Erica Abi Wright, known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, 1970s soul, and 1980s hip hop, Badu became associated with the neo soul subgenre in the 1990s and 2000s along with artists such as D'Angelo and Maxwell. She has been called the “Queen of Neo Soul”. Badu's career began after she opened a show for D'Angelo in 1994 in Fort Worth; record label executive Kedar Massenburg was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Entertainment. Her first album, Baduizm, was released in February 1997. It spawned four singles: "On & On", "Appletree", "Next Lifetime" and "Otherside of the Game". The album was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Her first live album, Live, was released in November 1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.
Baduizm is the debut album by American singer and songwriter Erykah Badu, released on February 11, 1997, by Kedar Records. After leaving university in order to concentrate on music full-time, Badu then began touring with her cousin, Robert "Free" Bradford, and recorded a 19-song demo, Country Cousins, which attracted the attention of Kedar Massenburg. He set Badu up to record a duet with D'Angelo, "Your Precious Love," and eventually signed her to a record deal with Universal Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from January to October 1996 in New York City, Philadelphia, and Dallas.
Live is a live concert album by American singer Erykah Badu, released in 1997. Released in the fall of 1997, with her debut album Baduizm released earlier that year, Live quickly went double platinum with the radio hit "Tyrone".
"You Got Me" is a song by American hip hop band the Roots, featuring vocals from Erykah Badu and Eve, then known as Eve of Destruction, who raps the second verse but does not appear in the music video. The track was released as a single from the band's fourth studio album, Things Fall Apart (1999), in January 1999.
"Bag Lady" is the first single from singer Erykah Badu's 2000 album Mama's Gun. The song is about a woman who is trying to begin a new relationship but has too much emotional "baggage" and can't get close to people. The message of the song is to "pack light" and have hope for the future. The song peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven weeks.
"Window Seat" is a song by Erykah Badu. It is the lead single from her album New Amerykah Part Two (2010). It was produced by Badu and James Poyser. The song is low-tempo ballad with lyrics that concern escapism and longing for a lover. The music video for "Window Seat" features Badu walking the streets around Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, slowly stripping to the nude, before being shot by an unseen assassin. Badu's public nudity, guerrilla filming, and the video's allusions to the assassination of John F. Kennedy were met with controversy among fans and critics.
"Love of My Life " is a 2002 single by singer Erykah Badu and rapper Common. It spent four weeks at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song also won a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best Solo R&B/Soul Single and the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song.
"On & On" is the debut single of American neo-soul singer Erykah Badu, from her 1997 debut album, Baduizm. Released in January 1997, the song won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1998 Grammy Awards. It spent two weeks at number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and went to number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It reached the same position on the UK Singles Chart.
"The Light" is the Grammy-nominated second single from Common's 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate. It was produced by Jay Dee and features keyboards performed by James Poyser. It samples "Open Your Eyes" as performed by Bobby Caldwell and the drums from "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" by The Detroit Emeralds. Framed as a love letter, it is a confession of Common's love for a woman – specifically, his girlfriend at the time, Erykah Badu. Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters describes it as a "charming, tender, and undeniably soulful declaration of affection and respect." The music video features Common, Erykah Badu and "recognizable sensual delights" including "a homemade Minnie Riperton cassette, a mango, a pink lava lamp [and] a deeply green water-beaded leaf."
"Sweet Baby" is a song by American singer Macy Gray featuring American singer Erykah Badu, released as the lead single from Gray's second studio album, The Id (2001). The song also features guitar work from John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers.
American singer and songwriter Erykah Badu has released five studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, one mixtape, 31 singles, three promotional singles and 20 music videos. Badu's career began after opening a show for D'Angelo in 1994 in her hometown; record label executive Kedar Massenburg was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Records. Her debut album, Baduizm, was released on February 11, 1997. It spawned three singles: "On & On", "Next Lifetime", and "Otherside of the Game". The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Badu's first live album, Live, was released on November 18, 1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.
New Amerykah Part One is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Erykah Badu. It was released on February 26, 2008, by Universal Motown following Badu's hiatus from recording music due to writer's block. In returning from the hiatus, she received music from several hip hop producers over the Internet and recorded demos of her vocals using the GarageBand software on her laptop. Most of the album was then recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.
"Honey" is a song by Erykah Badu, released on December 11, 2007, as the lead single from her 2008 album New Amerykah Part One . The song was produced by 9th Wonder and samples singer Nancy Wilson's 1978 song "I'm in Love".
New Amerykah Part Two is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Erykah Badu, first released on March 30, 2010, through Universal Motown. Collaborating with several hip hop producers over the Internet, Badu conceived 75 songs set to be split over three albums with New Amerykah Part One (2008) being the first. The album was recorded primarily at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.
"Danger" is a song by R&B singer Erykah Badu released in 2003. It is the lead single from her album Worldwide Underground. The song was a modest R&B hit, and is performed often during Badu's live shows. The song samples from, and is an effective sequel to, Badu's 1997 single "Otherside of the Game," set further along in the couple's relationship, after the woman's boyfriend has been arrested.
"Tyrone" is a song by singer Erykah Badu. It was released as the lead single in support of her album Live and does not feature on her debut album Baduizm. The song was recorded professionally during a Badu concert and is the version sent to radio.
"Turn Me Away " is a song by R&B singer Erykah Badu, also the second single from her album New Amerykah Part Two . It was produced by Badu and Karriem Riggins, and is a semi-remake of the song "You Can't Turn Me Away", by Sylvia Striplin. The song also contains lyrics from "Get Money", as performed by Junior Mafia and The Notorious B.I.G.
Slick is the ninth album by former Temptations vocalist Eddie Kendricks, released in August 1977 on the Tamla imprint of Motown Records. It reached No. 47 on the Billboard Soul Albums chart.
But You Caint Use My Phone is a mixtape by American singer Erykah Badu. It was released on November 27, 2015, by Motown and Control Freaq. Following the release of New Amerykah Part Two (2010), Badu embarked on a five-year hiatus, during which she traveled to Africa in an attempt to record new music, though this never surfaced. After receiving a remix of "Bag Lady" from producer Zach Witness, Badu contacted him in order to record with him. Shortly thereafter, the pair met again and went to Witness's home in Dallas, Texas, and worked in his bedroom studio, where they recorded the album in 11 days. The mixtape features appearances from rapper ItsRoutine and André 3000.
"Come and See Me" is a song by Canadian recording artist PartyNextDoor, released as a single on March 23, 2016. The song, which was produced by frequent OVO Sound collaborator Noah "40" Shebib and features guest vocals from Canadian recording artist Drake, was released as the first single from his second studio album, PartyNextDoor 3 (2016). "Come and See Me" has peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming PartyNextDoor's highest-charting single so far. It received a nomination for Best R&B Song at the 59th Grammy Awards in February 2017. The song is featured in the NBA 2K17 soundtrack.
