Erykah Badu is hitting the road this spring to promote her new album, New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh, and has rescheduled some of the show dates for her upcoming Out My Mind, Just In Time tour. The first leg of the tour begins its run starting May 28th at Constitution Hall (Washington, DC) and concludes June 24th at The Pearl Concert Theater (Las Vegas, NV), and will consists of performances at various North American amphitheaters and concerts halls.

The Out My Mind, Just In Time tour, produced by CD Enterprises, will feature numerous opening acts playing select dates, including Janelle Monae, Bilal, N.E.R.D, “?uestlove (Ahmir Thompson) from The Roots, as well as new additions to the lineup—Lupe Fiasco and B.O.B.

Badu is also scheduled to perform at the Lollapalooza summer festival and will participate in the revamped Lilith Fair tour for seven U.S. and Canadian dates. In addition, Badu will be a featured guest at Maxwell’s upcoming concerts being held on June 11th at Phillips Arena (Atlanta, GA) and June 26th at Madison Square Garden (New York, NY).

ERYKAH BADU 2010 OUT MY MIND, JUST IN TIME U.S. TOUR DATES

May 28        Washington, D.C.                                Constitution Hall (w/ N.E.R.D., Janelle Monae)

 May 29        Washington, D.C.                                Constitution Hall (w/ N.E.R.D.)

 May 30        Baltimore, MD                                      Pier Six Pavilion (w/ N.E.R.D., Janelle Monae)

June 2            Chicago, IL                                          Chicago Theater  (w/ N.E.R.D., Janelle Monae)

June 3            Chicago, IL                                          Chicago Theater (w/ N.E.R.D., Janelle Monae)      

June 4            Detroit, MI                                           Chene Park (w/ N.E.R.D., Janelle Monae)

June 6            Boston, MA                                          Orpheum Theatre (w/ Janelle Monae)

June 7            New York, NY                                      Roseland Ballroom (w/ ?uestlove, Janelle Monae)

June 8            Philadelphia, PA                               Tower Theater (w/ Bilal, Janelle Monae)

June 10        Memphis, TN                                       Orpheum Theatre (w/ Janelle Monae)

June 13        Houston, TX                                         Verizon Wireless Theater (w/ Janelle Monae)

June 14        Dallas, TX                                             Nokia Theatre (w/ B.o.B., Janelle Monae)

June 16        Denver, CO                                            The Fillmore Auditorium (w/ Janelle Monae)

June 18        Oakland, CA                                         Paramount Theatre (w/ Janelle Monae)

June 19        Saratoga, CA                                         The Mountain Winery

June 20        Los Angeles, CA                                  Greek Theater (w/ Janelle Monae, Lupe Fiasco)

June 22        San Diego, CA                                      Humphreys Concerts by the Bay (w/ Janelle Monae)

June 23        Phoenix, AZ                                          Marquee Theatre (w/ Janelle Monae)

June 24        Las Vegas, NV                                      The Pearl Concert Theater

TOUR DATES WITH MAXWELL

June 11        Atlanta, GA                                            Phillips Arena

June 26        New York, NY                                       Madison Square Garden

LILITH FAIR & FESTIVALS

June 27        Calgary, AB                                           MaMahon Stadium (Lilith Fair)

June 28        Edmonton, AB                                     Northlands Spectrum (Lilith Fair)

June 30        Vancouver, BC                                     Pitt Meadows Airport (Lilith Fair)

July 2            Portland, OR                                        Sleep Country Amphitheatre (Lilith Fair)

July 3            George, WA                                          The Gorge Amphitheatre (Lilith Fair)

August 4        Raleigh, NC                                        Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion (Lilith Fair)

August 6        Richmond, VA                                   Kanawah Plaza (Fridays at Sunset Festival)

August 7        Columbia, MD                                   Merriweather Post Pavilion

August 8        Chicago, IL                                        Grant Park, Hutchinson Field (Lollapalooza)

August 11        Tampa, FL                                        Ford Amphitheatre (Lilith Fair)      

The Coca-Cola Company and Atlantic Records have partnered together, assembling artists on the label from different genres (hip-hop, pop and rock) to record the single “Open Happiness,” as the accompanying song to the third installment in the Coca-Cola “Happiness Factory” series of commercials.   

A collection of top performers participated in the making of “Open Happiness,” including: Cee-Lo Green (Gnarls Barkley), Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Brendon Urie (Panic at the Disco), Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes), and Janelle Monae. Musically, the project was a collaborative effort between chart-topping producers Butch Walker (who co-wrote the song with Cee-Lo Green) and Polow Da Don, both men having produced for some of today’s most popular artists, such as Usher, Kelis, Pink, Fergie, Pussycat Dolls, Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry. 

Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes felt that union made sense commercially and artistically, saying, “I think Coke reaching out to up-and-coming and established artists is a really good move - everyone comes out a winner. We as artists get to collaborate with people we look up to and Coca-Cola gets a fresh new song that I think people are going to be really receptive to.” 

Adding his perspective about being asked to participate on the project by such an iconic brand, Gnarls Barkley frontman Cee-Lo Green said: “I guess what was interesting about the idea at first was Coca-Cola’s interest in me – that was appealing. Music’s marketplace can be very fickle and unforgiving and if you want longevity and you want legend, who better to ask advice from than Coca-Cola?”

“At Atlantic we strive to create career artists who make music with worldwide resonance. The pairing of the artists on this song with the Coke brand is a perfect match and we anticipate it being a huge global success,” stated Camille Hackney, SVP, Brand Partnership and Commercial Licensing, Atlantic Records. 

“Open Happiness” launched today (3-16-09) as part of Coca-Cola’s new global integrated marketing campaign, supported by a global push using popular promotional outlets such as Myspace, iTunes, and Facebook. In addition, a percentage of the sales will be donated to charitable causes through Coca-Cola’s ‘Live Positively’ platform.

 

 

The year is 2719 in the futuristic city of Metropolis, and “android No. 57821, other wise known as Cindy Mayweather,” is on the lam for falling in love with a human. Sci-fi is the theme behind Janelle Monae’s epic EP “Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition),” sounding as if it could be the score to a major Hollywood or Broadway blockbuster. 

The starlet whom Diddy said “is one of the most important signings of my career,” reached into her imagination to create a musically spellbinding odyssey complete with cyborgs, electro-daggers and other galactic references. “March of the Wolfmasters” sonically sets the tone for the mini-movie, bringing the characters to life and the audio-imagery into viewing mode. The rock-gospel production and power of Janelle Monae’s voice on “Violet Stars Happy Hunting!” is sure to ignite the inner funk in many earthlings. Lush with pounding drums, haunting organ notes, and ominous horns, the musicality of “Many Moons” and “Sincerely, Jane” hint at the Kansas native’s (how appropriate a hometown) performing arts and musical theatre background, as the latter song also reflects her socially conscious side. 

“Metropolis” isn’t the run-of-the-mill record you listen to—it’s the kind of record you experience. 

Label: Wondaland Arts Society/Bad Boy Records

Genre: R&B/Soul