Affectionately called “Auntie” by her fans and loyal followers in the streets of Dallas, Erykah Badu is an indisputable staple in the world of Neo Soul and R&B. She was born and raised in Dallas and a graduate of the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. And you can’t mention R&B, soul or even neo-soul, without Badu being a heavy part of the conversation.
Badu has often been quoted saying that she is a touring artist, not a recording artist, which has been apparent since her debut album, Baduizm, in 1997. Badu has toured across the world for the better part of nearly three decades. Some of her most notable performances though, were in her own home during the Covid-19 pandemic. Badu was one of the first artists to reach out to her audiences via intimate video concerts, at a time when the world came to a screeching halt. Like many artists, Badu makes a large portion of her income from being on tour.
Badu has always appeared as eclectic as she is talented. As spiritual as she is educated. She is known just as much for her wise words as she is for lyrics like, “Bag lady, you gon’ hurt your back…I guess nobody ever told you, all you have to hold on to is you.” From the award winning track “Bag Lady”, Badu talks to women about releasing emotional baggage from past traumas and relationships.
And so it goes, this is how she feeds herself and her community. Telling stories of ancient ancestry, of love, of self-discovery – of life, over music that can’t help but make the listener feel more grounded and connected to themselves and the world around them. Keep track of Erykah Badu and her new projects on her official website.
You can hear even more local music at noon Mon-Fri on Local Bites and on the KXT Local Show on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. If you’re an artist from North Texas, you can submit your music to KXT for consideration right here.
La Bell is a weekend and fill-in host at KXT. She shares some of her favorite songs during ‘R&B at 3’ on weekends.
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