I was watching BET earlier from the 26th floor of the Sony building when I saw a true shining star on the television screen. And no, it wasn’t Sarah Palin – it was Janelle Monáe from Kansas/ATL, 23 years old, brainchild of the Wondaland Arts Society label and Diddy & Outkast protégée. Her performance gave me deep chills down the spine, kinda like MGMT did when I saw them rocking McCarren Park Pool this summer on a very similar rainy day. This is the first time I’ve felt so strongly about an a female artist since Aaliyah, Gwen Stefani and then Lauryn Hill. Bare with me, I was born in the eighties.

ladyshark