New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) is the fourth studio album by American R&B and neo soul musician Erykah Badu, released February 26, 2008 on Universal Motown. Recording sessions for the album took place primarily at Electric Lady Studios in New York City during 2006 to 2007. Badu's first release since Worldwide Underground (2003), New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) is an esoteric concept album that features social commentary and impersonal lyrical themes of poverty, urban violence, complacency, and cultural identity. It exhibits musical styles such as funk, soul, jazz, electronica, and hip hop.

The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 123,884 copies in its first week. It produced three singles and has sold 359,000 copies in the United States. Upon its release, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) received general acclaim from most music critics. It was named one of the ten best albums of 2008 by several music critics and publications.

Background

The album features production by Madlib, Karriem Riggins, 9th Wonder, and Mike 'Chav' Chavarria, and a guest spot from Georgia Anne Muldrow. Along with sessions at New York City's Electric Lady Studios during 2006 and 2007,Taylor, Patrick. . RapReviews. Retrieved on 2009-05-15. New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) was conceived by Erykah Badu using the software application GarageBand. Her son Seven taught her how to use her laptop as a mini recording studio, and Badu's chat buddies, including Madlib, 9th Wonder, and J Dilla, had IMed her to get back into the studio and sent her tracks. Badu discussed this method of recording in an interview for Venus Zine, stating "I've taken a bigger role and started from scratch ... I was at home in Dallas making this. I would sing into computer's mic."Warren, Tamara. . Venus Zine. Retrieved on 2009-07-09.

Music

Musical style

New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) contains elements of funk, soul, fusion, jazz-funk, electronica, neo soul, and hip hop, while incorporating styles such as soul jazz, broken beat, and future jazz.. Discogs. Retrieved on 2009-07-10. One critic wrote that the musical styles featured on New Amerykah Part One are "woven together into an often mind-bending eclecticism."Billet, Alexander. . ZNet. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. On the album's diverse musical style, the Chicago Tribunes Greg Kot wrote "Like her peers D'Angelo (with Voodoo in 2000), Common (Electric Circus in 2002) and the Roots (Phrenology in 2002), Badu has made a record that defies efforts to categorize it."Kot, Greg. . Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. He compared its funk style to Miles Davis's On the Corner (1972), Herbie Hancock's Sextant (1973), and Sly & the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On (1971).

Similar to Voodoo and On the Corner, New Amerykah Part One emphasizes sound and mood over choruses and verses.Frere-Jones, Sasha. . The New Yorker. Retrieved on 2009-09-01. Another critic wrote that the album's hazy, mellow grooves have the feel of a seance.Carter, Lauren. "". Boston Herald: 32. February 26, 2008. Archived from on 2009-09-01. Several writers have compared its sound to the music of Funkadelic.Columnist. . Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2009-07-09.Linden, Amy. . Vibe. Retrieved on 2009-07-09.Gill, Andy. . The Independent. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. Music writer Nelson George described the album as "a complicated mesh of soul, electro sounds and references, simple and obscure... a musically challenging album that owes much to Radiohead and Curtis Mayfield".George, Nelson. . Nelson George. Retrieved on 2010-07-07.

Lyrical themes

New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) is an esoteric concept album with more impersonal lyrics and social commentary than Badu's previous work.Nero, Mark Edward. . About.com. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. Lyrical themes featured on the album include themes of poverty, urban violence, complacency, cultural identity, drug dependence, racism, urban renewal, and struggles within the African-American community. Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters compared its thematic structure to singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega's Beauty & Crime (2007), which was composed by Vega as an ode to her native New York City. Huff described New Amerykah Part One as "an amalgam of post-Civil Rights Era experience mixed with a post-9/11 worldview, plus a few shots of community spirit, individual growth, pleas for social activism and spiritual enlightenment, and, yes, the realities of death."

Release and promotion

Promotion for New Amerykah Part One included a commercial that was played on numerous urban music channels including BET throughout the month of February in 2008. Erykah Badu also performed a short concert for VH1's sister station vH1 Soul. The concert included several new songs from the album. It aired a number of times throughout the week of February 18, 2008. In April 2008, Erykah gave fans a chance to win a vinyl single for The Healer/Hip-Hop.. Crate Kings. Accessed April 11, 2008.

After the New Year, Badu confirmed her pregnancy and stated that she is planning on doing two more videos for songs from Part 1 before she releases Part 2 in her MySpace Blog. Her protege, MarQuez (who she revealed during the Vortex Tour) may be in one the videos. Also in her blog she narrowed it down to do videos for "The Healer" and "Soldier." MySpace. Posted January 10, 2008.

In reference to one of the provisional titles, Kahba (the middle portion of the name Erykah Badu, as the artist illustrated herself on the Okayplayer message boards), Badu says that that name was never final and that she prefers to wait and title her albums once they're finished.Hillary Crosley (December 10, 2007). Billboard. Accessed February 11, 2008. Also, "kahba" is a derogatory name for women in the Arabic language, another possible reason for the title change given that the artist was confronted with this fact in a message board topic she started.. Okayplayer. Retrieved on 2009-07-09.

Reception

The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 125,000 copies in its first week.Caulfield, Keith. . Billboard. Accessed March 5, 2008. In its second week, it fell four spots to number six, selling 41,466 copies.Jake Paine (March 12, 2008). . Accessed March 14, 2008. In its third week, it fell to number nine, selling about 35,000 more copies.Paul Grein (March 19, 2008). . Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. It has sold 359,000 copies in the United States.

Upon its release, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) received general acclaim from most music critics.. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 25 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album a rating of () honorable mention,Christgau, Robert. . MSN Music: April 2008. Archived from on 2009-08-31. indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure."Christgau, Robert. . Robert Christgau. Retrieved on 2009-06-15. USA Today gave it 3 out of 4 stars,Gardner, Elysa. . USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-08-13. while both the Boston Herald and Associated Press gave it A ratings.Johnson, Brett. "". Associated Press: March 2, 2008. Other publications and websites, including Allmusic, Entertainment Weekly, PopMatters, and Sputnikmusic, gave the album near-perfect ratings.Butler, Nick. . Sputnikmusic. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. AllHipHop gave the album 9 out of 10 stars.Iandoli, Kathy. . AllHipHop. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. Allmusic gave the album 4½ out of 5 stars and wrote of its hip hop-influenced sound, stating "The album is easily the most hip-hop and most out-there release from Badu thus far, with beats bumping, knocking, and booming in roughly equal measure, sometimes switching tacks or vanishing midstream, dropping down dark corridors, gradually levitating into direct sunlight. New Amerykah Part One received 5 out of 5 stars from The Guardians Alex Macpherson, who wrote:

New Amerykah Part One was included on several publications' "best albums of the year" lists, including the Associated Press (number 1),Moody, Nekesa Mumbi. . Associated Press. Retrieved on 2009-07-09. Rolling Stone (number 19), Amazon.com (number 7), The Austin Chronicle (number 9), Cokemachineglow (number 1), Dusted Magazine (number 5), Entertainment Weekly (number 5), New York (number 8), The New York Times (number 4), The A.V. Club (number 8), PopMatters (number 4), Slant Magazine (number 8), and The Guardian (number 9).. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. Vibe magazine named it one of the ten best albums of 2008,Cummings, Jozen. . Vibe. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. and Spin ranked it number 12 on its list of the 20 Best Albums of the year.. Spin. Retrieved on 2009-04-13. Online music magazine Pitchfork Media placed New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) at number 133 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s. Rhapsody named it the best R&B album of the 2000s. Retrieved 12 January 2010.

Personnel

*William Allen – arranger, producer

*Taz Arnold – producer

*Chris Athens – mastering

*Roy Ayers – arranger, producer

*Erykah Badu – percussion, vocals, lyricist, producer, executive producer, vocal arrangement, remixing, art direction, design, talking drum, re-recording engineer

*Marc Baptiste – photography

*Chris Bell – engineer

*Edwin Birdsong – arranger, producer

*Mike 'Chav' Chavarria - co-executive producer, engineer, arranger, mastering, guitar, vocals

*Shanti Das – marketing and project management for Universal Motown.

*Paul J. Levatino - marketing director and project management for Badu World.

*James Patrick Green – engineer

*Roy Hargrove – horn

*Shafiq Husayn – keyboards, programming, lyricist, producer, engineer, associate producer, arp strings

*Jef Lee Johnson – guitar

*Ronald Albert Johnson – engineer

*Om'Mas Keith – keyboards, producer, engineer, fender rhodes, synthesizer bass, roland synthesizer, trap kit

*Bilal Oliver – vocals

*James Poyser – keyboards, producer

*Karriem Riggins – producer

*Tom Soares – engineer, mixing, re-recording engineer, vocal recording

*Jerry Soloman – engineer

*Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson - drums

Chart history

References

Artist/Band Information

Erykah jazzreggae2009.jpgthumbBadu performing at the Jazz Reggae Festival, 2009

Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), better known by her stage name Erykah Badu (), is an American recording artist, record producer and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical stylings and sense of fashion. She is known as the "First Lady of Neo-Soul" or the "Queen of Neo-Soul".

Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for wearing very large and colorful headwraps. For her musical sensibilities, she has often been compared to jazz great Billie Holiday. She was a core member of the Soulquarians, and is also an actress having appeared in a number of films playing a range of supporting roles in movies such as Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules, and House of D, she is also very prominent in the documentary film Before the Music Dies.

Life and career

Early life

Erykah Badu was born Erica Abi Wright in South Dallas, Texas, on February 26, 1971. Her Nigerian mother raised her and her brother and sister alone; their father, William Wright, Jr., had deserted the family early in their lives. To provide for her family, the children's grandmother often helped looking after them while Erykah's mother, Kolleen Maria Gipson (Wright), performed as an actress in theatrical productions. Influenced by her mother, Erykah had her first taste of show business at the age of 4, singing and dancing with her mother at the Dallas Theatre Centre.

By the age of 14, Erykah was free-styling for a local radio station alongside such talent as Roy Hargrove. In her early youth, she decided to change the spelling of her name from Erica to Erykah, as she firmly believed her original name to be her slave name. The term 'kah' signifies the inner self. Badu is also an African name for the 10th born child used for the Akan people in Ghana.

Upon graduating from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Badu went on to study theater at the historically black college Grambling State University. Concentrating on music full-time, she left the university in 1993 before graduating and took on several minimum wage jobs to support herself. She taught drama and dance to children at the South Dallas Cultural Center. Working and touring with her cousin, Robert "Free" Bradford, she recorded a 19-song demo, Country Cousins, which attracted the attention of Kedar Massenburg, who set Badu up to record a duet with D'Angelo, "Your Precious Love," and eventually signed her to a record deal with Universal Records.

Music career

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 particular 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 of 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 Award 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 Award.

ErykahBadu2.jpgthumb200pxrightBadu performing Dec. 21, 2005

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 Award 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 2003, the Worldwide Underground album 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 album.

Badu also contributed to Zap Mama's album Ancestry in Progress (2004), adding her vocals to the track "Bandy Bandy."

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. According to Nielsen Soundscan, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) has sold 359,000 copies in the United States http Erykah Badu performed at the 10th annual Voodoo Experience in New Orleans the weekend before Halloween 2008.

Erykah Badu released her fifth studio album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) on March 30, 2010.

An "Icon" CD series of Badu was released on August 31, 2010. It features 12 of the most favorable hits from different albums of Erykah Badu.

Musical style

Badu's lyrics challenge listeners with their highly personal, emotional, philosophical, and political content. She weaves disparate musical influences together creating a rich texture of sound. References to old school rappers and songs add a general hip hop sensibility to her music. In addition, much of her songs are influenced by jazz, and can thus be categorized as acid jazz as well.

Some music journalists have labeled her nu soul or neo soul, often comparing her to Billie Holiday in lyrical delivery and grouping her with D'Angelo in musical genre. An eclectic collaborator, she has performed with artists from many different genres and backgrounds, among them roots reggae musician and singer Burning Spear.

In the May 2008 Peach Magazine issue, Badu reflected on her change in genre and former practice of wearing headwraps. Having been dubbed the "Queen of Neo-Soul" in the 90's, she found the label inaccurate and meaningless, saying:

But she states she definitely knows who she is today.

A producer and director of her own videos and stage shows, Badu stated:

On Sesame Street, she sang "We're All Friends" with Elmo, Baby Bear, Rosita, and Zoe. (EKA: Episode 3712) circa 1997.

http

Personal life

Badu splits her time between Dallas and Brooklyn, NY in her Fort Greene apartment. Badu has three children. Her eldest child is a son named Seven Sirius, born in 1997, with ex-partner André 3000 of OutKast. From 2000 to 2002, she dated rapper Common. On July 5, 2004, Badu gave birth to a daughter, Puma Sabti, in her Dallas home; Puma's father is West Coast rapper The D.O.C., who is originally from Dallas, Texas. On February 1, 2009, Badu gave birth to her third child at home, a girl named Mars Merkaba, with her boyfriend of five years, rapper Jay Electronica. In attendance were her two children, Puma and Seven.

