One thing is certain: Erykah Badu never lied when she said she was an artist on her 1997 album "Live." Ever since her sophomore project, "Mama's Gun," it's been apparent that she is not making records to sell CDs or to please a particular audience. Erykah Badu makes music because she has a lot to say about the state of the world.
Gone may be her trademark wraps when she first debuted, introducing her fans to "Baduizm," but perhaps there is a reason Erykah has chosen to unwrap herself. Just one listen to her latest effort, "New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War," and one can see that Erykah is in touch with the disparity of the classes, racism, and senseless political relations, and had to uncover that head so she could sing about it and help her race attain solidarity in the process. (Love how she stuck her name into the title.)
Without a doubt, this is one of the best soul albums of all time, definitely on the level of the legend, Curtis Mayfield. (Badu even incorporates him into her verses as a sample, clearly paying homage to a man she is trying to emulate.) It shares the social consciousness of Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," only difference is, Badu clearly knows what time it is.
I have to applaud Badu for her boldness in lyrical form on "Master Teacher," a song that I would not do justice to if I were describe it now. (I strongly recommend giving it an intense listen if you own the album or are curious about it's lyrical content.) I also love her throwback to 70s music and the blaxploitation period on the intro and outro of this thought-provoking project.
Artists like Erykah Badu are rare in this day and age because sex, sex, and more sex seems to be the way to get radio airplay and sustain a career. It is up to true music fans, however, to seek and demand music with alternative messages. There's nothing wrong with using our brains to think and analyze the world we live in, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment