Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, activist and actress and 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".

Baduizm is Badu's highly acclaimed debut album which was released in early 1997 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts. The lead single "On & On" reached #12 on the singles charts in both the U.S. and UK. Baduizm eventually went triple platinum and, along with "On & On", win several awards at 1998 Grammy Awards.

Badu's first live album, Live, was released in 1997 and coincided with the birth of her child. Live reached #4 on the Billboard charts, selling double platinum, and featured the single "Tyrone". In 1999, Badu collaborated with the Roots on their breakthrough release, Things Fall Apart. She was featured on the song "You Got Me" which hit the top 40 and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.

In 2000, Badu released the album Mama's Gun along with the single "Bag Lady", which topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The album went platinum, and "Bag Lady" was nominated for a Grammy Award. Badu collabarated with Common on "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" which was featured on the Brown Sugar soundtrack. "Love of My Life" went to #9 on the pop charts, topped the R&B listings, and Badu was awarded her fourth Grammy Award for the song in 2003.

In September 2003, her third studio album Worldwide Underground was released and reached #3 on the Billboard charts and was certified gold. Badu received four further Grammy nominations for the album. Badu also contributed to Zap Mama's album Ancestry in Progress in 2004.

The single "Honey" was released online in November 2007, and Badu's fourth studio album, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), was released in February 2008. According to Nielsen Soundscan, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) has sold 359,000 copies in the United States.

Erykah Badu released her fifth studio album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) in March 2010. An "Icon" CD series of Badu was released in August 2010 and features 12 of the most favorable hits from different albums of Erykah Badu. Badu appeared on Flying Lotus' fourth album, Until the Quiet Comes.and on the debut album by Rocketjuice and The Moon, which was released in March 2012.