After her performance at the 2010 Soul Train Awards, pregnancy rumors swarmed around her heavier appearance and her concealing attire. It was said that Badu was pregnant for a fourth time, now by the police officer that allegedly arrested her during the production of her Window Seat music video. Badu quickly dispelled the rumors via her Twitter account December 1, 2010 as she proclaimed "everyone knows I was NEVER ARRESTED for the window seat VIDEO nor put on probation.I only got A TICKET in the mail. and I am NOT PREGNANT," "not pregnant . just chubby."http

Badu also remains an activist in her hometown of South Dallas. Her charity organization, Beautiful Love Incorporated Non Profit Development (B.L.I.N.D. 501c3), provides community-driven development for inner-city youth through music, dance, theater and visual arts. In the publication VegNews Magazine, July–August 2008, Ms. Badu stated: "Vegan food is soul food in its truest form. Soul food means to feed the soul. And to me, your soul is your intent. If your intent is pure, you are pure".

Acting career

Badu appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules, House of D, Before the Music Dies, and Dave Chappelle's Block Party. She is reported to have a leading role alongside Mos Def in the upcoming indie film, Bobby Zero, which tells a story of a struggling couple who hit rock bottom after Mos Def's character gives up his dream of artistic aspirations to pursue a advertising corporate job to make ends meet. She also appeared in scenes of the music video of Miko Marks' 2006 recording "Mama" and Common's video for "The Light" as well as making a special appearance on the sitcom Girlfriends. She was named the latest muse to fashion designer Tom Ford in 2008 as the face of his White Patchouli fragrance. Ford, also long time friends with Badu, considered her the best choice for the campaign. “I have always considered her a true beauty … she just fits”, says Ford.

Controversy

Erykah Badu 2008.07.14 002.jpgthumb220pxrightBadu in 2008

On March 13, 2010,Hauk, Hunter. DallasNews.com. 29 March 2010. Erykah Badu shed her clothes as she walked along a Dallas, Texas, sidewalk until she was nude at the site where President Kennedy was assassinated. Suddenly, a shot rang out as the song ended; Badu's head jerked back and she fell to the ground. The result was a controversial video for her song "Window Seat", which Badu wrote on her Twitter feed "was shot guerrilla style, no crew, 1 take, no closed set, no warning, 2 min., Downtown Dallas, then ran like hell." Kwtx.com. 30 March 2010. Children with their families could be seen nearby as Badu stripped without any permission in Dealey Plaza, a popular tourist spot since Kennedy's 1963 assassination. Myfoxdfw.com. 29 Mar 2010. When asked about stripping nude in the presence of minors, Badu said "I didn’t think about them until I saw them, and in my mind I tried to telepathically communicate my good intent to them. That’s all I could do, and I hoped they wouldn’t be traumatized". Badu also explained on The Wanda Sykes Show on April 3, 2010, that it was not her intention to insult the memory of the late President Kennedy, saying "My point was grossly misunderstood all over America. JFK is one of my heroes, one of the nation's heroes. John F. Kennedy was a revolutionary; he was not afraid to butt heads with America, and I was not afraid to show America my butt-naked truth."Hanek, Joel. MTV.com. 5 April 2010. Coodie and Chike, directors of the Window Seat video, admitted they had bail money ready during filming if Badu was to be arrested. Badu said the video was a protest against “groupthink” and was inspired by Matt and Kim's music video Lessons Learned. Badu has also said she has "no regrets."

On Friday, April 2, 2010, Badu was charged with disorderly conduct, a class C misdemeanor, in relation to the music video. "Sgt. Warren Mitchell said Friday the decision to cite Badu for disorderly conduct — a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 — came after witness Ida Espinosa, 32, of Vernon, offered a sworn statement to police Thursday . Espinosa declined to comment to The Associated Press on Friday." On April 28, 2010, Badu challenged the disorderly conduct charge by pleading not guilty rather than paying the fee by mail. On Friday, August 13, she pleaded, deferred adjudication, meaning that the final judgment in the situation has been deferred until a later time and paid the $500 ticket.

Discography

Studio albums

* Baduizm (1997)

* Mama's Gun (2000)

* Worldwide Underground (2003)

* New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (2008)

* New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (2010)

Live albums

* Live (1997)

Tours

* Baduizm Tour (1997)

* Mama's Gun Tour (2001)

* Frustrated Artist Tour (2003)

* Worldwide Underground Tour (2004)

* Sugar Water Festival Tour (2005)

* Summer Tour (2006)

* The Vortex Tour (2008)

* Jam Tour (2009)

* Out My Mind, Just In Time Tour (2010)

Filmography

* Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)

* The Cider House Rules (1999)

* House of D (2004)

* Before the Music Dies (2006)

* Dave Chapelle's Block Party (2006)

* Yo Gabba Gabba! (2009)

See also

* List of awards and nominations received by Erykah Badu

References