I typically ignore pop music almost completely coz I detest most of it, but I distinctly remember when this dropped. I recall giving it a shot and being impressed at how experimental and unique this album was as a whole statement and concept. It is anything but boring. It's not something I have spun up again since my first few listens in 2010, but revisiting now it reaffirms that it's a super well-crafted, creative, and considered album. Although it's not typically my preferred style or genre, it's notwithstanding impossible to ignore. Like I said, I mostly hate and consequently write off most pop music due to its banal sameness, but this is such a singular voice of overwhelming creativity, I gotta give Monáe big props for such a unique debut. And "Cold War" is still a fucking total banger, 15 years later; a sort of spiritual sibling to Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad". This is an example of a record that I cannot help but recognize has 5-star quality, even though it's not totally my thing.