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Not everyone fits in with the mainstream. Some are born
to be different. They are misfits, individualists, outsiders, and
eccentrics that let their freak flags fly. Yet they have found a way
to thrive on their own terms, transcending barriers of categorical
concepts and popular expectations.
Janelle Monáe eschews the prosaic biographical trappings
in favor of the science fiction of alter-ego android Cindi
Mayweather, believing that robots represent an otherness. She is
seemingly at odds with current R&B radio, yet she was signed
by Diddy and has found crossover success. Jody Watley did not
want to be an industry puppet. She broke free, joined forces
with like-minded superfreak André Cymone, and established
herself as an artist who took control of all aspects of her public
persona from songwriting to style. Todd Rundgren embraced all
styles. Butterfly-wing eyelashes and feather boas. Rock and roll
and rhythm and blues. And he often did everything by himself.
Songwriting, playing all the instruments, engineering. He even
produced other outcasts like the New York Dolls, and went on
to influence countless modern misfits. Souls of Mischief busted
out of Oakland with their own style. Surrounded by gritty
streets and street players, the rap quartet was instead playful and
thoughtful, winning a lifelong audience based on brains, wit,
and individuality. Some consider Earl Sweatshirt the weird one
of Odd Future. That should tell you something. But in reality,
he’s just an outsider, the weight of his intellect making him
different than most rappers today. He has a way with words that
most poets would kill kings for. He joins the long line of artists
that represent the ideal musical other, what true fans long for
when wading through depths of mainstream drivel.
FeaTUres
Front Cover: Janelle Monáe
Back Cover: Jody Watley
Contents:
Todd Rundgren
Souls of Mischief
Earl Sweatshirt
Milosh
Soul Train
Black Milk
Ed Motta
Kon
Boardwalk
Bruno Morais |
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