Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Dallas, United States. Born Erica Abi Wright in 1971, she begins performing at an early age under the guidance of her godmother and uncle, and starts freestyling for local radio by the age of 14. She studies theatre at Grambling State University before leaving to pursue music full-time. She changes the spelling of her first name to Erykah and adopts the surname Badu.

Career

Badu first gains wider attention after opening for D'Angelo in 1994, which leads to a recording deal with Kedar Entertainment. She later records a demo with her group Erykah Free and signs with Universal Records. Her early work draws on R&B, soul and hip-hop, and she is associated with neo soul, acid jazz, contemporary R&B, funk, hip hop and jazz.

Her debut studio album, Baduizm (1997), establishes her as a major figure in neo soul. It produces the singles “On & On”, “Appletree”, “Next Lifetime” and “Otherside of the Game”, and is certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album brings multiple Grammy Awards, including Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Album. Her live album Live also appears in 1997 and includes “Tyrone”; it is certified double platinum.

In 2000, she releases Mama’s Gun, which includes “Bag Lady”, “Didn’t Cha Know?” and “Cleva”. “Bag Lady” reaches number six on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album is certified platinum. Her third album, Worldwide Underground (2003), features “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)”, “Danger” and “Back in the Day (Puff)”; the first of these reaches number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album is certified gold.

Later albums, collaborations and work outside music

Badu’s fourth studio album, New Amerykah Part One (2008), includes the singles “Honey” and “Soldier”, and is supported by the Vortex Tour and the Jam Tour. Her fifth studio album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (2010), includes “Window Seat”, whose video filmed at Dealey Plaza in Dallas attracts media attention and leads to a disorderly conduct charge that she later resolves through probation.

She works with The Roots on “You Got Me”, which wins Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the Grammy Awards. She also collaborates with Common, Questlove, Flying Lotus, Tyler, The Creator, Robert Glasper, Bonobo, Janelle Monáe, D'Angelo, Teyana Taylor, Bilal and RM. Her work also includes the mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone (2015) and contributions to the soundtrack for The Land (2016). From 2020 onwards, she participates in projects including “Beehoove”, “Lowkey”, Bilal’s EP VOYAGE-19 and RM’s album Indigo.

Other activities and associations

Badu is a core member of the Soulquarians and is also associated with the Black Rock Coalition, The Cannabinoids and Freakquency. She co-founds the Sugar Water Festival with Queen Latifah and Jill Scott to promote health awareness among African-American women. She appears as an actress in Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules and House of D, and in documentaries including Before the Music Dies and The Black Power Mixtape 1967–1975.

Her voice is often compared with that of Billie Holiday, and early in her career she is known for wearing large, colourful headwraps. She also performs annual birthday concerts. In 2025, she announces work on a new studio album produced by The Alchemist for her independent label Control FREAQ Records.