserve his relevance in the industry. Either way - at least my girl is getting some shine!

xoxoxo

Just Broken Queens, Confusing Bling For Soul

Is it strange or hypocritical that this track (AC f. Client 9 - "She Spitzer or Swallows") makes me HAPPY, but this front page headline makes me SAD?

I love to see emcees immediately react to events that impact society, so I'm not mad at the song - both in theory, and as a fan of hip hop. But this cover? "BAD GIRL?" I don't know... I'm not saying she's an angel, but that's the best they could come up with?!
Don't misunderstand, either: I know why they did it, and as we learned from the 5th season of The Wire, sometimes newspapers let us down.

But have no fear, here is Christian from Project Runway talking about his superhero, FEROCIA COUTURA, just in time to cheer me up!

I know he won 2 weeks ago and it's old news, but I kept meaning to post about both his designing and verbal greatness :)

On the music tip, Busy posted this photo from Lupe's Paris, Tokyo video shoot. I didn't think they'd make the imagery so literal ("camel back across the desert sand"), so I'm interested to see how this one comes out. Meanwhile, The Cool will go gold within a month or so since Lupe's Soundscan numbers are consistent each week, averaging 15-20K.

Janelle Monae is STILL my 1st Round Draft Pick for 2008. If her project is executed well, I think she has the potential to be a household name one day. In the meantime, listen to "Sincerely, Jane."

UPDATED 3/16:

Mariah's 2nd Single?

"Migrate" f. T-Pain (audio from SNL)

I think T-Pain went-in harder than she did here, but I imagine her vocal is much stronger on the final track. There are moments in this version where you hear her almost go-in, but then she pulls back - especially at the end.

Licensed To ILL

There was a point in college when I considered (1) getting a marketing degree to (2) potentially try to work in advertising. It's probably ill ad campaigns like this from Disney that ignite that creative spark in me.

(Photographed by Annie Leibovitz):

Beyonce, Lyle Lovett and Oliver Platt depict Alice in Wonderland

Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella

It behooves me to point out that Disney broke from tradition and chose an African American to portray Alice. Also, in the Pocahontas ad, the Native American princess is represented by a white actress.

zILLa approves!

Don't miss the other Disney ads with Jessica Biel, J. Lo, Marc Anthony, Rachel Weisz, David Beckham, Giselle Bundchen, Tina Fey, Julie Andrews, Roger Federer and Whoopi Goldberg.

In music news, artist Janelle Monae killed it at the Bad Boy showcase at Spotlight Live on Tuesday night. Between her ill dancing skills, her ill singing skills and her ill tuxedo skills, she's a STAR. And I totally dig her androgynous swag! (pause?)

Also, I met Vinyl Richie at Atlantic, but I had know idea the consultant/DJ was so ill with a rubik's cube!

LOL at him posting the triumphant video on Myspace, but I give credit where credit is due! Gosh, I just love the YouTube age.

And! Just for a healthy dose of TRUTH and giggles, here's another ad I found that is ill enough to belong up here today:

Good job 3M. As if I didn't love Post-its already, you certainly made the product relatable to potential consumers ;)