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.
Bump It
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Phat drums
Phat beats
Phat beats
Stick 'em
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it, well well well
Bump it, well well
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it, well well well
Bump it, well well
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it, well well well
Bump it, well well
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it, well well well
Bump it, well well
You know I love it when they play my beat real loud
Because it moves the band and then it moves the crowd
You know I love it when they play my shit sky high
It puts me in a daze
And oh
Ooh baby before you bump it
Won't you shake it just a little for me
Oh
Wait a minute 'fore you buss it
Won't you roll a lickle something for me
And oh
Ooh baby before you bump it
Won't you shake it just a little for me
Oh
Wait a minute for you bump it
Won't you shake it for me, shake it for me
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it well well well
Bump it well well
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it well well well
Bump it well well
You know I love it when they play my beat real loud
Because it moves the band and then it moves the crowd
You know I love it when they play my shit sky high, high, high, high
Oh
Ooh baby before you bump it
Can you roll a lickle for me
Oh
Wait a minute 'fore you buss it
Won't you shake it just little for me
And oh
Ooh baby before you bump it
Can you roll a lickle something for me
Oh
Wait a minute 'fore you bump it
Won't you shake it for me, shake it for me
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it, well well well
Bump it, well well
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it, well well well
Bump it, well well
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it, well well well
Bump it, well well
Push up the fader
Bust the meter
Shake the tweeter
Bump it, well well well
Bump it, well well
Ah, ah, ah, ah
In this song, Erykah Badu celebrates the power of music and the impact it can have on people. The repeated refrain of "push up the fader, bust the meter, shake the tweeter, bump it" is a call to action, urging the listener to turn up the volume and experience the full force of the music. The lyrics also suggest that playing music loudly can be an act of rebellion or resistance, as it allows the listener to assert their own taste and identity in the face of societal norms.
The verses feature Badu expressing her own love for hearing her beats played loudly, and her desire for others to enjoy her music in the same way. The lines "you know I love it when they play my shit sky high, high, high, high" suggest that when her music is played at maximum volume, it has a transformative effect on both the performer and the audience. The repeated use of the phrase "well, well" is a nod to the reggae tradition of using vocal interjections to hype up a crowd.
Overall, "Bump It" is a celebration of the power of music to unite people, move them emotionally and physically, and create moments of joy and liberation.
Line by Line Meaning
Phat beats
The music produced by Badu is characterized by heavy beats.
Phat drums
Badu's music involves incorporating heavy drum beats.
Phat beats
Heavy beats are a prominent feature in Badu's music.
Phat beats
Badu's music is known for its heavy beats.
Stick 'em
Continue playing the music with a strong beat.
Push up the fader
Increase the volume of the music.
Bust the meter
Turn up the music so much that it nearly overloads the meter.
Shake the tweeter
Boost the higher frequencies of the sound system.
Bump it, well well well
Play the music loudly and strongly.
Bump it, well well
Continue playing the music in a strong and lively manner.
You know I love it when they play my beat real loud
Badu enjoys her music being played loudly.
Because it moves the band and then it moves the crowd
The intense rhythm of Badu's music inspires the band to perform well and gets the crowd excited.
You know I love it when they play my shit sky high
Badu appreciates when her music is played at high volume.
It puts me in a daze
The intense emotion and energy invoked by the music puts Badu in a trance-like state.
Ooh baby before you bump it
Addressing someone who is about to play the music.
Won't you shake it just a little for me
Requesting the person to dance along with the music.
Wait a minute 'fore you buss it
Asking someone to pause for a bit before proceeding with something.
Won't you roll a lickle something for me
Requesting someone to roll a small joint before proceeding with the music.
Can you roll a lickle for me
Another request for someone to roll a small joint.
Won't you shake it for me, shake it for me
Asking the person to dance to the music again.
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Background vocals that add to the style of the song.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Audrie Magget, James Jason Poyser, Rashad Smith, Erica Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind