Erykah needs to call Tyrone and tell him that she is this week’s Artist of the Week. Badu has been in the news recently because of her latest video “Window Seat,” where she strips down naked in the street and is shot in the head. The shooting is in almost the exact spot where John Kennedy was assassinated in Texas, which is Badu’s home state. The video was shot in one take, and she really did strip down naked in front of all those people, who were not actors but real pedestrians. My only question is, “Why doesn’t that ever happen to me?” I have never been walking anywhere while someone takes their clothes off; what a waste!
In all seriousness, Badu burst onto the music scene in 1996 with her highly acclaimed debut album Baduizm. One of the leaders of the Neo-Soul music movement, Badu blended her Jazz style with R&B.  Badu won several Grammys for Baduizm and was compared to Jazz legend Billie Holliday. Baduizm is an excellent mix of R&B tracks that reflect the life of an Afro-American. Badu can be best known for her head gear. She is always wearing some type of head wear that reflects her culture.
Around this time, Erykah hooked up with Andre 3000 of Outkast and got pregnant.  A very pregnant Badu went on tour to promote her debut album, and record a live album, which produced her hit “Tyrone.” This was a telling song about a guy who needed to grow up and become more responsible, which is ironic. Soon after the tour, Badu gave birth to her first son, Seven, and you guessed it, split with Andre 3000.
Several years later, Badu released her sophomore album, Mama’s Gun, which didn’t receive much commercial success, but it did have a remix to “Bag Lady.” Erykah’s style grew and this album was a bit more organic. There was not as much sampling and had more of a jazzy feel to it. She also relied heavily on Questlove of the Roots, which gave the album a much darker sound. Questlove and Badu were part of a group of musicians who called themselves Soulquarians, which included rapper Common, with whom she was later romantically linked to.
Three years later, Badu released her third album, Worldwide Underground which had a more commercial feel to it. The album had more of a party R&B vibe to it. The album contained more Hip-Hop style beats and Questlove was not a part of the album. Several years (and another child) later, Badu released her fourth album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), which was probably her most personal album to date. There were no singles released off the album, yet the album performed remarkably well, with very little marketing. This showed the commercial strength and the name brand value that is Badu.
Badu just released the follow up album entitled “New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh).” Time will tell how successful the album will be, but judging by the music video, it is sure to be another great Badu album. As for her personal life, Badu struggles with motherhood and her musical career. Ironically, she would call on others to act proper and empower woman all over the world, yet Badu has three children, and all three children have different fathers. I rarely get into the personal lives of the musicians, but she needs to practice what she preaches. Her music sets her apart from most R&B singers, and her live shows are infamous, but she needs to call Tyrone to collect on her child support!
Top 5 Songs
4. Orange Moon
Useful Links
Buy her new album on:Â Amazon/ iTunes
She is without doubt my fave performer right now. What a great superstar. Just brilliant!