Respect Is "Ba"Due

It is time to take some recognition for the one and the only: Erykah Badu. Here we go. Hailing from Dallas, Texas with enough soul to fulfill the vast space of that entire state (and trust me there’s a LOT of space), Badu has undoubtedly brought Neo-soul to its name. There are great artists who’s own success and inspiration arise from her inner light alone (take a look at both Andre “3 stacks” and Common- hell, both are happy with just having been privileged with the opportunity of being in love with her). In the late 90s, when she debuted, I was only about 10 or 11 years old—I knew then she was force to be reckoned with then. Played throughout my household, especially on a Sunday; there was no better way to wind down from a rough week on the playground. To this day, I thank my parents for having such great taste in music and sharing it with me. Her style is a recipe of ol’ school classic R&B, jazz, soultry melodies, and of course hip hop; which ultimately makes for a happy listener. Her voice is incomparable, so it’s missed when not heard often. That is why I must say respect is due now that she’s back for her 6th album New Amerykah Part II: Return of the Ankh.

First and foremost let us rewind and pay attention to the New Amerykah Part I! How—I say HOW could nobody understand the musical intelligence that sneakily lies within each and every track on that damn LP?? It didn’t get the recognition it deserved, and I’m talking about the consumer—not the industry. Sure “Honey” got some airtime, but that’s not even the deepest song that reflects the entire album. Take a listen to “Soldier” (the detailed story of the typical black youth fighting the war of social inequity) or “The Healer” (the search and retrieval of a higher level in anything/everything around us) or “Me” (Erykah herself, inspiring the ‘me’ in you). There should have been some push for her to emancipate those tracks further than the limited number of iPod headphones or car system speakers, I wanna see some true fandom here. Raise up! So when this next album drops within the next couple of weeks, I wanna hear singles on the radio and videos on the screen. Let’s acknowledge greatness, not the everyday bullshit that’s plaguing the youth right now. I’m sayin…I was 10 for goodness sakes, I saw greatness.

I was blessed with having seen in her live performance some months back and I was proud of knowing every word she sang and to be cheerfully surprised by how humble she is. Personally cannot wait for this new album, her talent goes “On & On”.

YouTube her new singles: Window Seat and Turn Me Away (Get MuNNy) and enjoy this: