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.

World Keeps Turnin
Erykah Badu Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The world is gon' turn
The world is on and on
The world is gon' turn
Turn

And the world is on and on
All yeah, oh yeah
Yeah

On, on, on, on
On, on and on
On, on and on
On, on, on and on, on

On
On and on

The world is gon' turn
The world is on and on

Overall Meaning

In "World Keeps Turnin," Erykah Badu reflects on the unrelenting nature of the world and its endless cycles of change. The lyrics are repetitive, emphasizing the consistency and predictability of the world's movements, and the use of "on and on" reinforces the idea that these cycles will continue without end. Badu's soothing vocals lend a sense of comfort to the track, as she reminds listeners that no matter what happens in life, the world will keep turning.

The song can be interpreted in a number of ways, but one possible reading is that it reflects on the inevitability of change and the need to accept it. Badu seems to be saying that we can't control everything that happens in the world, but we can control how we react to it. By acknowledging that the world will keep turning no matter what, we can find peace in the knowledge that we are part of something much larger than ourselves.

Overall, "World Keeps Turnin" is a reflective and contemplative song that encourages listeners to embrace the idea of change and find solace in the fact that the world will keep moving forward.

Line by Line Meaning

The world is gon' turn
Regardless of what happens, the world will keep moving forward

The world is on and on
The continuity of the universe is infinite

Turn
Life is all about change and adapting to whatever comes our way

And the world is on and on
The universe is vast and never-ending

All yeah, oh yeah
Expressing agreement and acceptance towards the world and its ways

On, on, on, on
The world keeps moving forward without any pause or hesitation

On, on and on
The cycle of life and the universe is endless

On, on and on
Time marches forward, never stopping or slowing down

On, on, on and on, on
Infinite repetitions and sequences are a part of the universe

On
Continuing with the flow of life and the world

On and on
The ever-repeating cycle of existence