Erykah Badu (born Erica Abi Wright on February 26, 1971 in Dallas, Texas) i… Read Full Bio ↴Erykah Badu (born Erica Abi Wright on February 26, 1971 in Dallas, Texas) is an American R'n'B/neo-soul artist whose work crosses over into jazz.

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.

Hotline Bling
Erykah Badu Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You used to call me on my cellular device at night
I know when that hotline bling, that could only mean one thing

Ever since I left the city you
Got a reputation for yourself now1
Everybody knows and I feel left out
Boy, you got me down, and got me stressed out
Cause ever since I left the city, you

Started gettin' dressin', goin' out more
Glasses of champagne out on the dance floor
Hangin' with some dudes I've never seen before

You used to call me on my cellular device at night
I know when that hotline bling, that could only mean one thing

Them people just said let it go
And on and on and such and such
But they don't ride around with us
No, no, no
Ain't that too bad we love to hang
And for a while, it stays the same
But now you tryna change the game
No, no, no

You used to call me on my cellular device at night
I know when that hotline bling, that could only mean one thing

Late night when you need my love

You used to call me on my cellular device at night
I know when that hotline bling, that could only mean one thing

Ever since I left the city you
Got a reputation for yourself now
Everybody knows and I feel left out
Boy, you got me down, and got me stressed out
Cause ever since I left the city, you
Started gettin' dressin' and goin' out more
Glasses of champagne out on the dance floor
Hangin' with some dudes I've never seen before

You used to call me on my cellular device at night
I know when that hotline bling, that could only mean one thing

Them people just said let it go
And on and on and such and such
But they don't ride around with us
Oh, no, no
Ain't that too bad we love to hang
And for a while, it stays the same
But now you tryna change the game
Oh, no, no

You used to call me on my cell
I know when that hotline bling, that could only mean one thing

Overall Meaning

In Erykah Badu's version of Hotline Bling, we see her exploring the aftermath of a failed relationship. The song begins with her reminiscing about the moments when her former lover used to constantly reach out to her through her cellular device. Badu then paints a picture of how things have drastically changed since she left the city. In her absence, her ex has developed a new reputation for themselves, socializing and enjoying an active social life. Badu is left feeling left out and is struggling to come to terms with the fact that she has been replaced.

As the song progresses, Badu seems to be holding on to the hope that one day, her ex will come back to her phone or reach out to her again in any way possible. It may even be interpreted that she is suggesting it's a late-night, and her ex might seek her love or attention when he is feeling low or when things in his life are not going too well. But, at the same time, she acknowledges that life moves on, and her partner may have found someone else. Despite the changes, she misses the old times and the deep connection they used to share. This song beautifully depicts the emotions and sentiments a person feels when they have been suddenly forgotten or replaced.

Line by Line Meaning

You used to call me on my cellular device at night
You used to contact me on my phone during the night

I know when that hotline bling, that could only mean one thing
I understand that when my phone rings at that specific time, it's only because of one reason

Ever since I left the city you
After I moved away from the city

Got a reputation for yourself now
You have built a certain image for yourself now

Everybody knows and I feel left out
Everyone is aware, and I feel excluded

Boy, you got me down, and got me stressed out
You have put me down and given me stress

Cause ever since I left the city, you
Because you have changed since I left the city

Started gettin' dressin', goin' out more
You began dressing up and going out more often

Glasses of champagne out on the dance floor
Drinking champagne and dancing with other people

Hangin' with some dudes I've never seen before
Spending time with men I don't recognize

Them people just said let it go
Those people just advised to forget about it

And on and on and such and such
And et cetera, it goes on and on

But they don't ride around with us
But they aren't with us

Ain't that too bad we love to hang
Isn't that unfortunate, since we enjoy spending time together

And for a while, it stays the same
And for some time, nothing changes between us

But now you tryna change the game
But now you are attempting to alter the dynamics of the relationship

Late night when you need my love
During late hours at night, when you require my affection