She is best known for her singles You Got Me her collaboration with The Roots, as well as her own songs Tyrone, Love of My Life, On & On, Bag Lady, The Healer, Honey and Soldier. Her lyrics are highly personal urban philosophy which throw emotional challenges in the face of the listener. She weaves unusual musical influences together creating a rich texture of sound.
Some music journalists have labeled her Nu soul, nouvelle-soul or neo soul, often comparing her to Billie Holiday in lyrical delivery and grouping her with Maxwell and D'Angelo in musical genre.
Baduizm, Badu's highly acclaimed debut album, was released in early 1997 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts. Lead single On & On reached #12 on the singles charts in both the U.S. and UK. Badu received notice for her introspective lyrics and jazzy, bass-heavy sound, and was hailed as one of the leading lights of the burgeoning neo soul genre. Her sophisticated style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday. Baduizm eventually went triple platinum and, along with On & On, won Grammy Awards at the 1998 ceremonies.
During that year, Badu became involved with rapper André 3000 of OutKast, with whom she had a child, Seven, who was born in 1997. Their relationship ended sometime in the late 90s. Badu recorded her first live album, Live, while pregnant with Seven, and the release of the recording coincided with the birth to her child. Live reached #4 on the Billboard charts, selling double platinum, and spawned another R&B hit single in Tyrone a song chiding a selfish, cheap, and inattentive boyfriend. Badu also collaborated with The Roots (who had previously handled production duties on a number of tracks on Baduizm) on their breakthrough 1999 release, Things Fall Apart. She was featured on the song You Got Me co-written by Jill Scott, which hit the top 40 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
After taking some time off to raise her child, Badu returned in 2000 with Mama's Gun, an album more organic in sound than her previous studio album, and primarily produced by the Soulquarians and noted bassist Pino Palladino. A remix of one of the album's songs, Bag Lady was issued as the first single and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The album was well-received, with the lyrical content winning notices from many publications who found some of her lyrics hard to decipher on her initial releases. Despite not charting as high as her first two albums, Mama's Gun was another platinum-selling success, and Bag Lady was nominated for a Grammy.
By 2000, Badu was in a romantic relationship with fellow Soulquarian Common, and Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop) was released as a collaboration between the two on the Brown Sugar soundtrack. Love of My Life hit #9 on the pop charts, topped the R&B listings, and Badu was awarded her fourth Grammy for the song in 2003.
After the release of Mama's Gun and Love of My Life, Badu went through a period of writer's block. She hit the road throughout 2002 and much of 2003 on what she dubbed the "Frustrated Artist Tour," in search of inspiration to write and perform new material. The conclusion of the tour saw Badu head back to the studio with new material, and in September of 2003, the Worldwide Underground was released. More jam-oriented than any of her prior releases, Badu was quoted as saying that the release was designed to serve as one continuous groove. Worldwide Underground reached #3 on the Billboard charts and was certified gold not long after its release, and Badu received four further Grammy nominations for the EP.
After almost four years and the birth of a daughter, Puma, it was revealed in 2007 that Badu had three albums in the works over the course of 2007 and 2008. Honey, a new single produced by 9th Wonder, was leaked online in November 2007, and the new album, titled New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), was released on February 26, 2008.
On August 23, 2008, Badu joined the rock band My Morning Jacket on stage at their show in Dallas, Texas to perform her song Tyrone. Her surprise appearance was met with an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.
On February 1, 2009 Badu gave birth to her third child, a girl named Mars Merkaba with her boyfriend Jay Electronica.
Her album New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) was released on March 30, 2010.
