Erykah Badu: Difference between revisions

American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress

Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971),^[3] known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop,^[3] 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 honorific nickname “Queen of Neo Soul” by music critics.

Badu’s career began after she opened a show for D’Angelo in 1994 in Fort Worth, leading to record label executive Kedar Massenburg signing her to Kedar Entertainment.^[3] Her first album, Baduizm, was released in February 1997.^[4] 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).^[5] Her first live album, Live, was released in November 1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.^[5]

Her second studio album, Mama’s Gun, was released in 2000.^[6] It spawned three singles: “Bag Lady“, which became her first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #6, “Didn’t Cha Know?” and “Cleva“. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.^[5] Badu’s third album, Worldwide Underground, was released in 2003.^[7] It generated three singles: “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)“, “Danger” and “Back in the Day (Puff)” with ‘Love’ becoming her second song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA.^[5] Badu’s fourth album, New Amerykah Part One, was released in 2008.^[8] It spawned two singles: “Honey” and “Soldier“. New Amerykah Part Two was released in 2010 and fared well both critically and commercially. It contained the album’s lead single “Window Seat“, which led to controversy.

Badu’s voice has been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday.^[9][10][11] Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her eccentric style, which often included wearing very large and colorful headwraps. She was a core member of the Soulquarians. As an actress, she has played a number of supporting roles in movies including Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules and House of D. She also has appeared in the documentaries Before the Music Dies and The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975.

Early life[edit]

Erykah Badu was born Erica Abi Wright in Dallas, Texas. Her mother raised her, her brother Eevin, and her sister alone after separating from their father, William Wright Jr. The children’s maternal and paternal grandmothers often helped look after them. Badu had her first taste of show business at the age of four, singing and dancing at the Dallas Theater Center and The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) under the guidance of her godmother, Gwen Hargrove, and uncle TBAAL founder Curtis King.

By the age of 14, Badu was freestyling for a local radio station alongside such talent as Roy Hargrove. In her youth, she had decided to change the spelling of her first name from Erica to Erykah, as she believed her original name was a “slave name“. The term “kah” signifies the inner self. She adopted the surname “Badu” because it is her favorite jazz scat sound; also, among the Akan people in Ghana, it is the term for the 10th-born child.^[12]

After graduating from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Badu went on to study theater at Grambling State University, a historically black university. She left the university in 1993 before graduating, to focus more fully on music. During this time, Badu took several minimum-wage jobs to support herself. She taught drama and dance to children at the South Dallas Cultural Center. Working and touring with her cousin, Robert “Free” Bradford, she 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.^[12]

1997-1999: Baduizm and Live[edit]

Baduizm, Badu’s debut album, was released in early 1997. The album met with critical and commercial success, debuting at number two on the Billboard charts and number one on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.^[13][14] Baduizm‘s commercial and critical success helped establish Badu as one of the emerging neo soul genre’s leading artists.^[15] Her particular style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday.^[16]
Baduizm was certified three times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, Gold by the British Phonographic Industry and the Canadian Recording Industry Association.^[5][17][18]

The album produced four singles; the lead single “On & On” was released in December 1996,^[19] and reached number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 charts and the UK Singles Charts, as well as making an appearance on the New Zealand charts.^[20] The album and lead single also gave Badu her first nomination and…