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As you may have heard by now, future-R&B singer Janelle Monae is playing a not-so-secret show in Portland tonight. It's free if you RSVP'd through her website last week. If not, well, you're out of luck.
But you do have one other opportunity to catch Monae today, if you act fast: She and other members of her Wondaland Records crew (including "Classic Man" singer Jidenna) are joining Don't Shoot PDX protestors at Dawson Park (North Williams Avenue between Morris and Stanton streets)…like, right now.
The rally is a commemoration of the death of Mike Brown at the hands of police in Ferguson, Mo., a year ago this month. Organizers are also hoping to collect donations of school supplies. The event is scheduled to go from 1-3 pm, and includes some sort of performance from Monae, who recently re-recorded her 2013 song, "Hell You Talmbout," to shout out the names of the many African-Americans whose lives were taken by cops and armed vigilantes in the past year. According to a Facebook post from Don't Shoot PDX, they will seek to add the names of local victims of police brutality, such as Kendra James and James Chasse, to the list.
Check out the new song below, and get down to Dawson Park now.
WWeek 2015