It was great to see my old friend, Keisha Jackson, yesterday. Keisha and I have known each other since we were kids. In fact, I was in my first talent show with Keisha in junior high. Er, let’s just say I went on to dancing and Keisha continued to shine as a vocalist. She is a awesome solo artist and she was working the background vocals for Erykah Badu last night. Keisha is the daughter of the famous Millie Jackson and bears a striking resemblance. So it was especially exciting for me to be at the show.
Janelle Monae opened up the show. I have to say that I was impressed with Ms. Monae. Her style reminds me of several but no one artist in particular. She has got her rock/soul/punk thing and running with it. She ended her set with a virtual swan dive in to the pit as the audience members kept her afloat. Brave. Nice touch.
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Ms. Badu did not disappoint the crowd. She dropped knowledge (as usual), broke into a bit of free-style and added some sweet twists to her originals. She shouted out Tribe Called Quest, Jay Electronica and other vets of hip-hop as she broke in to her renditions of classic rhymes from some of these artists. The best treat for me was a surprise medley that include “Believe In Yourself” made famous by Lena Horne/Diana Ross in the movie the “The Wiz”. Charming.
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