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Top 10 Facts about Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu is a celebrated singer, songwriter disc jockey, record producer and actress. She was born in Dallas, Texas in February 1971. Her mother was a singer which means that she was brought up in an artistic environment which influenced her choice of career field. Badu started singing amd acting at an early age. The artist was raised by her mother as her father lived away feom the family a d he also spent a significant amount of time in jail. He the disappeared in 1975 and no one knew where he was and he only returned twenty years later.

This article will explore some facts about the artist and how her upbringin influenced her to be the person that she is. This article can also be a source of inspiration for aspiring artists as they can see that regardless of someone’s background, one can achieve their dreams when they work towards them.

1 Her talent was recognized quite early

When Erykah Badu started her formal education in grade school, her talent was quickly recognized as she had been singing before she started school. While she was in first grade, she was part of the cast of Annie and appeared skipping and singing to Somebody Snitched On Me. Furthermore, during summer vacations young Badu would sing at the First Baptist Church choir.

In addition to acting and singing, Erykah Badu began to broaden her cultural horizons by attending various festivals, particularly the Harambee Festival in South Dallas, and gradually developing an interest in African culture and dress. These visits inspired the tall headgear she would one day wear.

2 She dropped out of school

Erykah Badu attended Dallas’ Booker T. Washington High School. The school was an art oriented school and it was here that she changed her name from Erica to Erykah and also adopted Badu as she considered her name to be one of a slave. She graduated high school and proceeded to Grambling State University to study theatre. However, she dropped out before she could attain her degree as she decided to concentrate om her music.

3 She was known as MC Apples

While Erykah was 14 years old in the early 1990s she decided to venture into rapping and started a rapping group known as Erykah Free with her cousin. She and her cousin did freestyle rap for a local radio station. She once commented that they were better than other rap groups during the competition which shows that she was talented from when she was still young. The duo also started going on musical tours and doing local opening slots

4 Her path to success started when she opened a show for D’Angelo

In 1994, Erykah got a chance to open a show for the legendary musician D’Angelo. While doing the opening, she caught the eye of Kedar Massenburg who was in the process of starting his own record company and appreciated the talent that Erykah had and he then offered her a contract. Badu saw this as a good opportunity as she thought that she would receive ore personalized attention as a solo artists at a smaller label and thus further her career in the music industry.

After signing into the label, she released her first single known as On & On in January 1997  which became a hit. In February, she went on to release her debut album known as Baduizm. One interesting fact about the album is that she wrote all the songs in the album. The album was well received by the public and it rose to number two on the Billboard album chart. This can be attributed to Erykah’s vocals blended with the hip hop beats.

5 Her sound is rooted in African American music

While Erykah was young, she took a keen interest in the African culture. Therefore, it is only fitting that her sound is associated with African American popular music as this was the genre of music that she interacted with while starting out in her career. Badu mentioned that some of the artists who influenced her sound include, Chaka Khan, Marvin Gaye, Milles Davis, Stevie Wonder and Al Jarreau. The neo-soul vocals made her second album which she released to also boom and rise to number five in the Billboard album chart.

6 She is into fashion

The celebrated artist is into fashion. During an interview with Essence Magazine, the star revealed that the she owns 726 headwraps. This is a lot of headwraps and it goes to show that she is mindful of how she looks and is also into culture. Badu also owns 7221 pieces of ankh jewellery. This is an astounding number of jewelleries which also goes to show that she loves the fashion item. Furthermore, she was the face of Givenchy in 2004 which further cements her passion for fashion.

7 She is an actress

Badu has explored her acting abilities in addition to her musical career. The 1998 movie Blues Brothers 2000 featured her on her debut on-screen appearance. In The Cider House Rules the next year, she was a leading lady. As a result of her work, Badu received nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the 2000 Black Reel Award for best supporting actress. In 2004’s House of D and 2005’s Before The Music Dies, she then acted as a lead. 

8 Her personal life

Andre 3000 from the band OutKast and Badu started dating around 1995 and they had a son together known as Severn Sirius Benjamin. In 1999, they broke up. Their relationship served as the inspiration for the OutKast song “Ms. Jackson.”

Badu went on and dated Soulguarian Common in 2000, but the duo broke up in 2002. She soon began dating the West Coast rapper The D.O.C., with whom she later had a daughter, Puma Sabti Curry, in 2004. But soon later, the pair broke up. Mars Merkaba Thedford, Badu’s third kid by her partner Jay Electronica, was born in 2009.

9 She is a doula

The artist’s skills are not only limited to the entertainment industry as she is also a certified doula. The artists has assisted more than forty mothers give birth. She also has managed to keep in touch with the children that she helped birth and they call her a dadoula. The musician advocates for natural childbirth and she gave birth to all three of her children at home.

10 Awards

Over the course of her career, Badu has made several strides that have been recognised and appreciated by the people in her field. Some of the awards that she has clinched include, the American Music Awards, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Album in the Grammy Awards, BET Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and Soul Train Music Awards.

Check out some of the best singers from Dallas Texas where Erykah comes from here