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.
The Healer
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yahweh Dios Ma'at Jah
Rastafari fyah dance, sex, music, hip-hop
It's bigger than religion
Hip-hop
It's bigger than my nigga
Hip-hop
It's bigger than the government
This one is fa' Dilla, hip-hop
We ain't dead said the children don't believe it
We just made ourselves invisible
Underwater, stove-top, blue flame scientists
Come out with your scales up
Get baptized in the ocean of the hungry
My niggas turn in to gods
Walls come tumblin'
Alhamdulillah Allah Jehovah
Yahweh Dios Ma'at Jah
Rastafari fyah dance, sex, music, hip-hop
It's bigger than religion
Hip-hop
It's bigger than my nigga
Hip-hop
It's bigger than the government
This one is the healer, hip-hop
Told you we ain't dead yet
We been livin' through your internet
You don't have to believe everything you think
We've been programmed wake up, we miss you
They call you indigo, we call you Africa
Go get baptized in the ocean of the people
Say reboot, refresh, restart
Fresh page, new day, O.G.'s, new key
Erykah Badu's "The Healer" speaks about the power of hip-hop and its ability to unite people across religion and race. She starts by giving praise to Allah (the Muslim God), Jehovah (the Christian God), Yahweh (the Jewish God), Dios (the Spanish word for God), Ma'at (the Egyptian Goddess of balance), Jah (the Rastafari God), and then references the dancehall style of Rastafarian music. Badu believes that the power of hip-hop is larger than any one religion or government and is dedicated to the late producer J Dilla. The song speaks about the resilience of the youth and how they have made themselves invisible to the world, but they won’t be ignored anymore. The change they are fighting for is on the horizon, and it will bring down the walls and turn her people into gods.
The line "we’ve been programmed wake up, we miss you" speaks to the mental conditioning that people are exposed to through technology and the idea that humans need to “wake up” from this programming and reconnect with one another. The song also speaks to the African diaspora, referring to those who call themselves indigo children as Africa. The song suggests that these people go back to their African roots and baptize themselves in the ocean of the people. The healer hip-hop comes in at this point in the song, celebrating the capability of hip-hop to bridge the gaps between races and religions.
* The song was produced by the late J Dilla, known for his innovative music production.
* The song was released in 2008 as a part of her album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War).
* Badu’s lyrics blend various religious beliefs together, highlighting the universal message that hip-hop can bring.
* The song features multiple references to Africa, and Badu encourages listeners to rediscover their roots.
* The music video was shot in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, New York, and features a street parade that was authentic to the area.
* The song samples "As Long As I’ve Got You" by The Charmels which was previously sampled in "C.R.E.A.M" by Wu-Tang-Clan.
* The line "my niggas turn into gods, walls come tumbling" may reference Nelson Mandela who was seen as a god to many.
Chords: E, A, D, G, B, e (standard tuning)
(Note: This is a sample-heavy song; therefore, there may be no guitar present in the song)
Line by Line Meaning
Alhamdulillah Allah Jehovah
Praising Allah, Jehovah, and other deities
Yahweh Dios Ma'at Jah
Acknowledging Yahweh, Dios, Ma'at, and Jah as well
Rastafari fyah dance, sex, music, hip-hop
Referencing Rastafarianism and its values, including dancing, sex, music, and hip-hop
It's bigger than religion
The power of hip-hop extends beyond just religion
It's bigger than my nigga
The impact of hip-hop goes beyond just the people in one's immediate circle
It's bigger than the government
Hip-hop's influence is greater than that of the government
This one is fa' Dilla, hip-hop
Dedicated to J Dilla, a legendary hip-hop producer
We ain't dead said the children don't believe it
The youth are still alive and well, despite what others may think
We just made ourselves invisible
The younger generation has found ways to hide from the world's expectations and prejudices
Underwater, stove-top, blue flame scientists
Reference to people who experiment with new ideas despite the risks
Come out with your scales up
Present your ideas for consideration and evaluation
Get baptized in the ocean of the hungry
Be inspired by those who are eager for change
My niggas turn in to gods
Friends can become idols in the hip-hop culture
Walls come tumblin'
Metaphor for breaking down barriers and making progress
Told you we ain't dead yet
Reinforcement that the younger generation is still alive
We been livin' through your internet
Commentary on the rise of social media and its effects on society
You don't have to believe everything you think
A call to question one's preconceived notions and beliefs
We've been programmed wake up, we miss you
People have been conditioned to ignore their true selves
They call you indigo, we call you Africa
Referencing the notion that humans are all connected, despite arbitrary labels
Go get baptized in the ocean of the people
Encouragement to seek enlightenment through understanding others
Say reboot, refresh, restart
Suggesting that people take a step back and restart their lives
Fresh page, new day, O.G.'s, new key
Emphasizing the idea that every new day is a chance to start anew
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: ERICA WRIGHT, MALCOLM ROBERT ANDREW MCLAREN, DANIEL BANGALTER, OTIS LEE JR. JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind