Erykah Badu | ||
| Allmusic Biography : She grew up listening to 70s soul and 80s hip-hop, but Erykah Badu drew more comparisons to Billie Holiday upon her breakout in 1997, after the release of her first album, Baduizm. The grooves and production on the album are bass-heavy R&B;, but Badus languorous, occasionally tortured vocals and delicate phrasing immediately removed her from the legion of cookie-cutter female R&B; singers. A singer/songwriter responsible for all but one of the songs on Baduizm, she found a number 12 hit with her first single, "On & On," which pushed the album to number two on the charts. Born Erica Wright in Dallas in 1971, Badu attended a school of the arts and was working as a teacher and part-time singer when she opened for DAngelo at a 1994 show. DAngelos manager, Kedar Massenburg, was impressed with the performance and hooked her up with the singer to record a cover of the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell duet "Precious Love." He also signed Badu to his recently formed Kedar Entertainment label, and served as producer for Baduizm, which also starred bassist Ron Carter and members of hip-hop avatars the Roots on several tracks. The first single, "On & On," became a number one R&B; hit in early 1997, and Baduizm followed it to the top of the R&B; album charts by March. Opening for R&B; acts as well as raps Wu-Tang Clan, Erykah Badu stopped just short of number one on the pop album charts in April. Her Live album followed later in the year. In 2000 she returned with her highly anticipated second studio album, Mamas Gun, which was co-produced by Badu, James Poyser, Bilal, and Jay Dee and contained the hit single "Bag Lady." Worldwide Underground, a loose affair billed as an EP despite being longer than many full-lengths, was released in 2003. Her next step, 2008s New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War, was a heavy and abstract release featuring collaborations with the members of Sa-Ra and Georgia Anne Muldrow; it reached number two on the Billboard 200 and Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Albums charts. New Amerykah, Pt. 2: Return of the Ankh, looser and more playful than Pt. 1, followed in 2010. Appearances on Flying Lotus Until the Quiet Comes (2011), Robert Glaspers Black Radio (2012), Tyler, The Creators Wolf and Bonobos The North Borders (both 2013), brought the artist to 2015, when she released the official mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone on the Motown label. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 11 Title: Baduizm Released: 1997-02-11 Tracks: 14 Duration: 58:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rimshot (intro) (01:57) 2 On & On (03:46) 3 Appletree (04:25) 4 Otherside of the Game (06:33) 5 Sometimes (mix #9) (00:44) 6 Next Lifetime (06:26) 7 Afro (Freestyle skit) (02:04) 8 Certainly (04:43) 9 4 Leaf Clover (04:34) 10 No Love (05:08) 11 Drama (06:02) 12 Sometimes... (04:10) 13 Certainly (Flipped It) (05:26) 14 Rimshot (outro) (02:19) |
| Baduizm : Allmusic album Review : Two years after DAngelo brought the organic sound and emotional passion of R&B to the hip-hop world with 1995s Brown Sugar, Erykah Badus debut performed a similar feat. While DAngelo looked back to the peak of smooth 70s soul, though, Badu sang with a grit and bluesiness reminiscent of her heroes, Nina Simone and Billie Holiday. "On & On" and "Appletree," the first two songs on Baduizm, illustrated her talent at singing soul with the qualities of jazz. With a nimble, melodic voice owing little to R&B from the past 30 years, she phrased at odds with the beat and often took chances with her notes. Like many in the contemporary rap world, though, she also had considerable talents at taking on different personas; "Otherside of the Game" is a poetic lament from a soon-to-be single mother who just cant forget the father of her child. Erykah Badus revolution in sound -- heavier hip-hop beats over organic, conscientious soul music -- was responsible for her breakout, but many of the songs on Baduizm dont hold up to increased examination. For every intriguing track like "Next Lifetime," theres at least one rote R&B jam like "4 Leaf Clover." Jazz fans certainly werent confusing her with Cassandra Wilson -- Badu had a bewitching voice, and she treasured her notes like the best jazz vocalists, but she often made the same choices, the hallmark of a singer rooted in soul, not jazz. Though many fans would dislike (and probably misinterpret) the comparison, shes closer to Diana Ross playing Billie Holiday -- as she did in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues -- than Holiday herself. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 11 Title: Live Released: 1997-11-18 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:14:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rimshot (intro) (03:50) 2 Other Side of the Game (08:21) 3 On & On (05:30) 4 Reprise (02:15) 5 Apple Tree (04:04) 6 Ye Yo (04:59) 7 Searching (04:18) 8 Boogie Nights / All Night (06:28) 9 Certainly (06:58) 10 Stay (04:50) 11 Next Lifetime (interlude) (01:30) 12 Tyrone (03:41) 13 Next Lifetime (12:07) 14 Tyrone (extended version) (05:43) |
| Live : Allmusic album Review : Conventional wisdom dictates that an artist should not release a live album as her second record, especially if it follows the debut by a matter of months. However, Erykah Badu is not a conventional artist and Live is not a conventional live album. While her debut, Baduizm, earned strong reviews and healthy sales, her concerts became equally popular and she became known as a powerhouse live performer. Live solidifies that reputation, delivering soulful, gritty versions of cuts from Baduizm, a few covers, and the spectacular new single, "Tyrone." Not only does it illustrate the depths of Badus talents, but Live is as strong and captivating as Baduizm. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 11 Title: Mamas Gun Released: 2000-11-21 Tracks: 14 Duration: 1:12:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Penitentiary Philosophy (06:11) 2 Didn’t Cha Know (03:58) 3 My Life (04:01) 4 ... & On (03:36) 5 Cleva (03:47) 6 Hey Sugah (00:53) 7 Booty (04:06) 8 Kiss Me on My Neck (Hesi) (05:36) 9 A.D. 2000 (04:53) 10 Orange Moon (07:12) 11 In Love With You (05:23) 12 Bag Lady (05:50) 13 Times a Wastin (06:41) 14 Green Eyes (10:04) |
| Mama's Gun : Allmusic album Review : Since the arrival of Erykah Badu onto the neo-soul scene back in 1997 with Baduizm, commercial music stood up and took notice with an onslaught of similar artists reaching comparable peaks of mainstream success. After taking some time off for introspection and to raise her son, Badu returned with Mamas Gun, which is a turning point for her in many ways. Gone are the cryptic "Baduizms" that glossed all over her first release, replaced with a more honestly raw Badu singing directly from her heart rather than her head. Sonically, Badu wades out into adventurous territories as well. From the Jimi Hendrix-inspired opening number to the closing ten-minute song suite, she develops fresh aspects of her sound, employing artists such as legendary jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers, jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, Stephen Marley, and Roots drummer ?uestlove; she sought after producer Jay Dee as well. The results are consistently tasteful, which only helps to prove once again that Badu is miles ahead of the rest. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 11 Title: Danger Released: 2003 Tracks: 4 Duration: 20:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Danger (Radio Mix) (04:24) 2 Danger (Album Version) (06:29) 3 Danger (Edroc Remix) (04:26) 4 Danger (Afreex Remix) (04:47) |
 | Album: 5 of 11 Title: Worldwide Underground Released: 2003-09-15 Tracks: 12 Duration: 59:56 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 World Keeps Turnin (intro) (01:39) 2 Bump It (08:49) 3 Back in the Day (Puff) (04:46) 4 I Want You (10:53) 5 Woo (03:14) 6 The Grind (02:49) 7 Danger (05:49) 8 Think Twice (03:02) 9 Love of My Life Worldwide (05:26) 10 World Keeps Turnin (outro) (04:04) 11 Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop) (03:50) 12 Hollywood (05:32) |
| Worldwide Underground : Allmusic album Review : The so-called "EP" that will make many Erykah Badu skeptics wonder whats going on is actually 15 minutes longer than Whats Going On. Why would any musician want to call a recording of such length -- 50 minutes, to be precise -- an EP? The fact that Worldwide Underground is being referred to as an EP makes it apparent that it isnt intended to be considered the true follow-up to Mamas Gun. You also find out throughout the course of the disc that the loose, spare arrangements arent likely to generate a stream of tidy, four-minute Top Ten hits. As easy as the disc is to slide into, its far and away the least commercial R&B release of the year. Written, produced, and performed by Freakquency -- a seemingly ad hoc group consisting of Badu, James Poyser, Rashad "Ringo" Smith, and R.C. Williams -- along with a revolving door of guests, the whole thing goes down more like a weekend jam session than an endlessly labored-over, polished project. For the most part, this is a good thing. Both "Bump It" and "I Want You" are over eight minutes in length, leaving plenty of space to establish relaxed atmospheres that are built on uncomplicated rhythms, twinkling keyboards, and vaporous textures. "Back in the Day (Puff)" and "Danger" are the two most single-oriented tracks; the formers essentially a more filled-out version of one of the extended pieces in miniature form, while the latter is the toughest sounding of the whole batch, with punchy, synthetic horn jabs and Badus most animated vocal. A new version of "Love of My Life" caps off the disc in fine, fun style, with Badu paying tribute to the all-female, old-school trio Sequence, with the help of Angie Stone, Bahamadia, and Queen Latifah. If Worldwide Underground isnt to be taken as seriously as Baduizm and Mamas Gun, so be it; but it only goes to show how apprehensive the powers that be are in allowing their platinum artists to deviate from whats expected. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 11 Title: Honey Released: 2007 Tracks: 3 Duration: 13:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Honey (04:32) 2 Honey (Instrumental) (04:32) 3 Honey (Acapella) (04:32) |
 | Album: 7 of 11 Title: New Amerykah, Part One (4th World War) Released: 2008-02-26 Tracks: 12 Duration: 1:02:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Amerykahn Promise (04:16) 2 The Healer (03:59) 3 Me (05:36) 4 My People (03:24) 5 Soldier (05:03) 6 The Cell (04:20) 7 Twinkle (06:56) 8 Master Teacher (06:47) 9 That Hump (05:24) 10 Telephone (07:17) 11 Real Thang (04:26) 12 Honey (05:20) |
| New Amerykah, Part One (4th World War) : Allmusic album Review : Downplayed and practically disregarded as it was, 2003s Worldwide Underground was an excellent and brave follow-up to 2000s Mamas Gun. Erykah Badu concedes she had nothing to say at the time -- the loose 50-minute "EP" was more about sounds than statements -- but she evidently holds herself to a high standard. Perhaps that streak was a factor in her protracted silence from its release to New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War; she even thought she might be through with making music. Her creative energy returned at some point, and then some, with this set apparently just the first in a series of releases. Varied and layered, New Amerykah, Pt. 1 has Badu collaborating principally with the members of Sa-Ra (who are present in almost half of the tracks), Madlib, 9th Wonder, and Baduizm/Mamas Gun vets Karriem Riggins, James Poyser, and Ahmir Thompson. If youre familiar with what these people have made in the past, youll know to expect plenty of fearless weirdness and a couple relaxed soul-jazz backdrops that do not fail to stimulate. The album is easily the most hip-hop and most out-there release from Badu thus far, with beats bumping, knocking, and booming in roughly equal measure, sometimes switching tacks or vanishing midstream, dropping down dark corridors, gradually levitating into direct sunlight. Lyrically, theres much to digest: in the ghostly-mystical "The Healer," Badu proclaims hip-hop to be bigger than religion and government; both "That Hump" and "The Cell" are vivid depictions of drug dependency; "Soldier" gives a shout to the Nation of Islam, addresses Katrina and black-on-black crime, and sends out a warning ("Now to folks that think they livin sweet/They gone fuck around and push delete"); "Twinkle" evokes a lot of thought with few words, alluding to the various failures of the U.S. health, education, and prison systems, and the negative and cyclical effects theyve had on Badus people. Though this is another album where you can only wonder how different it would be with some input from the late J Dilla, the beloved producer gets an incredibly touching tribute with the eight-minute "Telephone," written the day after the ceremony of his death. Indeed, no listed song is light in sentiment, which must partially explain why the beaming single "Honey" is included as an unlisted track -- it doesnt fit into the albums fabric, what with its drifting, deeply sweetened, synth-squish-and-string-drift groove. Immediately moving and yet rather bewildering, New Amerykah, Pt. 1 is an album that sounds special from the first play, yet it will probably take years before it is known just how special it is. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 11 Title: Badu Released: 2008-03-10 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:19:32 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Your Mind (06:38) 2 Love Hangover (live @ BET 2007) (03:28) 3 Wu (00:11) 4 Music Is Everything (04:05) 5 Live (01:37) 6 Apple Tree Café (04:17) 7 Didnt Cha Know (03:58) 8 Fly Away (04:12) 9 I Want You (08:29) 10 Love of My Life (05:37) 11 Bag Lady (04:04) 12 Hold On (03:49) 13 You Got Me (04:40) 14 Think Twice (02:59) 15 Ye-Yo (04:59) 16 Today (06:44) 17 Never (06:08) 18 Your Precious Love (03:29) |
 | Album: 9 of 11 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 2010 Tracks: 30 Duration: 00:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Window Seat (?) 2 Honey (?) 3 Love of My Life Worldwide (?) 4 You Got Me (?) 5 Bag Lady (?) 6 On & On (?) 7 Turn Me Away (Get Munny) (?) 8 Back in the Day (Puff) (?) 9 Next Lifetime (?) 10 Didnt Cha Know (?) 11 Umm Hmm (?) 12 Soldier (?) 13 Otherside of the Game (?) 14 Cleva (?) 15 Danger (?) 16 Tyrone (?) 1 Gone Baby, Dont Be Long (?) 2 Woo (?) 3 The Cell (?) 4 Apple Tree (?) 5 Penitentiary Philosophy (?) 6 Hollywood (?) 7 Fall in Love (Your Funeral) (?) 8 Drama (?) 9 In Love With You (?) 10 Me (?) 11 Bump It (?) 12 Certainly (?) 13 The Healer (?) 14 I Want You (?) |
 | Album: 10 of 11 Title: New Amerykah, Part Two (Return of the Ankh) Released: 2010-03-26 Tracks: 11 Duration: 50:38 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 20 Feet Tall (03:24) 2 Window Seat (04:50) 3 Agitation (01:33) 4 Turn Me Away (Get Munny) (05:26) 5 Gone Baby, Dont Be Long (04:39) 6 Umm Hmm (03:46) 7 Love (06:01) 8 You Loving Me (Session) (01:04) 9 Fall in Love (Your Funeral) (06:06) 10 Incense (03:28) 11 Out My Mind, Just in Time (10:21) |
| New Amerykah, Part Two (Return of the Ankh) : Allmusic album Review : Return of the Ankh was supposed to be issued earlier than March 2010. Its just as well: 2008s stupefying 4th World War provided such a dense concentration of charged lyrics over ceaselessly vein-melting production work that Erykah Badu could have been forgiven for letting five years pass prior to unveiling something else to soak up. Return of the Ankh is a relief in that Badu does not attempt to trump herself with a set that is even more intense and powerful than its predecessor. Thematically, its aligned with 4th World Wars relatively lighter songs, "Me" and "Honey," more personal than planetary, less challenging sonically and lyrically. Most of it was actually recorded at the same time as 4th World War. The list of collaborators, featuring Georgia Anne Muldrow, Madlib, Shafiq Husayn, Dilla, James Poyser, Ahmir Thompson, and Karriem Riggins, is similar, yet the makeup is drastically different, designed for instant kicked-back enjoyment. A pause, deep breath, and a "Here we go" is not required prior to putting it on. Instead, we get Badu playing around, in the best possible way, with sample-rooted songs like "Turn Me Away (Get Munny)" (a twist on Sylvia Striplins "You Cant Turn Me Away" and the 1995 hip-hop anthem that sampled it, Junior M.A.F.I.A.s "Get Money"), "Gone Baby, Dont Be Long" (a slightly silly new-love song that reworks Paul McCartneys "Arrow Through Me"), and "Umm Hmm" (its optimism reflected in that of its backbone, Ndugu & the Chocolate Jam Companys Earth, Wind & Fire-like "Take Some Time"). Though the album is so rich with sample-reliant songs that it sometimes resembles a glorified mixtape, a couple standouts were made from scratch. "Window Seat" should appeal to those who have wanted Badu to revisit that lissome sound of Baduizm songs like "On & On" and "Otherside of the Game," and it packs stunning stomp-and-clap breakdowns that sync up with Badus most halting lines: "I need you to want me/I need you to miss me/I need your attention/I need you next to me." "Out My Mind, Just in Time" is a ten-minute finale that traces a trajectory of heartache across three movements, beginning innocently enough with a devotional (if pained and humorous) piano ballad that shifts into Muldrows psychedelic, slow-motion soul-jazz as Badu gets increasingly fragmentary and tripped-out. By the end, she is renewed: "Finally I got a leading role/Introducing Super Dope/Starring in her episode/Hello new world/Out my mind." Actual next level, as always. | ||
 | Album: 11 of 11 Title: But You Caint Use My Phone Released: 2015-11-27 Tracks: 11 Duration: 36:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Caint Use My Phone (Suite) (03:34) 2 Hi (00:35) 3 Cel U Lar Device (06:28) 4 Phone Down (03:28) 5 U Use to Call Me (01:13) 6 Mr. Telephone Man (03:11) 7 U Dont Have to Call (02:00) 8 Medley: What’s Yo Phone Number / Telephone (Ghost of Screw mix) (05:10) 9 Dial’Afreaq (03:10) 10 Ill Call U Back (01:57) 11 Hello (05:19) |
| But You Caint Use My Phone : Allmusic album Review : Prompted by Drakes "Hotling Bling," Erykah Badu quickly recorded this loose, phone-themed mixtape, an official Motown release, with help from producer and fellow Dallas dweller Zach Witness. Its a trivial if fun diversion. Badu puts her spin on "Hotline Bling," quotes "Tyrone," and appends a "ghost of Screw" mix of "Telephone" to one of the low-slung new tracks. Original content is greatly outweighed by covers of songs originally recorded by New Edition, Usher, Egyptian Lover, and Todd Rundgren (via the Isley Brothers). Appearances from a Drake soundalike, Aubrey "Itsroutine" Davis, add to the mixtapes peculiarity. André 3000 joins in on the Rundgren cover, while Seven Benjamin, his and Badus son, picks up a co-writing credit on the eighth track. | ||