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.
Drama
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't believe
That we're still livin'
Oh in this crazy crazy world
That I'm still livin'
With all the problems of the day
How can we go on
Fantasy people
Make believe people
How can you go on
But you're still livin'
I can't believe
That we're still livin'
Oh in this crazy crazy world
That I'm still livin'
With all the problems of the day
How can we go on
So tired of hearing people say how can we go on
Fantasy people
Make believe people
How can you go on
But you're still livin'
Race relations, segregation, no occupation
World inflation, demonstration, miseducation
No celebration to celebrate your lives
Listen people listen
Lift up your hearts to God
Lift up your soul
Teach your children wisdom
Reality today so they can live tomorrow
I can't believe
That we're still livin'
Oh in this crazy crazy world
That I'm still livin'
With all the problems of the day
How can we go on
So tired of hearing people say
How can I go on
Fantasy people
Make believe people
Go on
But you're still livin'
Fantasy people
Make believe people
How can you go on
But you're still livin'
Listen people listen
Lift up your hearts to God
Teach your children wisdom
Reality today
Listen people listen
Lift up your hearts to God
Teach your children wisdom
Reality today
Listen people listen
Lift up your hearts to God
Teach your children wisdom
Reality today
The song "Drama" by Erykah Badu is a reflection on the current state of the world and how difficult it can be to continue living in it. The lyrics express disbelief that we are still living in such a "crazy world" despite all the problems that exist, such as race relations, segregation, inflation, and miseducation. Badu describes these issues as dramatic and overwhelming, questioning how we can continue to cope with them. The repetition of the lines "fantasy people, make-believe people" suggest that some people are living in denial or delusion, unable to face the realities of the world.
Despite this sense of despair, the song offers a glimmer of hope in the repeated refrain "listen people listen, lift up your hearts to God, teach your children wisdom, reality today." Badu appears to be advocating for a return to spiritual and moral values as a way of coping with the challenges of the world. The song suggests that by focusing on these values and passing them on to future generations, we can work towards a better tomorrow.
Overall, "Drama" is a song that speaks to the difficulties of living in a complex and sometimes overwhelming world, but also offers a message of hope and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
The world is so dramatic
The world is full of chaos and unexpected events
I can't believe
It is almost impossible to come to terms with the current state of the world
That we're still livin'
Despite all the challenges and obstacles, humanity continues to survive and adapt
Oh in this crazy crazy world
The world is so unpredictable and uncontrollable that it is difficult to stay sane
That I'm still livin'
Despite everything, the singer has managed to stay alive and functional
With all the problems of the day
The current world is riddled with issues and difficulties
How can we go on
It is hard to see how humanity can continue to function in this kind of environment
So tired of hearing people say how can we go on
People are growing weary of others expressing these same feelings of helplessness and hopelessness
Fantasy people
People who create and sustain their own, unrealistic realities
Make believe people
Similar to 'fantasy people', these individuals construct their own, imaginary worlds
How can you go on
It seems impossible to survive relying solely on imaginative, invented realities
But you're still livin'
Despite this, these people are still managing to survive and exist
Race relations, segregation, no occupation
Problems within society such as racial divides, separation, and unemployment
World inflation, demonstration, miseducation
Other widespread societal issues such as increasing prices of goods, people protesting for change, and inadequate schooling
No celebration to celebrate your lives
Despite the harshness of the world, there are no moments or events to commemorate life
Listen people listen
The singer urges others to pay attention and take action
Lift up your hearts to God
The singer encourages others to turn to religion for solace and guidance
Lift up your soul
In addition to turning to religion, people are urged to focus on their inner selves
Teach your children wisdom
It is important to instill wisdom and knowledge in future generations
Reality today so they can live tomorrow
By teaching the realities of the world today, future generations can be better equipped to handle what is to come
Fantasy people
People who create and sustain their own, unrealistic realities
Make believe people
Similar to 'fantasy people', these individuals construct their own, imaginary worlds
Go on
The singers implies that these people will continue in their own imagined worlds as they have been
But you're still livin'
Regardless of their perceived disconnection from reality, these people are still alive and functional
Listen people listen
The singer again urges others to pay attention
Lift up your hearts to God
The ongoing encouragement to turn to religion remains
Teach your children wisdom
The importance of wisdom in the younger generation continues to be emphasized
Reality today
Acknowledgement of the current state of the world, including the struggles and difficulties present
Lyrics © TuneCore Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Erica Wright, Tyallen Macklin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind