Mondays for me mean regrouping from the weekend and getting my head straight for the week ahead. On the music side, I usually listen to something mellow so I can calm my many anxieties. Maybe go on a walk outside to hang with the birds and the bees before I dive into spreadsheets for the day. While I was looking through my Spotify trying to find a vibe for this morning I landed on Miss Erykah Badu who is one of my all-time favorite R&B voices. To get you on some Badu vibes let’s just start with her #1 banger, “On and On.”
I could say that I have a crush on Erykah but let’s be real, don’t all of us? Erykah’s name has been in the news lately for her IG live battle with Jill Scott which I didn’t catch yet. But you better believe I will be listening to in its entirety to this week. I’ve loved these IG battles between 2 artists as we’re getting unique glimpses into our favorite artitsts’ lives and their homes where they come up with a lot of the thoughts that turn into the music we all love. Here is the Jill Scott and Erykah Badu IG live battle in case you want to give it a whirl. Btw, Erykah with the Bruce Lee footage in the background is everything!
I had the chance to see Badu years ago but opted to make a quick buck off of the tickets. I bought them for $35 when they went on sale and flipped them for $270 apiece. While this sounds great to 99% of you I will let you know that it has haunted me since that night. Sure I turned an AMAZING profit but was it worth missing out on the one and only Erykah Badu? No way… Now concerts are on hold and I still have her on my bucket list of artists to see. Have you seen her NPR Tiny Desk performance? Well… Go watch it now.
Did you know that Erykah has been married to or has been in relationships with some of rap’s best? Yup… Andre 3000, The D.O.C., Common, and Jay Electronica. How’s that for a potential rap posse cut? Did you know that Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson” was a song inspired by Erykah and an apology to Erykah’s mom? Yeah… Badu is R&B but don’t get it twisted… But Erykah Badu is hip hop. She’s jazz. She’s old school. She’s new school. Erykah Badu is a legend. She is well respected in the industry and has worked with damn near everybody! She has worked with some of the best producers in the game too. She has worked with The Roots, J Dilla, Madlib, 9th Wonder, Karreim Riggins, and many more. Here is her song “Window Seat” which was produced by James Poyser from the legendary Roots crew.
I can honestly write for days about Badu and her amazing back catalog. She is still active too. She is still putting out great material. But today I need to just start with one of her songs and see where the day takes me. Just one Badu song to start my day with? Hmmm…. SO DIFFICULT! But I know exactly the song. It’s a song where Erykah flexes that beautiful voice of hers and plays with different cadences over a bangin J Dilla instrumental. The song comes from the 2000 album Mama’s Gun which you guessed it… Was a great album. You’ll hear those words said about most of her albums from me. The song I’m starting this Monday out with “Didn’t Cha Know” because it just mellows me out. I’m not sure what this song does to you but I can’t imagine that any of you don’t like this song right?!
I hope you guys all have great days today. It doesn’t matter the day of the week either! Bring some Erykah into your eardrums and your guaranteed to smile while you travel through this thing called life. If you like Badu’s work and want to hear more, please go to my PLAYLISTS tab to hear my full Spotify playlist of her music. Cheers!