![]() ![]() Joi was dumped by EMI before the follow-up, “The Amoeba Cleansing Syndrome,” was even released. Her debut “The Pendulum Vibe,” on EMI Records, failed to make the charts, although its thumping first single, “Sunshine and the Rain,” is now considered a hip-hop classic. But success has been soul-crushingly elusive, largely due to problems with record labels that have found it difficult to market her genre-defying vanguard charms. ![]() The Nashville-bred Georgia transplant also impressed Madonna when she was in town recording her 1994 album “Bedtime Stories.” Madonna befriended Joi and introduced her to fashion photographer Steven Meisel, who later used her in a Calvin Klein ad.īy conventional wisdom, Joi should be a star. Attendees at recent Atlanta shows included Erykah Badu, OutKast, TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, teen pop queen Christina Aguilera and singer Tweet, who has the No. “She is the truth and the most famous person I know,” OutKast’s Andre “Dre” Benjamin says of Joi’s artistry and influence. You sense Joi influence in the outrageous dress and musical daring of OutKast, the rockier side of R&B trio TLC, and Goodie Mob member Cee-Lo’s bold forthcoming solo effort, already the subject of enormous industry buzz. ![]() And she has deep ties to the Dungeon Family camp, whose ranks include Grammy winners OutKast and the Goodie Mob. She’s the former protegee of producer Dallas Austin, who has crafted multiplatinum hits for Boyz II Men, TLC and Madonna. This week, the local funk-rock singer/songwriter releases her third album, “Star Kitty’s Revenge,” in hopes that it will be the commercial success that her past efforts haven’t been.įor nearly a decade, the 31-year-old artist, who performs simply as Joi, has been one of Atlanta’s most quietly influential acts, a wildflower muse for the city’s award-winning, multimillion-dollar-generating hip-hop and R&B music scene. If the three-strikes rule is as applicable to the music business as it is to baseball, Joi Gilliam Gipp is about to make her last stand. ![]()
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