The Obamas Fill The White House with Music

By J9 of J9's MusicLife

President Barack Obama has a great appreciation of music.  He has stated that "music is a great source of joy and solace in the midst of difficult days."  During a evening of poetry, music and the spoken word event held at The White House in 2009, Obama summed it up best. . .

"We're here to celebrate the power of words and music to help us appreciate beauty but also to understand pain.  To inspire us to action and to sear us on when we start to lose hope.  To lift us up out of our daily existence, even if it's just for a few moments."

Both the President and First Lady have a wide range of music tastes.  It has been said that artists like Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Earth, Wind, & Fire and even mainstream Rap artists like Lil Wayne and Nas can be found on Barack's iPod while Rihanna, Beyonce, Usher, Robin Thicke, Sara Bareilles, Herbie Hancock, and Anthony David can be found on Michelle's.  Their love for music doesn't stop on their iPods as it has also been reflected in the musical guests they have invited over the years to The White House for several events.


State Dinners

Last month, by the request of the Obamas, Janelle Monae performed during a state dinner to honor South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.  Surprisingly, The Obamas are huge Monae fans and even requested her to perform their favorite song Tightrope.

Others that performed during state dinners were Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock and Beyonce are also others that have been asked to perform for state dinner. 


Evening of Poetry, Music and Spoken Word Events

In 2009, Grammy-award winning artist Esperanza Spalding performed for the second time at The White House for "An Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word"

Also, click here to view her first White House performance earlier that year during a tribute for Stevie Wonder.

For another poetry event, Michelle invited conscious rapper Common who recited some lines amidst piano accompaniment in front of an audience of children and adults.  View his performance here.  Obama states "...a great poem is one that resonates with us and challenges us and teaches us something about ourselves."  Remember the controversy this caused when people like Sarah Palin classified him as a "gangsta rapper" and didn't think his attendance was appropriate? 



To read the rest of the post, click here.

Everyone's Talking About Janelle Monae

By J9 of J9's MusicLife

Seems like everyday someone comes to me asking about Janelle Monae. . .

Have you heard of this chick named Janelle Monae?

Do you like Janelle Monae?

Do you have her album?

Have you seen her perform live before?

After replying YES to all of the above questions, I have to remind folks that I knew of her before the BET Awards, before The ArchAndroid . . .I was the one talking about Janelle Monae two years ago when her debut album Metropolis: The Chase Suite was released.  I was the one telling people they needed to listen yet people either ignored me and/or disregarded what I was saying.  Now, people are starting to recognize and come to their senses . . .can I say. . . I TOLD YOU SO!!! 

But hey, it's better late than never!  It gives me great pleasure to see people are coming around and looking past her eccentric ways to see her true talent.  She isn't just creating an image just because and acting a fool like some other artists out there.

Just recently, I was talking to a friend about Janelle Monae and mentioned she was going to be in DC.  My friend went, became an instant fan and brought her album.  That tells me my job is done!  Check out my friend minikristen's review of the concert, here.

With all these inquires about Janelle Monae, I thought it was necessary to revisit the "Don't Sleep" post I did on her a while back for those who are still sleeping and need that wake up call . . .

"Janelle's sound cannot be clearly defined as she incorporates soul, electronic, hip-hop, and indie rock into her music.  Besides her unique look and sound, Janelle brilliantly uses the art of storytelling to convey real-life messages through a futuristic fantasy world."  To read the full post, click here.

Also, check out my review of her performance at the Summer Spirit Festival.

If after all of that, you're still on the fence and unsure about Janelle, I suggest you take a look below at her latest video for the song "Coldwar".  The simplistic imagery in the video allows you to just focus on the message she conveys. . . .one of the most deepest videos I've seen in a long time!

Click on the image below to buy her latest album: