AHHA: So, talking about that walking dead I really like the line in your song �Sincerely Jane� when you�re singing, �Are we really living or just walking dead?� When you sing it what do you imagine?

Janelle Monae: Exactly what it says, you know there is a difference a huge difference between one who is here alive but are they living? You�re either living or you�re walking dead, and for me I grew up around a lot of people who are walking dead. My family some of my friends, coming from a small town like Kansas sometimes, people get very hopeless. They feel like they�re stuck and the people around them keep themselves stuck too. People make up all these rules that you have to abide by and when you�re in a small town, it�s hard to really be free without people whispering.

For me that was true, and it hurts me every time I have a conversation with a family member. I�ll call home and they�re lost or they�re on drugs or just trying to find themselves and I purposefully call back so I could stay connected. I know that I have to as an artist, really, really make them proud and hopefully inspire them and let them know just because we come from an environment, we don�t have to be of that environment.

CENTRAL PARK SUMMERSTAGE

Rumsey Playfield, mid-Park at 72nd St. (212-360-2777)�Aug. 3: The soulful sounds of Jamie Lidell. With Janelle Mon�e, Jos� James, and Little Jackie. Aug. 4: The local heroes in the indie-rock band the National perform a benefit concert for SummerStage.

Dino-Ray: So you've worked with Big Boi from Outkast and you recently got signed to Bad Boy - how did all of this start?

Janelle Monae: I actually met Big Boi and Sean Combs's restaurant, Justin's, in Atlanta. I was performing on stage and it was around the time when I was doing an AUC dorm lounge tour. I would just perform and uplift the students. I guess Big Boi liked what he heard. After I performed, I felt this person grab my arm and he was like, "We have to work together. I want you to be on this compilation CD I am working on, 'Got Purp Volume II'" The song, "Letting Go," was my first national release. After that, he and Andre asked me to be on "Idyllwild." I was so nervous because I grew up listening to Outkast and they've been a huge influence in my music. And for them to want me to be a part of their project was overwhelming. I learned a lot. My song, "Call of Law" was featured on that album. When I formed my label, Big Boi helped us out. I put out an independent project and that caught Sean's (Combs) attention. He had written me on my Myspace page and I didn't write back because I didn't know what's going on. I was like, "Who's this?" Because you never know on Myspace. (laughs) Then Big Boi called me and said that he really wanted to work with us. I said, "Okay, if he's serious he should come to my show." I talked to (Sean Combs) on the phone and he was excited. He said he had never seen anything like this before and he wanted to support us. He was very impressed with us and understood our brand. He didn't want his brand to trump what we were doing. He just felt that what we did was a gift to the music industry. He didn't want to interfere creatively.

DR: That is very humble of him.

JM: Very - because he's so busy. For him, just to give something like this is a big deal. I hope to work with a lot of people. My circle is not limited. I am not afraid to speak with the Sean Combs' who are more business minded or to collaborate with people who are like Outkast. I think it's about bridging that gap. For me, it's about breaking out of those boundaries. You never know who can give you a helping hand - especially in this industry. I am very comfortable with where I am, I'm not going to be sidetracked. I have a mission to accomplish and I won't compromise - and they respect that.

She came out from behind a curtain of strobe lights and fabricated smoke, but all of the faux atmosphere in the world couldn�t outshine Janelle Monae last night at the Florida Room. She played to a capacity crowd in the SoBe speakeasy, and Neo-soulsters, hipsters, and yuppies in the crowd drank up Monae�s style. ...

With the Bad Boy deal in place, the original concept of four separate EPs was scrapped, with Parts I and II combined for the upcoming album and III and IV coming together for the follow-up. Still, as one who owes a part of her success to social networking, Mon�e is conscious of the musical state of the world.