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Janelle Monáe Talks Starting From The Bottom On The Rickey Smiley Morning Show

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY.

Janelle Monáe paid a visit to the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, where she discussed her humble beginnings living in a boarding house and working at Office Depot in the AUC (Atlanta University Center) before her rise to fame. The ArchAndroid discussed the importance of taking ownership of oneself and remaining original in pursuit of your dreams. Janelle Monáe broke down her musical hustle prior to landing on the national map, selling CDs for $5.00 out of her room and performing at local open mics; Monáe met Big Boi of Outkast at one such event. Her chance encounter with Atlanta hip-hop royalty would connect her to Diddy, who went on to help her get the distribution deal that would officially establish the Wondaland Arts Society label and help catapult Janelle Monáe to international fame as a blisteringly original and refreshing talent who defies genre, creates stunning bodies of work and dares the world to be as self-possessed as she has vowed to be. She also explains the origins of the Electric Lady and expresses her desire to build an army of Electric Ladies across the world. Check the footage below for the skinny from Janelle Monáe herself. Purchase Janelle Monáe's forthcoming LP The Electric Lady via iTunes.