  Erykah (Erica Wright) Badu was
born February 26, 1971, in Dallas. When her
debut LP was released in 1997, critics hailed
her as a modern-day Billie Holiday with her
soulful mix of jazz, hip hop and R&B.
After years of studying theater and dance in
Louisiana and work as a teacher, Erykah was a
part-time singer in Dallas often opening for
the rap and hip hop acts coming into town.
Erykah got her first big musical
break opening for D'Angelo which quickly led to a
record contract. Soon Erykah could be heard
on the High
School High soundtrack dueting with D'Angelo on the Marvin Gaye and Tammi
Terrel song, "Your Precious
Love."
Perhaps Greg Tate's description
in Vibe best sums up Erykah:
"Just when we thought couldn't nobody be
a black woman in pop music without being a
breast-baring pop tart, a put-it-on-the-glass
video ho, or a gold-digging hoochie mama,
here comes Badu-on BET, no less: home of the
superficial, land of the fake. Celebrating
serial motherhood, Mississippi mud baths, The
Color Purple, shotgun shacks, and
sky-high African-village-woman geles, this
earth goddess goes on and on in a voice part
Ella, part sassy Sarah, part Billie, part
Nina, and yet all Badu."
Spin magazine stated:
"Erykah Badu redefines the word diva...
She's replaced attitude with sass, and her
sex appeal lies within her own private
sensuality."
 # 106
Singles Artist of the Year
 Erykah's debut LP, Baduizm, was released to
positive critical claim and commercial
success on the R&B and pop charts. Erykah
wrote all but one of the tracks on the LP.
The success on R&B radio, critical
appeal, and Erykah's fresh take on R&B
music all helped the LP to get as high as #2
on the Billboard charts. Erykah's style was
also seen within the innovative and
story-like quality of her videos.
The first single "On & On" hit the Top 40.
"On & On" topped the
Billboard R&B Singles chart for 2 weeks
and the Billboard R&B Singles Airplay
chart for 4 weeks.
Baduizm topped the Billboard
R&B Albums chart for 4 weeks.
Baduizm was certified platinum
and the single "On & On" was certified
gold.
"Next Lifetime" topped
the Billboard R&B Singles Airplay chart
for 2 weeks.
Erykah went on to tour with Wu-Tang
Clan and as part of the summer's
Smokin' Grooves tour.
On the meaning of her music,
Erykah has responded: "Well, music makes
you hungry,and I had to get the music out of
me. I'm just a path for letting the music
out. I don't know if it's righteousness or
spiritualism. Music is a rebirth process and
I am a midwife helping to bring it into the
world. Music shouldn't be abusive, but
resourceful. It was something that was given
to me, but it is not to keep."
Baduizm was certified 2x
platinum.
Erykah was
nominated for 2 MTV Video Music
Awards for Best Female Video and Best R&B Video ("On & On").
Erykah could be
heard on Busta Rhymes' LP, When
Disaster Strikes, on the track
"The One."
Erykah could be heard on the
soundtrack for Eve's
Bayou with "A Child With The
Blues (Izm Mix)."
 Erykah gave birth to a baby boy
named Seven the same day her new LP, Live! was released in the
U.S. The baby was 2 weeks early and the
father is Andre Benjamin from Outkast. Erykah named her baby
Seven because it is "...a divine number
which cannot be divided."
Her new LP, Live!, debuted in the Top 10
on the pop and R&B charts. The LP was a
collection of live performances from October
and new songs including "Tyrone." Erykah
describes "Tyrone" as
"...(not) my man... Tyrone is just the
guy my boyfriend spends all his time with,
and who I'm telling my man to call to help
him get his stuff out of my house."
"Tyrone" topped the
Billboard R&B Singles Airplay chart for 6
weeks.
Live! topped the Billboard
R&B Albums chart for 3 weeks.
Erykah hit the Top 40 with
"Tyrone."
Readers and critics of Rolling
Stone named Badu the Best R&B
Artist of the Year.
Erykah topped the Billboard
Year-End Charts as the Top R&B
Album Artist - Female.
By the end of the year, Erykah
also took home a Billboard Music Video Award
for Best New Artist Clip (R&B/Urban)
("On & On") and 4 Soul
Train Lady of Soul Awards for Best New Solo
Artist, Best R&B Solo Album (Baduizm), Best R&B Solo
Single ("On & On"), and R&B
Song of the Year ("On & On").
 # 157
Singles Artist of the Year
Erykah won an American Music
Award for Favorite
New Soul/R&B Artist and was nominated for
Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist and
Favorite Soul/R&B Album.
Live! was certified
platinum.
Erykah won 2 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("On & On") and Best R&B Album (Baduizm) and was also
nominated for Best New Artist and Best R&B Song
(awarded to the songwriter) ("On & On").
Erykah could be seen in the film
Blues
Brothers 2000 playing a jazz diva.
 Erykah appeared on the
soundtrack for Hav
Plenty with "Ye Yo."
More awards followed for Erykah
in the form of 2 NAACP Image Awards for
Outstanding Female Recording Artist and
Outstanding New Recording Artist, 2 Soul
Train Lady of Soul Awards for Best R&B
Soul or Rap Song of the Year and Best R&B
Soul Single Award (solo) (both for "Tyrone"), and 4 Soul
Train Music Awards for Best New Artist, Best
R&B/Soul Album - Female (Baduizm), Best R&B Soul or
Rap Album (Baduizm), and Best
R&B/Soul Single ("On & On").
 # 149
Singles Artist of the Year
Erykah was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female for "Tyrone" and Best R&B Album for Live!.
Erykah hit the Top 40 by helping
out The Roots on "You
Got Me"
from Things
Fall Apart.
Erykah ranked at # 100 on VH1: 100
Greatest Women of Rock & Roll.
Erykah was nominated for a Soul
Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album
of the Year (Live!).
Erykah spent a majority of the
year working on her next LP in Dallas and
helped with the track "Southern
Gul" which was featured on the solo LP
of Rahzel (of The
Roots).
Erykah could be seen in the
critically acclaimed film The
Cider House Rules.
 # 143
Singles Artist of the Year
Erykah won another Grammy Award for
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
("You
Got Me"
with The Roots).
Baduizm was certified 3x
platinum and Live! was certified 2x
platinum.
Erykah could be heard on the
soundtrack for Bamboozled with "Light Remix
For You)" and "Hollywood."
Erykah hit #1 on the Billboard
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks
chart with "Bag
Lady"
(for 7 weeks) and hit the Top 40 by the end
of the month.
 Erykah released her next LP, Mama's
Gun..
Mama's
Gun was certified platinum.
Erykah was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female and Best R&B Song
(awarded to the songwriter) ("Bag
Lady").
Erykah was nominated for a Soul
Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul
Single, Female ("Bag
Lady").
Erykah was nominated
for a Soul Train Lady of Soul Award for Best
R&B/Soul Album: Solo (Mama's
Gun). Erykah lost to Jill
Scott even though the press
backstage were mistakenly told the winner was
Erykah.
 # 187
Singles Artist of the Year
Erykah was
nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
(awarded to the songwriter) ("Didn't Cha
Know").
 Erykah could be
heard on the Brown
Sugar soundtrack with "Love Of My Life (An Ode
To Hip Hop)" with Common.
Erykah hit the Top 40 with help
from Common with "Love Of My Life (An Ode
To Hip Hop)."
Erykah topped the Billboard Hot
R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart
for 4 weeks and the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay
chart for 4 weeks with "Love Of My Life (An Ode
To Hip Hop)."
Erykah was
nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for
Female R&B/Soul Single ("Love Of My Life (An Ode
To Hip Hop)").
Erykah won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
(awarded to the songwriter) ("Love Of My Life (An Ode
To Hip Hop))" and was also nominated
for Best Urban /
Alternative Performance and Best Song Written
for a Motion Picture, Television or Other
Visual Media ("Love Of My Life (An Ode
To Hip Hop)").
Erykah won a BET Award for Video
of the Year (with Common for
"Love Of My Life (An Ode
To Hip Hop)").
Erykah won a Soul Train Lady of
Soul Award for Best Solo Single ("Love Of My Life (An Ode
To Hip Hop)") and was also honored
with the 2003 Aretha Franklin 'Entertainer of
the Year' Award.
 Erykah released the EP Worldwide
Underground.
Worldwide
Underground was certified gold.
Erykah was nominated for 4 Grammy Awards including Best R&B Vocal
Performance - Female ("Back In The
Day"), Best Urban / Alternative
Performance ("Danger"), Best R&B Song
(awarded to the songwriter)
("Danger" with J. Poyser, B.R. Smith
& R.C. Williams), and Best R&B Album (Worldwide
Underground).
Erykah could be
heard on Sergio Mendes' Timeless.
Erykah was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban / Alternative
Performance ("That Heat" with Sergio Mendes and Will.i.am).
 Erykah released her next LP New
AmErykah, Pt. One: 4th World War.
Entertainment Weekly:
100 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years included Mama's
Gun at # 64.
The video for "Honey"
won a MTV Video Music
Award for Best Direction (Erykah and Mr.
Roboto), and was nominated for Best Editing (T. David Binns), Best Cinematography (Crash and Karsten
Gopinath), and Best Special Effects (X1FX).
 Erykah was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form ("Honey").
Erykah released New
Amerykah Part Two: Return Of The Ankh.
iTunes
Amazon.mp3 |
Baduizm
Released: February 11, 1997
US: 3x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 2
Rolling Stone
review: 
Tracks: "Rimshot
(Intro)" - "On & On" -
"Apple Tree" - "Other Side
Of The Game" - "Sometimes (Mix
#9)" - "Next Lifetime" -
"Afro (Freestyle Skit)" -
"Certainly" - "4 Leaf
Clover" - "No Love" -
"Drama" - "Sometimes"
- "Certainly (Flipped It)" -
"Rimshot (Outro)" |
|
Live!
Released: November 18, 1997
US: 2x Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 4
Live Tracks: "Rimshot
(Intro)" - "Other Side Of The
Game" - "On & On" -
"Reprise" - "Apple
Tree" - "Ye Yo" -
"Searching" - "Boogie
Nights / All Night" -
"Certainly" - "Stay"
- "Next Lifetime (Interlude)" -
"Tyrone" - "Next
Lifetime" - "Tyrone" (Extended
Version) |
|
Mama's Gun
Released: November, 2000
US: Platinum
Billboard
peak:
# 11
Rolling Stone
review:
Tracks:
"Penitentiary Philosophy" -
"Didn't Cha Know" - "My
Life" - "... & On" -
"Cleva" - "Hey Sugah"
- "Booty" - "Kiss Me On My
Neck" - "A.D. 2000" -
"Orange Moon" - "In Love
With You" - "Bag Lady" -
"Time's A Wastin'" -
"Green Eyes" |
|
Worldwide Underground EP
Released: September , 2003
US: Gold
Billboard
peak:
# 3
Tracks: "Intro
(World Keeps Turnin')" - "Bump
It" - "Back In The Day
(Puff)" - "I Want You" -
"Woo" - "The Grind" -
"Danger" - "Think
Twice" - "Love Of My Life
Worldwide" - "Outro (World
Keeps Turnin')" |
 |
New AmErykah, Pt. One:
4th World War
Released: February, 2008
Billboard
peak:
# 2
Rolling Stone:  - Entertainment
Weekly: A-
Tracks: "Amerykahn
Promise" - "The Healer" -
"Me" - "My People" -
"Soldier" - "The
Cell" - "Twinkle" -
"Master Teacher" - "That
Hump" - "Telephone" -
"Honey" |
|
New Amerykah Part Two:
Return Of The Ankh
Released: March, 2010
Tracks: "20 Feet
Tall" - "Window Seat" -
"Agitation" - "Turn Me
Away (Get Munny)" - "Gone Baby,
Don't Be Long" - "Umm Hmm"
- "Love" - "You Loving Me
(Session)" - "Fall In Love
(Your Funeral)" -
"Incense" - "Out Of My
Mind, Just In Time" |
| Note: Song title and
position links lead you to the song's Top
40 chart run (from the ARC Weekly Top
40)
and LP links take you to Amazon.com for that LP (often
including track listings and sound
samples). |
|
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