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.
Rim Shot
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My rim shot, hey, digi, digi
The rim shot, hey, come on
I want a rim shot, hey, digi, digi
The rim shot, hey, come on
A rim shot, hey, digi, digi
The rim shot, hey, come on
Give it to me, give it to me (boom-klat-boom-klat)
Hit your stick up against that drum
I don't wanna hear no snare
Come on, rim shot, I wanna hear it
Rimshot, oh, puts me on the clouds
I want a rim shot, hey
I got to hear it loud, loud, loud, loud
I want a rim shot, hey, digi, digi
I really dig the way you hear that stick
I want a rim shot, hey, digi, digi
On the drum, pum, pum, pum, pum
I want a rim shot, hey, digi digi
The rim shot
I want a rim shot, hey, digi digi
I, I, I, I wanna rim shot
The outro to Erykah Badu's song "Outro" is a celebration of a simple but essential aspect of drumming called the rim shot. The lyrics suggest that the rim shot is more important than the snare or any other element of the drum kit. The repetitive chorus of "rim shot, hey, digi, digi" creates a hypnotic, trance-like feeling in the listener, emphasizing the importance and power of the rim shot.
The rest of the lyrics simply ask for more rim shots, louder rim shots, and the singer's admiration for the way the drummer hits the stick against the drum. The entire song is a tribute to the power and importance of rhythm in music and in life. As an outro to an album, the song serves as a reminder that rhythm and percussive elements are essential to hold a song together, just as the beat of our hearts is essential to our existence.
Line by Line Meaning
The rim shot, hey, come on
The artist is requesting a rim shot sound to be added to the song.
My rim shot, hey, digi, digi
The artist wants the rim shot to have a digital sound effect.
I want a rim shot, hey, digi, digi
The artist reiterates that she wants a digital-sounding rim shot added in the song.
Give it to me, give it to me (boom-klat-boom-klat)
The artist further emphasizes that she wants the rim shot included in the song and that she wants a specific sound effect for it.
Hit your stick up against that drum
The artist is instructing the drummer to hit their stick against the drum to create the rim shot sound effect.
I don't wanna hear no snare
The artist does not want to hear any snare drums but rather wants to hear the rim shot.
Rimshot, oh, puts me on the clouds
The artist enjoys the sound of the rim shot and it makes her feel euphoric.
I got to hear it loud, loud, loud, loud
The artist wants the rim shot to be played at a high volume.
I really dig the way you hear that stick
The artist appreciates the way the drummer hits the stick to create the rim shot sound.
On the drum, pum, pum, pum, pum
The artist is indicating the sound of the rim shot, which is made by hitting the drum with the stick.
I, I, I, I wanna rim shot
The artist reiterates that she wants a rim shot added to the song.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: Erica Wright, Madukwu E. Chinwah
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind