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". 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.īy the age of 14, Badu was freestyling for a local radio station alongside such talent as Roy Hargrove. The children's maternal and paternal grandmothers often helped look after them. Her mother raised her, her brother Eevin, and her sister alone after separating from their father, William Wright Jr. 2.4 New Amerykah Part Two and Window Seat controversy (2010–14)Įrykah Badu was born Erica Abi Wright in Dallas, Texas.2.2 Mama's Gun and Worldwide Underground (2000–06).She also has appeared in the documentaries Before the Music Dies and The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975. 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 was a core member of the Soulquarians. Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her eccentric style, which often included wearing very large and colorful headwraps. It contained the album's lead single " Window Seat", which led to controversy.īadu's voice has been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday. New Amerykah Part Two was released in 2010 and fared well both critically and commercially.
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It spawned two singles: " Honey" and " Soldier". Badu's fourth album, New Amerykah Part One, was released in 2008. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA. 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. Badu's third album, Worldwide Underground, was released in 2003.
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The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA. 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". Her second studio album, Mama's Gun, was released in 2000. Her first live album, Live, was released in November 1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA. The album was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It spawned four singles: " On & On", " Appletree", " Next Lifetime" and " Otherside of the Game". Her first album, Baduizm, was released in February 1997. Badu's career began after she opened a show for D'Angelo in 1994 in Fort Worth record label executive Kedar Massenburg was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Entertainment. She has been called the “Queen of Neo Soul”. Influenced by R&B, 1970s soul, and 1980s hip hop, Badu became associated with the neo soul subgenre in the 1990s and 2000s along with artists such as D'Angelo and Maxwell.
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Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu ( / ˈ ɛr ɪ k ə b ɑː ˈ d uː/), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress.