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.
Twinkle
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They don't know their God
They take what their given
Even when it feels Odd
They say their grandfathers and grandmothers work hard for nothing
And we still in this ghetto
So they end up in prisons
They end up in blood
They keep us uneducated
Sick and depressed
(They end up in blood)
Doctor I'm addicted now
I'm under arrest
(They end up in blood)
We makin' mo' money than a muthafucka
(They end up in blood)
With no choices there's no hope for us
(They end up in blood)
Started with a rhyme from old ancient times
Decedents of warlocks
Witches with I'll glitches
Children of the matrix be hittin' them car switches
Seen some Virgin Virgos hanging out with Venus bitches
Started with a rhyme from old ancient times
Decedents of warlocks
Witches with I'll glitches
Children of the matrix be hittin' them car switches
Seen some Virgin Virgos hanging out with Venus bitches
Started with a rhyme from old ancient times
Decedents of warlocks
Witches with I'll glitches
Children of the matrix be hittin' them car switches
Seen some Virgin Virgos hanging out with Venus bitches
Started with a rhyme from old ancient times
Decedents of warlocks
Witches with I'll glitches
Children of the matrix be hittin' them car switches
Seen some Virgin Virgos hanging out with Venus bitches
'Cause they don't know their language
They don't know their God
They take what their given
Even when it feels odd
They say their grandfathers and grandmothers work hard for nothing
And we still in this ghetto
So they end up in prisons
They end up in blood
They keep us uneducated
Sick and depressed
(They end up in blood)
Doctor I'm addicted now
I'm under arrest
(They end up in blood)
We makin' mo' money than a muthafucka
(They end up in blood)
With no choices there's no hope for us
(They end up in blood)
They keep us uneducated
Sick and depressed
(They end up in blood)
Doctor I'm addicted now
I'm under arrest
(They end up in blood)
We makin' mo' money than a muthafucka
(They end up in blood)
With no choices there's no hope for us
(They end up in blood)
The song "Twinkle" by Erykah Badu is a powerful commentary on the systematic oppression of Black people in America. The lyrics begin with a poignant observation that Black people often do not know their own history or culture and have lost their connection to their ancestors and spirituality. This not only leaves them vulnerable to the forces of colonization but also keeps them trapped in poverty and violence. The line "They take what they're given, even when it feels odd" speaks to the fact that Black people are often forced to accept the crumbs they are given, even if it feels unnatural or wrong. This leads to a cycle of incarceration and death, highlighted by the repetition of the lines "So they end up in prisons, they end up in blood."
The second verse of the song addresses the ways in which Black people are kept sick and uneducated, which only perpetuates the cycle of poverty and oppression. Badu's use of repetition in the chorus underscores the urgency of the message and the dire situation that Black people find themselves in. The final verse repeats the same lines from the beginning and adds "Children of the matrix be hittin' them car switches" which refers to the harsh realities of urban life and the desperation that can grow out of living in a violent environment. The line "Seen some Virgin Virgos hanging out with Venus bitches" is a reference to astrology and the way in which Black people have used spirituality and alternative practices to connect to their heritage and resist colonization.
In sum, "Twinkle" is a powerful message about the way in which Black people have been systematically oppressed and kept in poverty and violence. It speaks to the urgent need to reconnect with our heritage and spirituality in order to resist these forces and build a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
They don't know their language
People are not aware of their own heritage and traditions.
They don't know their God
People are ignorant of their own belief system.
They take what they're given, Even when it feels odd
People accept whatever is provided to them, regardless of whether it aligns with their beliefs or intuition.
They say their grandfathers and grandmothers worked hard for nothing
People feel that their ancestors' efforts did not yield the promised rewards.
And we still in this ghetto, So they end up in prisons
Despite generations of struggle, people remain trapped in impoverished neighborhoods and face incarceration.
They keep us uneducated, Sick and depressed
The system in place is designed to keep people ignorant, unhealthy, and unhappy.
Doctor I'm addicted now, I'm under arrest
Individuals who struggle with addiction are criminalized and punished instead of receiving the necessary support and treatment.
We makin' mo' money than a muthafucka, With no choices there's no hope for us
Despite financial success, people still feel trapped with no opportunities for true advancement or fulfillment in life.
Started with a rhyme from old ancient times, Decedents of warlocks, Witches with I'll glitches, Children of the matrix be hittin' them car switches, Seen some Virgin Virgos hanging out with Venus bitches
The world we live in is rooted in ancient traditions of black magic, where people's behaviors are influenced by the unseen forces and strange coincidences.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: Erica Wright, Ommas Keith-Graham, Shafiq Husayn, Shafiq A. Husayn, Taz Arnold
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind