Janelle Monáe shares the same slipstreams as many great artists who brandish her stylistic audacity. Her forays to the freakiest fringes of R&B, rock, and jazz share much with the Jimi Hendrix Experience's psychedelic journeys and Sun Ra's galactic voyages. And while her friend and creative collaborator Prince showed her how to combine melodic savvy with sly provocations, Erykah Badu anticipated Monáe's eccentric spin on neo-soul.