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.
Amerykahn Promise
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Promise to you baby, I'll love you tru and good till the day I die
Promise Promise Amerykhan promise
Promise to you baby, anything you want you know I'll buy
Promise to you baby, you will never have ask to me why
Promise I'll love you till the day I die
Promise I'll love you good and give you the sky
Promise I'll never love another guy
Promise I'll give you things that you can't buy
I'll give you my nose
I'll give you my toes
I'll give you my eyes
I'll give you my ears
I'll give you my hands
I'll give you my lips
I'll give you my tongue
I'll give you my thighs
Damn near anything you want
Promise to you baby, I'll love you tooth for tooth and eye for eye
Promise Promise Amerykhan promise
In Erykah Badu's song "Amerykahn Promise," she is making a promise to her lover that she will love them back as much as they love her. She sings, "Promise to you baby, I'll love you tooth for tooth and eye for eye." This phrase comes from the concept of "an eye for an eye" which means if someone does something bad to you, you have the right to do the same thing back to them. However, in this context, she is saying that she will love her partner just as much as they love her, and she won't take them for granted. She further emphasizes her commitment by saying, "Promise to you baby, I'll love you tru and good till the day I die."
Throughout the song, she repeats the phrase "Promise Promise Amerykhan promise." This phrase can be interpreted as a reference to the American Dream, which promises people that with hard work and determination, they can achieve success and happiness. However, the "Amerykahn" spelling suggests that this promise has been corrupted by capitalist ideals and the pursuit of material wealth. Badu is saying that despite the corrupted promise of the American Dream, she is making a personal promise to her partner to love them unconditionally.
Overall, "Amerykahn Promise" is a beautiful and soulful love song that also has a deeper message about the promises and ideals that are often sold to us by society.
Line by Line Meaning
Promise to you baby, I'll love you tooth for tooth and eye for eye
I promise to love you back with the same level of intensity and commitment that you show me, reciprocating your love in every possible way.
Promise to you baby, I'll love you tru and good till the day I die
I promise to love you truly and sincerely with all my heart, and my love for you will be unwavering until the end of my life.
Promise to you baby, anything you want you know I'll buy
I promise to provide you with everything you desire, and I'll never hesitate to spend all my resources to fulfill your wishes.
Promise to you baby, you will never have ask to me why
I promise to always be transparent with you, and you won't have to question my actions or intentions because I'll always explain them to you.
Promise I'll love you till the day I die
I promise to love you indefinitely until the day of my death.
Promise I'll love you good and give you the sky
I promise to give you my best love and affection, and to give you everything that my love brings, including the world itself.
Promise I'll never love another guy
I promise to be faithful to our relationship and remain committed to only you, never falling in love with another man.
Promise I'll give you things that you can't buy
I promise to provide you with things that can't be bought, such as my love, loyalty, and devotion.
I'll give you my nose
I promise to give you a part of me, even something like my nose, as a symbol of my commitment to you.
I'll give you my toes
I promise to give you a part of me, even something like my toes, as a symbol of my commitment to you.
I'll give you my eyes
I promise to give you a part of me, even something as precious as my eyes, as a symbol of my commitment to you.
I'll give you my ears
I promise to give you a part of me, even something as crucial as my ears, as a symbol of my commitment to you.
I'll give you my hands
I promise to give you a part of me, even something as important as my hands, as a symbol of my commitment to you.
I'll give you my lips
I promise to give you a part of me, even something as sensual as my lips, as a symbol of my commitment to you.
I'll give you my tongue
I promise to give you a part of me, even something as intimate as my tongue, as a symbol of my commitment to you.
I'll give you my thighs
I promise to give you all of me, even something as personal as my thighs, as a symbol of my commitment to you.
Damn near anything you want
I promise to give you anything and everything you want, to the best of my ability and capacity, and without any restrictions.
Promise Promise Amerykhan promise
I reiterate my promise to you, confirming that it's an 'Amerykhan promise' that holds true to my values and principles.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: EDWIN BIRDSONG, ROY AYERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind