Erykah Badu

About

Also known as: Erica Badu, Erica Wright, Erikah Badu, EryKahBadu, Eryka Badu

Few artists shaped the sound of late 1990s R&B quite like Erykah Badu. The Dallas singer's debut album Baduizm landed in 1997 and practically invented a template for neo soul, earning her the tag "Queen of Neo Soul" and comparisons to Billie Holiday that have followed her ever since. The record debuted at number two on the Billboard charts, went triple platinum, and produced the Grammy winning single "On & On". Her live album from the same year gave the world "Tyrone", a deadpan takedown of a useless boyfriend that became one of her signature moments. Badu kept evolving through the 2000s with Mama's Gun and Worldwide Underground, the latter spawning "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)", which cracked the Billboard Hot 100 top ten. She was also a core member of the Soulquarians, the loose collective that defined a whole era of soul and hip hop. Her 2010 release New Amerykah Part Two drew serious critical attention, and the video for its lead single "Window Seat" sparked genuine public controversy. A collaborator at heart, she also picked up a Grammy with the Roots for "You Got Me", a track co written by Jill Scott.