STUDIO83

She refers to herself as an analogue girl in a digital world. She changes herself with each album. And what better way to show the effects of time than her. I chose Erykah Badu as a subject because she has an interesting musical journey. This is by no means a review of all of Erykah's work, it's a mere peak into it.

In 1997, we all fell in love with this African-clad woman named Erykah Badu. She had her head wrapped and she wore her skirt long - much like what a hip hop head chick looked back in the 90s. We were introduced to Baduizm and the song on everyone's lips was On & On. She was introducing herself to us and I think she was also still trying to figure herself out. This was the beginning of her journey. In the same year, she released her Live album where she performed Call Tyrone for the first time. Women were beside themselves because she said exactly what they've always wanted to say to the no-good men they had dated.

She went quiet for 3 years - which I believe should be the minimum time between any artist's albums, to allow growth (Note to Rihanna). In 2000, she dropped Mama's Gun. I remember thinking that she needed to seriously drop some hot sh*t... and she did! Mama's Gun was an instant classic. She was still the African-inspired, headwrap-wearing lady. I still listen to it today as if it came out yesterday. In this album, she spoke to the Bag Lady. She told her that she needs to acknowledge her worth and we loved Erykah for that. I have a friend who doesn't like Erykah at all (I know, weird right?), but this is the only album she loves and will listen to.

Erykah used the same formula from 3 years prior and hid again for another 3 years. The Erykah that came back was slightly different. She took off the head wrap, she took off the long flowing skirts, she grew up, she put on her bling, her grills, she became the her she wants to be. She came out with Worldwide Underground. If you know Erykah Badu, you'll know that she used to rap back in the day before she started doing the neo-soul thing. This album brought back that Erykah, the hip-hop-head Erykah, the B-girl. This time around she told us about Love of my life with Common. This was a song she wrote for the love of her life, hip hop.

And then Erykah went very, very quiet for a long while. She went on a self-discovery journey I would imagine because she took careful time to make her latest album series. The New Amerykah series. In New Amerykah Part 1 4th World War she used a different method of recording the music, Erykah had moved into the modern times of technology, she used a software application called GarageBand which her son, Seven, helped her learn. In this album she spoke about The Healer, Hip Hop. She speaks of how hip hop isn't dead, how it is still, it is new, it is still healing. She speaks of how nothing is bigger than this thing we love, hip hop.

And then last year, she came with the groovy New Amerykah Part 2 Return of the Ankh. This album was less social and more personal. It has an analog sound to it, incorporating samples and live instrumentation. She shot a video to her single Window Seat which turned out to be controversial as she went nude walking through the JFK assassination site.

Her last words in the video are: They play it safe. Are quick to assassinate what they do not understand. They move in packs. Injesting more and more fear with every act of hate on one another. They feel most comfortable in groups. Less guilt to swallow. They are us. This is what we have become, afraid to respect the individual.