SOUNDS: An unexpected bad girl

If it weren't for all of the commotion surrounding Mariah Carey and Madonna's upcoming albums, we would have forgotten that major record labels still exist. It's hard out here for a rock, pop or R&B star to make money in music these days. People aren't exactly running to Tower Records to buy albums anymore. Oh wait, Tower Records went out of business two years ago. The record label business can be especially brutal for new artists. That's why we're feeling a mixture of happiness and trepidation about the fact that Janelle Monáe, who we've gushed over on this blog before, just signed a deal with Sean "Diddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records. Big Boi will be co-executive producing her new album "Metropolis" (happy), but she'll also be in a stable that includes the boringly over-sexed MTV reality group, Danity Kane (sad). Fingers crossed, she'll be able to hold on to her singular point of view in Puffy land. We look forward to hearing the new music and seeing her perform at Blender Theater this Thursday (click here for details).