A Few Words About Janelle Monae's "Cold War"

Ever since I first saw Janelle Monae perform two years at the Dafur Now College Tour at Emory University in Atlanta, I was a blown away by the energy and passion of her performance. My jaw dropped to floor when Monae strutted up and down the small stage in front of a handful of people. She ignited so much positive energy - excuding the spirit of Elvis, Michael Jackson and Judy Garland rolled into one. 

Janelle Monae skillfully blends genres, and infuses her music and performance with a message of hope and empowerment. Not growing up in the best of circumstances, she understands like no other the struggle young people have to go through to make the best of their lives. Over the past year, she has particularly reached out to young women and the GLBT community to support their fight for equal treatment and acceptance.

Monae's upcoming big label debut "The ArchAndroid" is the result of a long road of hard work and persistence. After growing up in Kansas, she moved to New York City to go to music school and work on Broadway. But after being rejected for reasons that had nothing to do with her talent, she came to Atlanta to pursue a career in music. 

Outkast's Big Boi took her under his wing and helped produce her first debut LP that got the interest from Sean Combs. The mogul signed Monae to his Bad Boy label and gave her space and time to fully develop her musical portfolio. In an industry that is all about quick hits and a quick buck, it is rare that a young artist gets this much time to experiment and fully bloom. During her ramp up, she was nominated for a GRAMMY Award last year, and I nominated her for a MTV Logo Award.

On Friday, Monae released two songs to fans in anticipation of her full-length effort. Both "Tight Rope" and "Cold War" are incredibly catchy tunes that show off the singer's knack for mishing and mashing genres in a completely unique way. 

The uplifting "Cold War" packs a powerful message that not only demonstrate her rich musical inspiration but also her calling to incite a movement. "While listening to "Cold War," you may feel obligated or inclined to find your purpose," Monae writes on her web site. "You may want to form a huge tribe to help fight against the many things that work against you being your true self, just the way you were uniquely designed. You may even begin to dance while thinking, with a furrowed brow. You may begin to feel an increased responsibility to helping others free themselves from depravity."

"Cold War" is a call to action. Answer it. (Support new pop music and purchase "Cold War" here.)