Erykah Badu

One Liner:  Legendary neo soul singer from Dallas

Wikipedia Genre: R&B, neo soul, hip hop, psychedelic soul, progressive soul
Home:  Dallas

Poster Position: 2
Weekend One Sunday at 7:30 on the Miller Lite Stage.

Weekend Two Friday at 7 on the Miller Lite Stage.

Thoughts:  Badu is a funny one for me, as when I saw her on the lineup, I was like - "cool, yeah, that will be fun."  And then my wife asked me what she sang, and I was like - "you know, uh, yeah, that one that is like 'you better call Tyroooooowwwoooone' and the one about how bag ladies have lots of shit?"  I don't actually have any real knowledge of her music at all, but in my mind I figured that I did.  So odd.  I guess I've just always heard about her being a musical genius but never gotten around to diving in to it.  I've probably heard her part on Outkast's "Humble Mumble" more than I've heard any of her actual songs.  Not probably, that is a fact, jack.

I recall Badu being at an ACL in the past, but I don't see that I wrote a review beforehand, so that might have been before I got all obsessive and started this blog.  But I do see that I reviewed one of her albums, her most recent album, which was all the way back in 2015.  Here you go.

Erykah Badu - But You Caint Use My Phone.  Back when I lived in Dallas, my roommate and I would frequently sing lines from Badu's "Tyrone," which includes the line for the title of this album. I honestly have no clue why we would tell each other "You betta cawwll Tyroyeone!"  But that's what we did anyway.
So here, you've got a mixtape from Badu with songs that almost all involve the telephone, including Drake's "Hotline Bling" and Usher's "You Don't Have to Call."  She's also got some rap with Drake (so nasal!) {EDIT: that apparently is not really Drake, but somebody called ItsRoutine who sounds just like Drake} and her baby daddy Andre 3000 on there. It is a weird group of tracks, and she keeps it weirder by saying "squirrel" repeatedly on the tracks (best example, in Usher's tune, instead of "You don't have to call, its OK, girl," she goes with "You don't have to call, its OK squirrel."), but it still works and I found myself enjoying it.  I think my favorite is "Phone Down."

Such a great lyric for a sexy ass song.  Nice groove, and let's all put our phones down and get it on. Right now!  She samples "Hotline Bling" frequently on here, and its kind of awesome.  That jenky little Casio beat just works for me.  Cool mixtape that I've enjoyed for a few weeks.

I just listened to it again - that album is just plain fun.

Her real name is Erica Abi Wright, and she's from Dallas, which makes her kind of interesting to me.  You don't hear about many successful musicians from Dallas.  Post Malone.  Uh, St. Vincent.  I looked it up, and they apparently claim Stevie Ray Vaughan (born there, but I'd say Austin took him over), Kelly Clarkson (although she's from some Ft. Worth suburb), Leann Rimes (born in Mississippi), Meat Loaf (who is definitely better known for New York), Steve Miller (born in Milwaukee and based in San Fran when he got popular), Selina Gomez, and the Dixie Chicks (who, also, I would peg as being from Lubbock in my mind).  But she seems more legitimately Dallas than any of those people.

Also interesting, her list of partners on Wikipedia.  With Andre 3000 for five years, then with Common for three years, then with The D.O.C. for two years, then Jay Electronica for six years, and finally with a dude named Carl Jones who doesn't appear to be a rapper (he's a producer).  The Outkast song "Ms. Jackson is apparently about Badu, her mother, and the son that Andre and Erykah had together.  That is dope.  Common missed out on making babies with her, but she had a daughter with The D.O.C. and then another girl with Jay Electronica.

Her debut album came out in 1997.  Baduizm was an immediate success, jumping up to #2 on the Billboard charts and #1 on the R&B/hip hop charts.  It was not on my personal radar at all.  That would have been right as college was drawing to a close, and I don't recall knowing anything about her.  I was probably busy with Robert Earl Keen and TuPac at the time.    But the album was certified platinum multiple times, and she won best R&B album and best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the Grammys that year.  The big hit from the album was "On & On."  At 115.7 million streams, this is her only song with more than 100 million streams.

Very deeply chill.  "Appletree" is more fun - danceable beat and entertaining lyrics.  Her voice is just wonderful.  "Next Lifetime" shows off the pure honey of that voice going from falsetto to full-throated power.  So, I can understand the musicianship and skills that she brings to the table.  Unfortunately for me, I'm just not that interested in a full R&B/soul experience.  After a while, I'm looking for the door to avoid anymore pretty grooves with a flute.

Her next album was also large, 2000's Mama's Gun.  Went platinum and "Bag Lady" was nominated for a Grammy.  And here is where my mind was playing tricks.  In my mind, "Bag Lady" was kind of a jam, that shared the same little sample as Dr. Dre's "Xxplosive."  But the album version of the song is a slow jam, a meandering R&B song without any action.  Only now do I realize that there was a "radio edit" that is the one I was thinking of - that song bangs.  The original does not bang.  The remix topped the R&B charts for seven weeks.  And because I was living in Dallas at the time, driving many many miles every day for work, I probably heard it daily on K-104.  BUT, "Bag Lady" isn't the top streamer for this album, it's actually one called "Didn't Cha Know," with 56.7 million streams.

That song rings zero bells, at all.  BUt I dig that funky ass groove.  Stone cold smooooove.  She's like a Mad Max bride up in this video.  I'd be so tired after walking in that getup.  Oh, but she got to go for a little skinny dip.  Good call.

Her next three albums - 2003's Worldwide Underground, 2008's New Amerykah Part One, and 2010's New Amerykah Part Two - were critically acclaimed, but didn't seem to cross over into the public eye as much.  I don't remember any song from any of those three albums, but they spent some time on the R&B charts, and Wikipedia keeps using the phrase "general acclaim from critics" when talking about these discs.

Here's a fun story about the video for the track "Window Seat."

"On March 13, 2010, Badu filmed the video for her song "Window Seat", at Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, the site of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. She wrote on her Twitter feed that the video "was shot guerrilla style, no crew, 1 take, no closed set, no warning, 2 min., Downtown Dallas, then ran like hell." The team did not acquire permission or permits from the city. In the video, Badu shed her clothes as she walked along a Dallas sidewalk until she was nude at the site where Kennedy was shot. A shot rang out as the song ended, Badu's head jerked back, and she fell to the ground. Children with their families could be seen nearby as Badu stripped.  When asked about stripping nude in the presence of minors, Badu said, "I didn't think about them until I saw them, and in my mind I tried to telepathically communicate my good intent to them. That's all I could do, and I hoped they wouldn't be traumatized." "

She's also courted other controversy a bunch.  Much of it appears to be based on her generalized love for all people.  She complimented Hitler and supported both R. Kelly and Bill Cosby.  Bill Cosby is gross and I hate that one of my favorite childhood things is now tainted, but I actually like the end of Badu's quote: "I love Bill Cosby, and I love what he's done for the world. But if he's sick, why would I be angry with him?"  I don't personally think we need to love what Bill Cosby has done for the world, but we can also recognize that he is a sick person and we shouldn't be angry with him.  Just lock him away so that he can't do his shit to anyone anymore...

Just in case you want to see the stripping video...

The people who notice her and stare are amazing.  Like, right when she pulls off her short, that mom is amazing.  I have no clue how those people around 4:15 don't stare.

Yeah.  She's certainly an original.  Her voice is amazing.  She's paved the way for a lot of other artists who have come along since.  But I likely wouldn't go out of my way to go see her show.  I'll probably be watching Greta Van Fleet or St. Vincent...