Erykah Badu
a.k.a.
Erica Abi Wright
MAMA'S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG Erykah Badu Returns Fire with Mama's Gun
In a recent roundtable discussion with music journalists, ethereal soul singer Erykah Badu spoke candidly about her evolution as an artist since her enchanting 1997 debut, Baduizm, and the inspiration for her daring sophomore disc, Mama's Gun. Here are some of the highlights:
Question: Did you approach this album differently than you did Baduizm?
Erykah Badu: Not really. I did not approach the album any differently. I used the same formula. I guess it's just a different me now, you know? The evolution.
Q: How have you evolved since Baduizm?
EB: It's hard to explain. I have a two-year-old son. And I see him every day, so I can't really see how tall he's gotten. But other people can. I can tell I'm in a different place than I was with Baduizm, but I don't know exactly how.
Q: What inspired the song "Bag Lady"?
EB: I wrote "Bag Lady" right after I finished Baduizm and started my live show. I actually started writing it because I was inspired by my own personal growth. You know, I was happy I was able to assess things a little bit better. And I figured out that the reason I couldn't get through the day as well as I can now is because I had too many things on my mind and on my plate. So I started to eliminate some of the things that were unnecessary or too heavy to carry. So that's where the words came from. Actually, it started with a melody I was humming, and usually the words find their place. They're just waitin' to get on a song.
Q: Since you've been out of the spotlight, artists such as Macy Gray have become popular. How do you feel about the competition?
EB: They're my friends. Any artist who feels the way I do, I get on their record. I don't have anything to prove. I'm only in competition with my last level, which doesn't have anything to do with music. The last level is the last place you were [in life]. There will never be another Erykah Badu or another Macy Gray. We all came to the music business with everything we had. Some of us just don't get a chance. Now there are a lot of other people like myself who are getting heard worldwide. That gives other artists a chance. So we basically represent the artists who are still unheard. I mean, we don't sound anything alike, and we don't approach our music in the same way. But we come from the same genuine place. We want our music to be real, and we don't want to compromise our art. Whether we're talkin' about somethin' serious or talking about partyin', we don't want to compromise the music at all.
Q: You don't see any competition between yourself and Jill Scott?
EB: Naw, we help each other. She wrote the lyrics that I sang on the Roots' "You Got Me." We talk all the time. I think what makes people think there's competition is because of the [negative] things people write. It really doesn't have anything to do with the artist. We don't feel like that at all. Sometimes if we're feeling weak at the moment and I'm reading [an article that says] Jill Scott is like Erykah Badu or vice versa, as humans you might get mad at the artist. But you have to remember that it's all a formality. That's just the way the music business is. So we try to encourage one another.
Q: What does music mean to you?
EB: Nobody's ever asked me that. What does music mean to me? I don't think I would be much without it. It's my means of communication, my means of growth, my means of transportation from one point in my life to another. It's how I express myself. I never did consider myself a singer. I just let people watch me feel music and how it comes through me. I've worked on it and practiced a lot. I also dance, so singing is just one way of getting the music out of me.
Q: You seem very spiritual. Do you follow a certain religion?
EB: Personally, I don't choose any particular religion, symbol, or teachings to define me. That's between the most high and me. You know, my higher self. The Creator. I know that they are all one in the same. But I do learn a lot from each thing, 'cause everything is necessary. We're all here for a reason, not just to [fellowship] with your own group. I'll have more information on that on the next album.
Q: Did you feel a spiritual vibe while recording Mama's Gun?
EB: As a matter of fact, there was [ a spiritual presence]. It seemed like it was from before I was born. I recorded at Jimi Hendrix's Electric Lady Studio, and the walls are covered with people's names, paintings, and collages. The booths are the same ones that Stevie Wonder, Roy Ayers, and Jimi used. When I started recording Mama's Gun, D'Angelo had just finished Voodoo. I can't explain it, but you can feel the music. Sometimes when I didn't have an idea, it would come from some place -- like out of thin air.
Q: You wrote and produced this entire album. Was that difficult?
EB: It was definitely complicated. It was a one-woman show this time, but I had a lot of people who were involved in playing music and coming up with ideas. But all the creativity had to come from me. The day I mastered the album, I had just finished two songs ("Didn't Cha Know" and "Penitentiary Philosophy"). I just came straight from the studio to master it. I didn't get to hear it or critique it or anything. It's kinda hard, doing it all yourself. But it was a good experience. And I got it all done! It wasn't on time. But it was on time, you know what I'm saying?
Q: What was the inspiration for "Penitentiary Philosophy"?
EB: I wrote that song during a session with James Poyser, Ahmir (?Luv) Thompson from the Roots, and Pino Palladino. We were just clowning around, and I freestyled the lyrics. The first draft was very close to what you hear now. I knew the reason for the song, but I didn't know what it meant yet. I just found that out. "Penitentiary Philosophy" is about how we lock ourselves into our own philosophies, our own religions, our own walks of life, and if we fail we condemn ourselves and then we get sick. I think that we should find a way to clear our minds and to be a little freer. I think we lock ourselves into things because we're afraid of change. I think many people have lost respect for the individual -- the person who doesn't conform.
Q: Is there an anthem on this album that's speaking to women?
EB: Some would say the whole album. Some would call me a women's liberalist. I mean, I don't think so. I think I'm speaking from a woman's perspective, and I just happen to be a woman. I know more about women's issues than about men's issues. But I'm speaking to brothers on there, too. There's a song called "Time's a Wastin'," which was inspired by my 18-year-old brother. He's the closest example of a young man who has idle time and doesn't know exactly what to do with it. "Time's a wastin', keep on driftin' and ain't no tellin' where you'll land." It's almost as if a lot of black people in America, especially young black men, are born with this cloud over their heads. But you gotta focus and take out all the demons in your range. There's nothing else you can do -- just move forward and quick.
Q: Explain your connection with the Soulquarians?
EB: Actually, D'Angelo, James Poyser, Jay Dee, and Ahmir from the Roots, who are all Aquarians, formulated it. So that's how that came about. I'm the first lady because I'm the only woman in the crew. They call me Mama. We like each other's music, and one day we were all in a room together for a photo shoot. The Soulquarians is about good music and bringing forth good energy through music -- no matter what the subject matter. We [all] love and appreciate music.
November 17, 2000
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