Erykah Badu

Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip-hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut studio album Baduizm (1997), placed her at the forefront of the neo soul movement, earning her the nickname "Queen of Neo Soul" by music critics.

Badu's career began after opening a show for D'Angelo in 1994 in Fort Worth, which led to record label executive Kedar Massenburg signing her to Kedar Entertainment. Badu's first album, Baduizm, was released in February 11, 1997. 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). Badu's first live album, Live, was released in November 1997, and contained her signature song "Tyrone" and was subsequently certified double platinum by the RIAA.

Badu's second studio album, Mama's Gun, was released in 2000. It spawned three singles: "Bag Lady", which became her first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at number 6, "Didn't Cha Know?" and "Cleva". The album was certified platinum by the RIAA. Badu's third album, Worldwide Underground, was released in 2003. It generated three singles: "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)", "Danger" and "Back in the Day (Puff)", with the first becoming her second song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 9. The album was certified gold by the RIAA. Badu's fourth album, New Amerykah Part One, was released in 2008. 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", whose music video sparked controversy.

Badu's voice has been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday. Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her 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.

Badu was born in Dallas, Texas. She was raised by her mother, actress Kolleen Wright, along with her younger siblings: brother Eevin and sister Koryan. Her parents separated when Erica was young.

Badu began singing and dancing at the age of four alongside her mother. She performed at the Dallas Theater Center and The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) under the guidance of her godmother, Gwen Hargrove, and her uncle, TBAAL founder Curtis King.

By the age of 14, Badu was freestyling for a local radio station alongside artists such 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.

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. In 1995, she moved to Brooklyn to finish her debut album.

She formed a band Erykah Free 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 of “Your Precious Love” with D'Angelo and eventually signed her to a record deal with Universal Records.

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 U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Baduizm's commercial and critical success helped establish Badu as one of the emerging neo soul genre's leading artists. Her particular style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday. 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.

The album produced four singles; the lead single "On & On" was released in December 1996, and reached number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 charts and the UK Singles Charts, as well as making an appearance on the New Zealand charts. The album and lead single also gave Badu her first nomination and win at the Grammy Awards, where "On & On" won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and the album won Best R&B Album.

Badu recorded her first live album, Live, while pregnant with Seven, and the release of the recording coincided with his birth. The album was released on November 18, 1997, and reached number four on the U.S. Billboard 200

and number one on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album was certified two times platinum by RIAA for shipments of over two million copies. The album's lead single, "Tyrone", was released in October 1997 and became another R&B hit single. "Tyrone", lyrically, is a song chiding a selfish, cheap, and inattentive boyfriend.

Badu also collaborated with the Roots (who had previously handled production duties on a number of tracks on Baduizm) on their breakthrough 1999 release Things Fall Apart. She was featured on the song "You Got Me", by The Roots and American woman rapper Eve. Co-written by Jill Scott, the song peaked at 39 in the U.S. and 31 in the UK. The song went on to win The Roots and Badu a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in 1999.

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. The album debuted as number three on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. 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.

By 2000, Badu was in a romantic relationship with fellow Soulquarian Common. The two released "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" as a collaboration on the Brown Sugar soundtrack. "Love of My Life" hit number 9 on the pop chart, topped the R&B listing, and in 2003 Badu was awarded her fourth Grammy Award for it.

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. After the release of Mama's Gun and "Love of My Life", Badu suffered writer's block.

On September 16, 2003, she released her third studio album, Worldwide Underground. The album was more jam-oriented than any of her prior releases, and Badu said that the album was designed to be "one continuous groove." Upon its release Worldwide Underground met with some criticism for its loose, unconventional structure and songwriting, but the album received generally positive reviews from critics.

Commercially the album fared well and debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart in the week of October 4, 2003, selling 143,561 copies in its first week. 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. By December 2003, the album had sold 394,000 copies domestically. 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. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has sold 609,000 copies in the United States.

After receiving her first computer as a Christmas gift, Badu began communicating with and receiving music from Questlove, Q-Tip and J Dilla, among others. She later began to use her laptop as a mini recording studio to construct various backing tracks for songs, which led to the album's primary recording sessions at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

In 2007 Badu was said to have three albums in the works for release during 2007 and 2008. "Honey", a new single produced by 9th Wonder, was leaked online in November 2007. The fourth studio album, New Amerykah Part One, was released by Universal Motown Records, in the United States on February 26, 2008, Badu's 37th birthday. It was released in European countries on February 29, in Australia and the United Kingdom on March 3, and in Japan on March 12. Both Japanese and Australian editions contain the bonus track "Real Thang". The album's digital release on the iTunes Store featured the song's "Tumbling Dice Remix" as a bonus track. New Amerykah Part One was also released as a double vinyl LP on March 11, and on USB stick format.

The album's lead single, "Honey", was released on December 11, 2007. It reached number 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100, on which it spent three weeks. The song also charted at number 22 and spent 17 weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Upon release New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) received universal acclaim from critics.

In the United States, the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 125,000 copies in its first week. It was Badu's best opening week since her debut album Baduizm in 1997. It also entered at number two on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

In May 2013, Badu announced she was writing her next project, but not placing a time constraint on it.

In July 2014, Badu revealed she was still working on the album and had been recording in April in Africa where she was "laying down drum tracks". Badu also said that prior to her trip to Africa she would have meetings with her record label to set a deadline for the album.

Later that year Badu expanded on the album, stating she was working with producer Flying Lotus, who she met via MySpace years ago; they later met in L.A. at guitarist Steve Wilson's house.

In 2015, Badu appeared on "Rememory", a song from Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment's album Surf.

In July 2015, Badu released a free mixtape of her favorite recordings, describing the set as "carefully and lovingly selected high frequency tones for the soul." The mixtape features mostly vintage funk, soul and jazz songs.

In May 2020, she featured on a single titled "Beehoove" alongside D'Angelo on Slingbaum's vinyl-only release debut studio album, Slingbaum One. On June 19, 2020, Badu featured on the song "Lowkey" by singer Teyana Taylor. In August 2020, Badu contributed to the live streamed recording of Bilal's EP Voyage-19, created remotely during the COVID-19 lockdowns. It was released the following month with proceeds from its sales going to participating musicians in financial hardship from the pandemic. In December 2022, she featured on a track titled "Yun" on RM's debut studio album Indigo.

In March 2025, during an interview with Billboard, Badu revealed she was working on a new studio album—her first in 15 years—slated to be produced solely by The Alchemist. It will be released through Badu's independent label Control FREAQ Records. That same year, she appeared in the documentary Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery – The Untold Story, which reflects on the legacy of the all-female music festival. In August 2026, Badu officially announced her debut collaborative album with The Alchemist, Before the World Blows. The album was released on August 28, 2026 by Control FREAQ/Young. The album was favourably received; NRC awarded it four stars out of five, describing the record as an equal collaboration rather than a nostalgic return, and noting guest contributions from Steve Lacy, Thundercat and Kamasi Washington. Earlier that year, on Koningsdag, Badu had made an unannounced appearance during The Alchemist's DJ set in Amsterdam's Westerpark.

Badu's work draws from R&B, 1970s soul, and 1980s hip-hop, and became associated with the neo soul subgenre in the 1990s along with artists like D'Angelo. For her musical sensibilities, she has often been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday. The Los Angeles Times described Badu as an experimental R&B singer. Her work explores contemporary forms of soul and hip-hop. Mama's Gun (2000) is a neo soul album, that incorporates funk, soul, and jazz styles. The album has been viewed by critics as a women's companion to neo soul artist D'Angelo's second album Voodoo (2000), which features a similar musical style and direction. Worldwide Underground (2003) followed in the same vein as Badu's previous efforts: the album is neo-soul and prominently incorporates hip-hop and funk elements, while also featuring an unconventional musical structure.

New Amerykah Part One (2008) has a dense stylistic amalgam that primarily incorporates funk, soul, and hip-hop genres, as well as jazz and electronica. In contrast to its predecessor, which was digitally produced and political in tone, New Amerykah Part Two (2010) incorporates sampling and live instrumentation.

The majority of Badu's music is greatly influenced by her beliefs of the Nation of Gods and Earths and her exploration of her African heritage. The songs in her album Baduizm express her personal take on life. Her philosophy is influenced by African ideology, African-centered and Five Percent theologies, and Southern African-American folk traditions. Mama's Gun has a confessional lyrical theme, covering themes of insecurity, social issues, and personal relationships. Worldwide Underground contains minimalist songwriting concerning hip-hop culture, love, ghetto life, and gang culture. New Amerykah Part One is an esoteric concept album with sociopolitical themes and mostly downbeat subject matter, featuring more impersonal topics and social commentary than on Badu's previous work. Its subject matter deals with social concerns and struggles within the African-American community, exploring topics such as institutional racism, religion, poverty, urban violence, the abuse of power, complacency, cultural identity, drug addiction, and nihilism. Badu has said that the album discusses "religion, [...] poor families, the undermining of the working class, the so-called minority". Lyrically, New Amerykah Part Two is more personal than its predecessor, focusing on themes of romance and relationships. Badu has described its sound as "very analog".

Badu is inspired by "stimulating" experiences. She was also significantly influenced by her music teacher Ms. Goodman, who encouraged her to take up music. Badu also takes influence from her grandmother and her religious views, which Badu described as a lesson saying "When you do it, it gotta be real, or that's not it."

In 1997, Badu received twenty nominations and won three, Favorite Female Solo Single for "On & On", Favorite Female Solo Album for Baduizm and Best R&B/Soul or Rap Song of the Year for "On & On" at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. In 1998, Badu received fourteen nominations and won eight, including Favorite R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist at the American Music Awards; Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "On & On" and Best R&B Album for Baduizm at the Grammy Awards; Outstanding New Artist and Outstanding Female Artist at the NAACP Image Awards; Favorite Female Soul/R&B Single for "On & On", Favorite Female Soul/R&B Album for Baduizm and Favorite New R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist for "On & On" at the Soul Train Music Awards.

In 2000, Badu received two nominations and won one, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the Grammy Awards.

In 2003, Badu received twelve nominations and won two, including Video of the Year for "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" at the BET Awards and Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" at the Grammy Awards.

In 2008, Badu received eleven nominations and won two, including Best Director for "Honey" at the BET Awards and Best Direction in a Video for "Honey" at the MTV Video Music Awards. Overall, Badu has won 16 awards from 59 nominations.

Although she disputes the term, Erykah Badu has been dubbed "the first lady of neo-soul" and "the queen of neo-soul". Baduizm's commercial and critical success earned Erykah Badu popularity at the time and helped establish her as one of the emerging neo soul genre's leading artists. Along with D'Angelo's Brown Sugar (1995) and Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite (1996), the album has been recognized by music writers for beginning neo soul's popularity and helping the genre obtain commercial visibility at the time.

Erykah Badu's song "Master Teacher" popularized the expression stay woke in the meaning of to continue to be "self-aware, questioning the dominant paradigm and striving for something better." In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Badu at number 115 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Badu has also ventured into acting. She made her debut as a supporting role in the 1998 film Blues Brothers 2000, playing Queen Mousette. The film gained mostly mixed to negative reviews from film critics and was considered a commercial failure. Badu made her second appearances in The Cider House Rules (1999), where she played the character of Rose Rose. The film fared well both critically and commercially, with Badu receiving numerous awards and nominations including a win at the 2000 Black Reel Awards for best supporting actress as well as nominations for Screen Actors Guild Awards and Satellite Awards.

In 2004, Badu returned to the screen playing Lady/Bernadette in House of D. Badu also had small roles in Before the Music Dies (2005), and Dave Chappelle's Block Party (2006). In 2008, she was reported to have a leading role alongside Mos Def in the upcoming indie film, Bobby Zero; the movie was not released. She also appeared in scenes of the music video of Miko Marks' 2006 recording "Mama" and Common's video for "The Light," as well as making a special appearance on the sitcom Girlfriends.

In 2006, Badu was certified as a doula. She supported the pregnancies of two mothers a year from 2001 to 2023. She has also worked as an end-of-life doula.

In 2008, Badu became the face of fashion designer Tom Ford White Patchouli fragrance. Ford, longtime friends with Badu, considered her the best choice for the campaign. "I have always considered her a true beauty ... she just fits", says Ford. In late December 2013, it was announced that Badu would become the face of Givenchy's 2014 Spring collection. Badu made her New York Fashion Week debut alongside designer Kerby Jean-Raymond in 2016, styling for his Pyer Moss collection titled "Double Bind." Erykah Badu and Kerby Jean-Raymond titled this collection after Gregory Bateson's idea Double bind. Badu called this collection a "movement" against issues including depression, racism, and hatred.

Badu also remains an activist in her hometown of South Dallas. In Nation19 Magazine Badu talked about why she set up her own charity organization, titled Beautiful Love Incorporated Non Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D. 501c3). The charity was established in 1997 and aims to provide "community-driven development for inner-city youth" through the use of music, dance, theater and visual arts. The organization's first endeavor was to establish a base of operations. Erykah chose to renovate and reopen the Black Forest Theater in South Dallas.

In 1995, Badu met rapper André 3000 of OutKast at a nightclub in New York City and subsequently began dating. She gave birth to their son, her first child, Seven Sirius Benjamin, on November 18, 1997. Their relationship ended in late 1998. In late 2000, OutKast released the song "Ms. Jackson", which was inspired by André 3000's then-relationship with Badu and her mother. The song reached number one on Billboard Hot 100 and would go on to win a Grammy Award.

On July 5, 2004, Badu gave birth to her second child, her daughter Puma Sabti Curry; Puma's father is rapper The D.O.C. The two separated sometime in 2007-2008 after Dr. Dre contacted D.O.C. to work on Dre's next album, prompting D.O.C. to depart for Los Angeles. On February 1, 2009, Badu gave birth to her third child, a girl named Mars Merkaba Thedford, with her boyfriend of five years, rapper Jay Electronica.

Out My Mind, Just in Time World Tour (2010)

Abi & Alan Tour with The Alchemist (August 2025)

Mama's Gun '25: The Return of Automatic Slim Tour (2025)

Live Tour with The Alchemist, De La Soul & Smino (2026)