If you ever feel like watching a video of substance; a video that tells a story; a video that will hold your interest from beginning to end, then you need to watch an Erykah Badu video. Badu makes it a pleasure to sit and watch for a full 4:30 - 5 (or a bit more) full minutes. She does; she really does.
It's somewhat difficult to describe Badu's music. It cannot be tied neatly into any one genre. Her music encompasses jazz, soul, R&B, hip hop, funk and even rap. Her music is eclectic. Her lyrics are analytical and emotionally charged. One thing is for sure though, whatever it is, it's damn good music. It sounds good, it feels good and the lyrics are thought-provoking.
Badu is known for bringing the 'issues' to the fore. She is uninhibited when she pens a song. You need to listen (or read them) to understand what I'm talking about. Erykah brings conscious music and lyrics to the fore. She is also widely known for her unique sense of fashion.
It's one thing to have conscious thought-provoking lyrics but it's quite another thing to put appropriate music to them and most importantly to deliver them in a way that would be both receptive yet entertaining. This is something that Badu seems to have mastered. Her music is always catchy; it's always just right. I don't know how she does it, I'm just real happy that she does do it.
To hear Badu sing is quite an experience, but to see her perform is an experience worth having. When Erykah performs, there is no way to miss the emotions that are displayed in every facial gesture or every move of the hand and other body parts. She holds your attention; she draws you in and lets you feel what it is that she's feeling.
Erykah is like a cross between Lauryn Hill, D'Angelo, Maxwell, Chaka Khan, Common and Prince and has often been compared to the legendary Billie Holiday. She's a neat little package all wrapped up in and is often referred to as the First Lady of Neo-Soul.
She is the winner of 4 Grammy Awards, 2 BET Awards, 1 NAACP Award, 1 MTV Video Music Award and 1 American Music Award. So far in her career she has produced 5 albums: Baduizm (1997), Live (1997), Mama's Gun (2000), Worldwide Underground (2003) and New Amerykah Part One (2008).
She is the mother of two (a son with André 3000 of OutKast and a daughter with rapper The D.O.C). She is expecting her third child with her boyfriend Jay Electronica.
Badu is a true soul sista. She has made an invaluable contribution to the music industry. She has also held her own in bit parts in a few movies. I like her work; she is very talented and creative. I like all of her videos. My most favorite is Bag Lady; the choreography on that video, though simple, was quite nice. Other favorites include Love of My Life (Ode to Hip Hop), Honey, On and On and her live performance of Tyrone.
One of the things that I truly appreciate about Badu's music and lyrics is that she is very honest with them. She is earnest and honest with whatever she puts out. There's no effort to impress, or follow the crowd or anything of that sort. She searches herself and writes and performs from the heart. She is not afraid to seek out her destiny and to live it out in her own way.
She is a true beauty. She is so comfortable in her own skin; in the place that she's in at any given time of her life. She's not afraid of the journey that lies ahead. These are but a few of the qualities that I admire about her. Erykah Badu this is all I've got to say to you, "Keep on doing that thing that you do. You do it so very well and I absolutely love it."
