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Can Janelle Monae avoid the “Bad Boy Curse”?

Having listened to Janelle Monae’s EP, Metropolis: The Chase Suite, two thoughts cross my mind; who IS her hairdresser? And, what is this girl doing on Bad Boy?!? Admittedly, I’m being a little judgmental. Bad Boy Records is still a major label to be on, and part of me couldn’t be happier that such a unique and out-there artist will be getting the kind of exposure Diddy can provide. But I can’t help but be a little fearful given the label’s track record in the last few years. It hasn’t exactly been the best place for artists looking to have sustainable careers. If you’ll indulge me. . .

Craig Mack: Despite giving Bad Boy Records its first big hit in the summer of 1994, a case of bad timing and even worse skin care seemed to have doomed Mack to obscurity, as Diddy (Puffy at the time) introduced another New York rapper to audiences that you may have heard of.

Total: Being named after a cereal was bad enough, but it gets worse when people joke around and turn that name into an acronym for “To Of Them Are Lesbians”. The R&B girl group got their start appearing on Notorious B.I.G.’s hit “Juicy”, before coming out with their own album in 1995. A few more guest appearances and a sophomore album would follow, but we’ve heard little from the trio in the last decade.

Mase: I don’t know if I’ll even Blame Diddy for this one, ‘cause Mase just seems really confused sometimes. One minute, he wants to be a rapper, the next he’s a preacher, then he’s a rapper again, and signing with G-Unit Records!!! They ain’t exactly the most Christian folk, ya know! Oh well, we’ll always have Harlem World.

Black Rob: Best known for the unofficial Keanu Reeves theme song, “Whoa!”, Black Rob was probably the most talented emcee Diddy had in his stable since Biggie. His debut album was pretty damn good, and it’s a shame he didn’t have more singles off of it to match the success of “Whoa!”. 

Dream: Looking to diversify (i.e. - cash in on pop audiences’ love of jailbait), Diddy signed the all-white teen girl group to Bad Boy, and they looked to be on the road to success with their hit “He Loves U Not”. But, in another case of bad timing, the September 11th attacks slammed the brakes the girls’ stardom. Subsequent singles from their debut were put on hold, as no one was really in the mood for their brand of bubblegum pop. Once enough time had passed, they tried to pick up where they left off, but no one cared. Bad Boy didn’t even care enough to release their second album officially! 

Shyne: One of the major obstacles for Jamal “Shyne” Barrow to overcome was undoubtedly how similar his voice was to the late B.I.G. Diddy took a lot of flack, but the rapper eventually won fans and critics over with his gritty rhyme style. But no sooner does he gain fame and respect does he effectively flush it down the toilet when him and Diddy get involved in a club shooting. Shyne was ultimately convicted of attempted murder just as his debut album was to be released. Meanwhile Diddy was acquitted, and free to smash J.Lo for just a little while longer, until she realized she didn’t find anything romantic about fleeing gunfire after dinner dates. Sweet justice indeed!

Da Band: If anyone believes Diddy cared more about the end product of the Making The Band reality show than the success of the show itself, I have an IQ test for to fill out, because I can’t believe any of you are THAT stupid. The sheer hyperbole Diddy spewed forth was television gold right there! Instead of setting the rap world on fire, Da Band would ultimately become a punchline for rappers who actually managed to be successful, citing the episode of the show where they had to walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn to get Diddy some cheesecake, THEN walk back to Manhattan, only to find that Diddy had gone home!!

I know there are a few more I’m forgetting, but the bottom line is that I don’t want the same fate to befall Janelle Monae. Yeah, I’ll support her one way or another, but if she’s being positioned to reach a mainstream audience, I wanna see her stay in that position, and open the door for all the artists like her that are usually below the radar. I want people to at least find out about these types of artists, the kind that don’t give a rat’s ass about labels or genres, and are just purely about doing what feels right for them. There are a lot of unique and talented characters out there, and they all deserve a chance to shine.