A.D. 2000
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To go down, dilapidated, ooh
No you won't be naming, no buildings after me
My name, will be misstated, surely
This world done changed, so much yeah yeah
This world done changed, since I been conscious
This world done changed, since I been conscious
Oh (ooh), what in the world will we do? (Aah ba ba ba), will we ever make it? Yeah
And oh, no it ain't right (sure ain't right), oh, is it in your plan? (I want to understand)
Say, you won't be name no buildings after me
To go down dilapidated, no
No you won't be name no buildings after me
My name will be misstated, surely
Surely yeah (surely surely surely), surely (surely), surely
Eeh eeh, eeh eeh, eeh eeh, mmh
Surely, eeh eeh eeh, oh yeah (oh yeah), oh yeah (hm)
Hmm woah, yeah
Oh, oh oh oh
Hm woah, oh
Hm woah, oh oh oh
Hm ooh, da da da da baby, da ba ba ba ba da ay, bay, ba no, no, no, no
Oh no no no, oh oh ay, day day, day day day day, day day
Ay, ay, ay, yeah, ay, huh
Ooh, la la la, la la, la aah ah ah aah, ha ha ha ha, yeah, hey
Hmm hm hm, ooh, ooh, ooh ooh ooh, woah, woah, woah, oh hmm
No you won't be name no buildings after me
To go down dilapidated, no
No you won't be naming, no buildings after me
My name, will be misstated, surely
Surely, yeah, yeah, mmh hmm mmh
Ooh
In the song A.D. 2000 by Erykah Badu, the lyrics convey the idea that the singer does not want to be glorified or immortalized by having buildings named after her. She believes that if her name were to be attached to a building, it would eventually become dilapidated and forgotten. Instead, her name will be misstated, which suggests that people may not remember her name correctly or that her legacy might not be accurately preserved. The lyrics touch upon the inevitability of change in the world and how the singer can't control how her name is remembered.
The song also expresses a sense of questioning and uncertainty about the future. The line "what in the world will we do?" highlights the singer's anxiety about the state of the world and the possibility of making it through tough times. She wants to understand if everything happening, including how her name might be remembered, is part of a larger plan. The repetition of "surely" throughout the lyrics suggests a longing for reassurance in a time of uncertainty.
Overall, the lyrics of A.D. 2000 explore themes of mortality, legacy, and uncertainty about the future. The song is a reminder that everything in the world is subject to change, and that we cannot control everything that happens to us.
Line by Line Meaning
No you won't be name no buildings after me
I am not seeking for any monuments to be named after me
To go down, dilapidated, ooh
I don't want any building to fall into disrepair and become abandoned
My name, will be misstated, surely
If anyone wants to name a building after me, they will probably get my name wrong
This world done changed, since I been conscious
The world has undergone significant changes since I became aware of my surroundings
Oh (ooh), what in the world will we do? (Aah ba ba ba), will we ever make it? Yeah
What is going to happen to us given the current state of the world? Will we be able to overcome these challenges?
And oh, no it ain't right (sure ain't right), oh, is it in your plan? (I want to understand)
It feels wrong to witness the struggles and suffering in the world. Is this how things were meant to be?
Say, you won't be name no buildings after me
Again, I am emphasizing that there is no need to name any structures after me
To go down dilapidated, no
I do not want any building to fall into disrepair or ruin
My name will be misstated, surely
Reiterating that if someone decides to name a building after me, they will likely get it wrong
Surely yeah (surely surely surely), surely (surely), surely
I am absolutely certain about my decision to not have buildings named after me
Eeh eeh, eeh eeh, eeh eeh, mmh
Vocal improvisation without any significant meaning
Surely, eeh eeh eeh, oh yeah (oh yeah), oh yeah (hm)
Continuing the certainty and conviction in my decision
No you won't be name no buildings after me
Repeating my decision to not have buildings named in my honor
To go down dilapidated, no
Reinforcing my desire to not have any buildings fall into disrepair
My name, will be misstated, surely
Making it clear that if anyone goes against my wishes and decides to name something after me, they will get it wrong
Surely yeah (surely surely surely), surely (surely), surely
Same as before, my decision is resolute and certain
Ooh
Vocal improvisation without any significant meaning
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Betty Wright, Erica Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind