Worldwide Underground | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 16, 2003 | |||
Recorded | 2001–2003 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 54:21 | |||
Label | Motown | |||
Producer |
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Erykah Badu chronology | ||||
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Singles from Worldwide Underground | ||||
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Worldwide Underground is the third studio album by American singer Erykah Badu, released September 16, 2003, by Motown Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003, following Badu's period of writer's block, and her performances during the Frustrated Artist Tour . [1] Production was handled primarily by the production group Freakquency , consisting of Badu, Rashad Smith, James Poyser, and RC Williams. [2] Prominently influenced by old-school 1970s and 80s hip hop, soul, R&B and funk elements, the album features an unconventional musical structure; the songwriting took a path of somewhat less subliminal, metaphorical lyrics than Badu’s previous work, expressing more lighthearted (but sincere) feelings, instead. The album’s content mainly focused on the general state of hip hop culture, reminiscing on good times, friends, partying, young love, “hood life”, and some references to gang culture. [1] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] The album features appearances from artists Dead Prez, Common, Queen Latifah, Bahamadia, and singer Angie Stone.
The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 143,561 copies in its first week. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, and produced three singles that achieved moderate chart success, while the album was underpromoted and sold less than her previous albums. [8] [9] Upon its release, Worldwide Underground received generally lukewarm reviews from critics. The album has sold 609,000 copies in the United States.
After taking some time off to raise her child, Badu returned in 2000 with Mama's Gun. The album was characterized as more organic in sound than her previous studio album, and primarily produced by the Soulquarians and noted bassist Pino Palladino. A remix of one of the album's songs, "Bag Lady", was issued as the first single and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The album was well-received, with the lyrical content winning notices from many publications. Reviewers found some of her lyrics hard to decipher on her initial releases. [10] Despite not charting as high as her first two albums, Mama's Gun was another platinum-selling success, and "Bag Lady" was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2001 Badu embarked on the Mama's Gun World Tour . The tour started in North America on February 10 in Cleveland, Ohio at the Allen Theatre. [11] Badu will perform two nights in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. [12] After the release of Mama's Gun and "Love of My Life", Badu suffered writer's block. [13]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Blender | [14] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [15] |
Los Angeles Times | [16] |
Mojo | [17] |
Pitchfork | 6.7/10 [18] |
Q | [19] |
Rolling Stone | [20] |
Slant Magazine | [21] |
Uncut | [22] |
Worldwide Underground was released on September 16, 2003, by Motown Records. [23] It debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart in the week of October 4, [24] selling 143,561 copies in its first week. [25] Ultimately spending 11 weeks on the Billboard 200, it also entered at number two on Billboard 's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and spent 30 weeks on the chart. [26] By December 2003, the album had sold 394,000 copies domestically. [27] Its first single, "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)", peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [28] The second single "Danger" reached number 82 on the Hot 100 and number 27 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, [29] while the third single "Back in the Day (Puff)" peaked at number 62 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [30] On October 28, 2003, Worldwide Underground was certified gold in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America, following sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. [31] According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold 609,000 copies in the United States. [32]
Worldwide Underground received generally lukewarm reviews from critics. [33] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 71, based on 14 reviews. [23] Andy Kellman from AllMusic said the record sounded "more like a weekend jam session than an endlessly labored-over, polished project. For the most part, this is a good thing". [2] PopMatters critic Mark Anthony Neal commended Badu for her themes relating to hip hop culture and for her musical direction, writing that "it finds the artist ' Stepping into Tomorrow ', with a new production collective in tow and some straight-up, free-floating, funky-ass R&B. And for the first time in her career, Badu is wearing her own voice and it is unmistakably Badu". [1] Georgia Christgau from The Village Voice wrote that "although sometimes her reliance on mood threatens to get the better of Worldwide Underground, Badu remains faithful to the old school of flow, a blend of drums and rhythm designed to service soul's best instruments: its vocalists." [34] Slant Magazine ranked the record number 90 on its list of the Best Albums of the Aughts. [35]
In a less enthusiastic review, Uncut deemed Worldwide Underground oft-interesting but too groove-oriented music, [22] while Blender observed "rambling, digital fiddling and self-indulgent sprawl here, but a sense of purpose, too, even as her lips move on autopilot." [14] Jon Caramanica from Rolling Stone was more critical and said apart from "Danger" and "Love of My Life Worldwide", most of the songs sounded aimless, "variations on some atmospheric theme ... slither[ing] along unthreateningly". [20]
Badu embarked on the Worldwide Underground Tour in 2004. [27] The US trek kicked off on February 3 in New Orleans. and ran through the winter and spring with supporting act Floetry joining the tour February 5 in Houston. [27] The Roots made a special opening act appearance at the February 11, show in Los Angeles. Badu resumed the tour during the fall with additional dates in America and Europe.
Badu founded the Sugar Water Festival , a music festival co-found by Badu, Queen Latifah and Jill Scott. The trek played to amphitheaters and arenas in the United States during the summer of 2005 and 2006. It began in 2005 as an event to bring awareness to health issues to African-American women. British duo Floetry opened shows during the 2005 run. The festival was relaunched briefly in 2006 with Kelis opening the show and comedian Mo'Nique hosting the festival. [36] 2006 was the final year for the outing.
The festival was to expand into Europe and Asia, however, this did not come to fruition. The Summer Tour was a concert tour in 2006 by Badu. The tour started on June 10, in Knoxville, TN, with three shows in the U.S. and resumed in July for several shows in Europe. In August, Badu co-headlined dates with Jill Scott and Queen Latifah at the "Sugar Water Festival". [37]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "World Keeps Turnin' (Intro)" | Erykah Badu | Erykah Badu | 1:39 |
2. | "Bump It" | James Poyser, Rashad Smith, Badu, Audrie Magget | Badu, James Poyser, Rashad Smith | 8:49 |
3. | "Back in the Day (Puff)" | Poyser, Smith, Magget, Badu | Badu, Poyser, Smith | 4:46 |
4. | "I Want You" | Poyser, Badu, Smith, Magget | Badu, Smith, Poyser | 10:53 |
5. | "Woo" | Williams, Badu | Badu, R.C. Williams, Smith | 3:14 |
6. | "The Grind" (featuring Dead Prez) | Dead Prez, Stic.man, M-1 | Dead Prez, Badu, Smith | 2:49 |
7. | "Danger" | Badu, Williams, Smith, Poyser | Badu, Poyser, Williams, Smith | 5:49 |
8. | "Think Twice" | Donald Byrd | Badu, Poyser, Smith | 3:02 |
9. | "Love of My Life Worldwide" (featuring Queen Latifah, Bahamadia and Angie Stone) | Badu, Poyser, Smith, Queen Latifah, Angie Stone, Bahamadia | Badu, Williams, Smith, Poyser | 5:25 |
10. | "World Keeps Turnin' (Outro)" | Badu | Badu | 4:01 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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11. | "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" (featuring Common) | Raphael Saadiq, Badu, Poyser, Robert Ozuna, Glen Standridge | Raphael Saadiq, Badu, add. producers: Poyser, Jake and the Phatman | 3:50 |
12. | "Hollywood" | David Wolinski, Andre Fischer | Badu | 5:32 |
Freakquency
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Erica Abi Wright, known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut album Baduizm (1997), placed her at the forefront of the neo soul movement, earning her the nickname "Queen of Neo Soul" by music critics.
Baduizm is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu. It was released on February 11, 1997, by Kedar Records and Universal 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. 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".
Mama's Gun is the second studio album by American singer Erykah Badu. It was recorded between 1999 and 2000 at Electric Lady Studios in New York and released on November 21, 2000, by Motown Records. A neo soul album, Mama's Gun incorporates elements of funk, soul, and jazz styles. It has confessional lyrics by Badu, which cover themes of insecurity, personal relationships, and social issues. The album has been viewed by critics as a female companion to neo soul artist D'Angelo's second album Voodoo (2000), which features a similar musical style and direction. Critics have also noted that while Badu's first album Baduizm contained its share of cryptic lyricism, Mama's Gun is much more direct in its approach, and places the artist in a subjective position more than its predecessor.
James Jason Poyser is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been a member of the hip hop band The Roots since 2009, and plays with The Roots in the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and formerly, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1 is the debut studio album by American singer Jill Scott. It was released on July 18, 2000, by Hidden Beach Recordings. The album was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 2001 Grammy Awards, whereas "Gettin' in the Way", "A Long Walk", and "He Loves Me " were nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2001, 2002, and 2003, respectively. In 2010, the album was ranked number 70 on Slant Magazine's list of "The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s".
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"Love of My Life " is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for the Brown Sugar soundtrack (2002). It features American rapper Common, who co-wrote the song alongside Badu, Madukwu Chinwah, Robert Ozuma, James Poyser, Rashad Smith, Glen Standridge and the song's sole producer Raphael Saadiq. The song follows the film and its soundtrack's common lyrical theme of personifying hip hop. It was released as the lead single from Brown Sugar on August 5, 2002, by MCA Records.
"Didn't Cha Know?" is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for her second studio album Mama's Gun (2000). It was written by Badu and produced by fellow Soulquarian member J Dilla, and features a sample from Tarika Blue's song "Dreamflower" (1977). The song was released as the second single from Mama's Gun on November 28, 2000, by Motown Records.
"Cleva" is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for her second studio album Mama's Gun (2000). It was written and produced by Badu, J Dilla, and James Poyser, a member of the Soulquarians and Badu's own production team Frequency. The song features Roy Ayers on vibraphone. It was released as the third and final single from Mama's Gun on April 17, 2001, by Motown Records.
American singer 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.
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"Honey" is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for her fourth studio album New Amerykah Part One (2008). It was produced by 9th Wonder, and contains a sample from Nancy Wilson's 1978 song "I'm in Love". The song was released as the lead single from New Amerykah Part One on November 20, 2007, by Universal Motown Records.
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"Danger" is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for her third studio album Worldwide Underground (2003). It was written and produced by Badu, James Poyser, Rashad Smith and R.C. Williams. The song samples and is a sequel to Badu's single "Otherside of the Game" (1997), being set further along in the couple's relationship, after the protagonist's boyfriend has been arrested. It was released as the lead single from Worldwide Underground on August 4, 2003, by Motown Records.
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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 mixtape in 11 days. The mixtape features appearances from rapper ItsRoutine and André 3000.
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