oh yeah i agree, janelle monae and that...scene, if it can be called that (solange knowles, of montreal, latter-day cee-lo) is far more artifice than actual "art"...and i haven't really listened to that much of it, but it does seem to be a limp rehash of ideas outkast had first. and like latter-day outkast it's marketed to the indie rock audience as "palatable" hip-hop or r&b it's okay to like. but then yeah, there isn't much hip-hop or r&b in it anyway.
the weeknd is maybe a similar crossover, but it sounds like a legitimate midpoint between the indie-ish witch house stuff like how to dress well and actual r&b - it's only the production that's warped and arty, the lyrics seem pretty standard fare. i guess that combination ends up circling around to full on artiness, but i'm not really mad at it.