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Erykah Badu
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Erykah Badu was born Erica Wright in South Dallas, Texas, in 1971. Her mother raised her single-handedly along with Erykah's brother and sister, since their father had left the family home early on in their lives. In order to provide for her family, the children's grandmother often helped in looking after them while Erykah's mother, Kollen Wright, performed as an actress in various theatrical productions. Having been influenced significantly by her mother, Erykah had her first taste of showbiz at the tender age of 4, singing and dancing with her mother at the Dallas Theatre Centre. By the age of 14, Erykah was free-styling for a local radio station alongside such talent as Roy Hargrove, who, incidentally, was a talented beat-boxer in the 80's and who is now a very successful session musician in his own right. In her early youth, she decided to change the spelling of her name from Erica to Erykah, as she firmly believed her original name to be her 'slave' name.
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Erykah Badu was born Erica Wright in February 26, 1971 in Dallas, Texas, changing her name in her teens to mimic the scats sounds of Jazz. Her future was defined as an R&B sensation from youth. Making the big break while opening up for "D'Angelo" in 1994, then shortly signing with Kedar Entertainment. Recently turning 32 and winning another Grammy at 45th Award Ceremony on February 23, 2003 for Best R&B Song, "Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)".
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At a time when popular hip-hop is obsessed with all things gold and diamond-studded, and R&B myopically focuses on any and everything carnal, Erykah Badu has emerged as the earthy counterpoint to the trends of the day. Badu's Contemporary R&B echoes with strains of lush 1970s Soul, cucumber-cool jazz and modern day hip-hop -- a blend that makes her music a noteworthy standout in a sea of Xeroxed sound-alikes. The music... only serves as a backdrop for Badu's unflappable, purring vocals, which have garnered much deserved comparisons to the legendary Billie Holiday. While Badu remains most revered for the musical impression she leaves on listeners, equally important to her success are her forthright take on feminism and her firm belief in cultivating inner spirituality.
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Erykah Badu (born Erica Wright) declared in high school that she no longer wished to addressed by her "slave name" and wished instead to be called Erykah, "kah" meaning "the inner-self which can do no wrong." Later, she inserted Badu because it was a sound she often made when she would sing to herself. Later, she discovered it was an Arabic word meaning "to manifest truth and light." Badu, who started doing freestyle rap at age 14, dropped out a few credits shy of a degree from Grambling State University to pursue acting and singing. Signing to Kedar Entertainment, ten thousand copies of her debut album were distributed free at the 1996 Soul Train Awards. It turned out to be a genius marketing plan, as Baduizm later crashed into the chart at #2 in February 1997.
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For all the good things about Erykah Badu's platinum-plus debut, there was always something contrived -- not to mention a little daffy -- about her Billie Holiday inflections, Earth Mama head scarves, and Afrocentric mysticism. Now, only seven months after Baduizm, this 26-year-old soul singer lays that criticism to rest in a live set that proves she's a lot daffy. Sporting butterfly wings on the album cover, baring her pregnant belly on the back, and dropping oddball monologues throughout, Badu is so completely and fascinatingly enwrapped in her act that questions of how and why she developed her image become moot. It proves she shares more with a self-constructed pop weirdo like Prince than a natural original like Lady Day. Unfortunately, as with most pop artists, her idiosyncratic charm works best with either visual effects or studio polish attached. The wonderful new song "Tyrone" gets that polish in a bonus remix, but with everything else, you probably had to be there.
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Erykah Badu was born in 1971 in Dallas, Texas as Erica Wright but decided to change her name when she was older. She attended a local school for the arts and worked as a teacher. While doing all this, Badu was ... singing part time. In 1994 she opened for D'Angelo and was discovered; putting her singing career in full mode. Badu released her first album Baduism in 1997 only to have it be very successful. Don't wait to buy your Erykah Badu tickets, they won't last long.
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