This person's surname is Abi Wright, not Wright. Erica Abi Wright born February 26, 1971 , known professionally as Erykah Badu , is an American singer and songwriter. Badu's career began after opening a show for in 1994 in ; record label executive was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Entertainment. Her first album, , was released in February 1997. The album was certified by the RIAA. Her first live album, , was released in November 1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Badu's third album, , was released in 2003. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA. Badu's fourth album, , was released in 2008. Influenced by , 1970s , and 1980s , Badu became associated with the subgenre in the 1990s along with artists like. Badu has been called the queen of. Her voice has been compared to jazz singer. Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her eccentric style, which often included wearing very large and colorful. She was a core member of the. As an actress, she has played a number of supporting roles in movies including , and. She also has appeared in the documentaries and. Erykah Badu was born Erica Abi Wright in. Her mother raised her, her brother Eevin, and her sister Nayrok alone after separating from their father, William Wright Jr. To provide for her family, the children's maternal and paternal grandmothers often helped look after them. Badu had her first taste of show business at the age of four, singing and dancing at the and The Black Academy of Arts and Letters TBAAL under the guidance of her godmother, Gwen Hargrove, and uncle TBAAL founder Curtis King. By the age of 14, Badu was freestyling for a local radio station alongside such talent as. Upon graduating from , Badu went on to study theater at , a. To concentrate on music full-time, she left the university in 1993 before graduating, and took several minimum-wage jobs to support herself. She taught drama and dance to children at the South Dallas Cultural Center. Baduizm and Live 1997—99 , Badu's debut album, was released in early 1997. The album met with critical and commercial success, debuting at number two on the charts and number one on the US Billboard. Baduizm 's commercial and critical success helped establish Badu as one of the emerging neo soul genre's leading artists. Her particular style of singing drew many comparisons to. Baduizm was certified three times platinum by the , Gold by the and the. Badu recorded her first live album, , while pregnant with Seven, and the release of the recording coincided with his birth. The album was released on November 18, 1997 and reached number four on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the US Billboard. The album was certified two times platinum by RIAA for shipments of over two million copies. Badu also collaborated with who had previously handled production duties on a number of tracks on Baduizm on their breakthrough 1999 release. Co-written by , the song peaked at 39 in the US and 31 in the UK. The song went on to win The Roots and Badu a in 1999. Mama's Gun and Worldwide Underground 2000—06 Badu backstage in Hamburg, Germany in 2002. After taking some time off to raise her child, Badu returned in 2000 with. The album was characterized as more organic in sound than her previous studio album, and primarily produced by the and noted bassist. The album was well-received, with the lyrical content winning notices from many publications. Reviewers found some of her lyrics hard to decipher on her initial releases. By 2000, Badu was in a romantic relationship with fellow. In 2001 Badu embarked on the. The tour started in North America on February 10 in Cleveland, Ohio at the Allen Theatre. Badu will perform two nights in Washington, D. The tour itinerary will continue with additional dates throughout the summer in Europe and the U. On September 16, 2003, she released her third studio album,. Commercially the album fared well and debuted at number three on the U. Billboard 200 chart in the week of October 4, 2003, selling 143,561 copies in its first week. Ultimately spending 11 weeks on the Billboard 200, it also entered at number two on 's and spent 30 weeks on the chart. By December 2003, the album had sold 394,000 copies domestically. On October 28, 2003, Worldwide Underground was certified in sales by the , following sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. According to , the album has sold 609,000 copies in the United States. Badu received four further Grammy nominations for the album. The Roots made a special opening act appearance at the February 11 show in Los Angeles. Badu resumed the tour during the fall with additional dates in America and Europe. In 2005, she was a judge for the 4th Annual Independent Music Awards, to support independent artists' careers. Badu co-founded the with and. The trek played to amphitheaters and arenas in the United States during the summer of 2005 and 2006. It began in 2005 as an event to bring awareness to health issues to African-American women. British duo opened shows during the 2005 run. The festival was relaunched briefly in 2006 with opening the show and comedian hosting the festival. The festival had plans to expand into Europe and Asia, but this did not come to fruition. The was a concert tour in 2006 by Badu. The tour started on June 10, in Knoxville, TN, with three shows in the U. Badu co-headlined on dates in August with and at the Sugar Water Festival. New Amerykah Part One 2007—09 After receiving her first computer as a Christmas gift, Badu began communicating with and receiving music from Questlove, Q-Tip and J Dilla, among others. She later began to use her laptop as a mini recording studio to construct various backing tracks for songs, which led to the album's primary recording sessions at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. In 2007 Badu was said to have three albums in the works for release during 2007 and 2008. The fourth studio album, , was released by , in the United States on February 26, 2008, Badu's 37th birthday. It was released in European countries on February 29, in Australia and the United Kingdom on March 3, and in Japan on March 12. New Amerykah Part One was also released as a double on March 11, and on format. It reached number 88 on the US , on which it spent three weeks. The song also charted at number 22 and spent 17 weeks on the. Upon release New Amerykah Part One 4th World War received universal acclaim from critics. In the United States, the album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 125,000 copies in its first week. It was Badu's best opening week since her debut album in 1997. It also entered at number two on the Billboard. According to Nielsen Soundscan, New Amerykah Part One 4th World War sold 359,000 copies in the United States by early 2010. Erykah Badu performed at the 10th annual in New Orleans the weekend before Halloween 2008. In the United Kingdom, the album charted at number 55 on the , on which it spent one week. In France, it debuted at number 49 and spent 11 weeks on the. In Switzerland, it debuted at number 10 and spent six weeks on the. In the Netherlands, the album entered at number 25 and spent seven weeks on the. In Poland, it reached number nine and spent eight weeks on the. The album's highest international charting was number five in Sweden, where it charted for seven weeks. During 2008 and 2009 Badu embarked on two world tours. The second leg of tour reached Europe on June 25, in. Badu toured across Europe playing shows that included an itinerary for the month of July. Several more shows were added throughout August in the U. The was a summer music concert tour in 2009. The tour started in March; Badu played dates across North America twice and Europe, and the tour ended in Dallas, Texas on October 16. During the second U. It was released in Japan on April 14, 2010. Upon release the album was met with general acclaim from critics. The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 110,000 copies in its first week. It also entered at number two on 's chart. In the United Kingdom, New Amerykah Part Two Return of the Ankh debuted at number 56 on the and at number nine on the. New Amerykah Part Two achieved moderate chart success in international markets, peaking within the top 50 in several countries, including Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark. During March 2010, Badu promoted the album through television performances on , , , , and. She also appeared on the April issue cover of EQ magazine and was featured in issues of , , , , , , , , and , among others. Badu performed at a surprise midnight show on March 31, 2010 at the in Los Angeles. RC Williams, Badu's musical director, said that a music video for the track was shot in Dallas. The song peaked at number 16 on Billboard chart. On Wednesday, February 9, 2011,. The video was tweeted by Badu herself and friend and associated music act. In the video, Badu shed her clothes as she walked along a Dallas sidewalk until she was nude at the site where Kennedy was shot. A shot rang out as the song ended, Badu's head jerked back, and she fell to the ground. Children with their families could be seen nearby as Badu stripped. That's all I could do, and I hoped they wouldn't be traumatized. JFK is one of my heroes, one of the nation's heroes. Kennedy was a revolutionary; he was not afraid to butt heads with America, and I was not afraid to show America my butt-naked truth. In 2011 Badu appeared on 's fourth album,. Badu appeared on the debut album by the , which was released in March 2012 and the album by. The song peaked at 47 on the US Billboard charts. New album and mixtapes 2015-present In May 2013, Badu announced she was writing her next project, but not placing a time constraint on it. Badu also said that prior to her trip to Africa she would have meetings with her record label to set a deadline for the album. Later that year Badu expanded on the album, stating she was working with producer Flying Lotus, who she met via MySpace years ago; they later met in L. On March 26, 2015, Erykah Badu performed at in her hometown, , , for the venue's grand opening. The sold-out show also featured fellow Dallas native, singer-songwriter. After one week of exclusive release on , But You Caint Use My Phone was released to other digital retailers and streaming services on December 4, 2015. The mixtape was released without the knowledge of her label , due to Badu sending the record straight to iTunes. It also marked Badu's first release under her own record label, Control Freaq. But You Caint Use My Phone received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number 14 on the , selling 35,000 in its first week. Badu also hosted the , and the. The same year, Badu released new three tracks on SoundCloud, including Trill Friends, Thru It All and Come See Badu. Later on January 24, 2018 she announced a release of a new mixtape, but like the aforementioned mixtape, remains unreleased. In a publication on Vulture, Badu announced she was slowly making progress on her sixth studio album. The event was hosted by Badu's close friend and featured a surprise appearance by frontman. Badu enlisted Dallas local hip hop acts -topic, Zach Witness, and Cameron McCloud as her supporting acts. On August 15, 2018, the video series , released a new episode featuring Erykah Badu and her band performing live. Badu has also ventured into acting. She made her debut as a supporting role in the 1998 film , playing Queen Mousette. The film gained mostly mixed to negative reviews from film critics and was considered a commercial failure. Badu made her second appearances in 1999 , where she played the character of Rose Rose. The film fared well both critically and commercially, with Badu receiving numerous awards and nominations including a win at the 2000 for best supporting actress as well as nominations for and. Badu also had small roles in 2005 , and 2006. She is reported to have a leading role alongside in the upcoming indie film, Bobby Zero, which tells a story of a struggling couple, who hit rock bottom after Mos Def's character gives up his artistic dream to pursue an advertising corporate job to live on. Badu alongside , Creola and at the Africa Care Academy 10th Annual Educational Awards Banquet in Dallas, Texas. In 2008 Badu became the face of fashion designer White Patchouli fragrance. Ford, longtime friends with Badu, considered her the best choice for the campaign. In late December 2013, it was announced that Badu would become the face of 's 2014 Spring collection. Badu also remains an activist in her hometown of. The organization's first endeavor was to establish a base of operations. Erykah chose to renovate and reopen the Black Forest Theater in. The Black Forest serves as a community center, bringing people together in order to celebrate the art and culture of south Dallas. The Black Forest's stage is equipped for shows and performances, and has hosted both free and fundraising concerts by music artists including Prince, , , , , Talib Kweli and from The Roots. All of the artists volunteered their time to help with the charity. As an outreach for B. Erykah has also received the Key to the City of Dallas and been recognized in Philanthropy Magazine for her efforts in community service. Badu's work draws from , 1970s soul, and 1980s , and became associated with the subgenre in the 1990s along with artists like. For her musical sensibilities, she has often been compared to jazz great. Mama's Gun is a album, that incorporates , , and styles. The album has been viewed by critics as a female companion to neo soul artist 's second album 2000 , which features a similar musical style and direction. In contrast to its predecessor, 2008 , which was digitally produced and political in tone, New Amerykah Part Two Return of the Ankh incorporates and live instrumentation. The majority of Badu's music is greatly influenced by her beliefs of the and her exploration of her African heritage. The songs in her album Baduizm express her personal take on life. Her philosophy is influenced by African ideology, and theologies, and Southern African-American folk traditions. New Amerykah Part One is an concept album with sociopolitical themes and mostly downbeat subject matter, featuring more impersonal topics and social commentary than on Badu's previous work. Its subject matter deals with social concerns and struggles within the African-American community, exploring topics such as , religion, poverty, urban violence, the abuse of power, complacency, , drug addiction, and. She was also influenced greatly by her music teacher Ms. Goodman, who encouraged her to take up music. In 2000, Badu received two nominations and won one, at the Grammy Awards. Overall, Badu has won 16 awards from 59 nominations. Baduizm 's commercial and critical success earned Erykah Badu popularity at the time and helped establish her as one of the emerging neo soul genre's leading artists. Along with 's 1995 and 's 1996 , the album has been recognized by music writers for beginning neo soul's popularity and helping the genre obtain commercial visibility at the time. Soul food means to feed the soul. And to me, your soul is your intent. If your intent is pure, you are pure. In 1995, Badu became involved with rapper of , with whom she had her first child, a son named Seven Sirius Benjamin, on November 18, 1997. Their relationship ended sometime in 1999. In 2000, Badu was in a romantic relationship with fellow ; their relationship ended in 2002. On July 5, 2004, Badu gave birth to a daughter, Puma Sabti Curry; Puma's father is rapper , originally from Dallas. On February 1, 2009, Badu gave birth to her third child, a girl named Mars Merkaba Thedford, with her boyfriend of five years, rapper. No witnesses called police at the time of the incident, but the actively sought witnesses after the release of the video. Espinosa declined to comment to The Associated Press. On April 28, 2010, Badu pleaded not guilty rather than paying the fee by mail. In February 2012, Badu's concert was cancelled in Malaysia because it was found that she had applied a temporary tattoo of the word on a part of her body. In April 2014, Badu came under fire by the US-based , for performing at the birthday celebration of 's ruler and monarch,. Mswati, credited as Africa's last absolute monarch, is considered to be a serial human-rights abuser, ruling in luxury in a country famed for its poverty and spiralling HIV rates. In a January 2018 interview with Vulture, Badu was asked about her perceived based on a 2008 article quoting her thoughts about. 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