MUSIC + JFK | »2010: The Year of Erykah Badu + the Return of Her Ankh« :: Part 1

Erykah Badu’s unique voice and magical grooves was the soundtrack to my 2010. Hundreds of designKULTUR posts this year were written whilst listening to my iTunes playlist, FINEST★ Erica Abi Wright aka Erykah Badu (below).

Return of the Ankh, her fifth studio album, made me revisit her entire catalogue and I pronounce La Badu a genius. Over a 13-year-long career, she has proven herself to be a masterful singer-songwriter, constantly re-imagining herself and exploring new sounds and directions. Hers is a truly unique voice in contemporary music. Just listening to her music makes you cool.

Since she exploded on the scene with “On and On” back in ’97, Badu has defined the word NeoSoul (a term that was invented by Kedar Massenburg to market Badu’s unique sound and launch her career).

Erykah Badu is the new Joni Mitchell. She is the voice of a conscious generation. She makes genderless, raceless, borderless music that explores themes of poverty, violence, cultural identity and what it means to be human. Like Mitchell, some of her work can be challenging and indeed ahead of the zeitgeist. To me that’s the mark not only of genius, but also of a prophet.

Badu now has a substantial catalogue of material in her bag and if she continues to play her cards right and her muses continue to crank out new concepts for her to explore, her status in the pantheon of great composers of late-20th-early-21st-century music is assured. 2010, meanwhile, will be remembered for the magnificent return of her magical Ankh.

Erykah Badu: Musician of the Year, 2010

Ernie Barnes, Sugar Shack, 1971

WINDOW SEAT lyrics > PDF

Erykah Badu – Window Seat Remixes

Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as the 36th U.S. President aboard Air Force One at Love Field in Dallas. This is the full, uncropped photo taken by Cecil Stoughton. designKULTUR must see > Kennedy Photo Album

After much jiggling, [Cecil Stoughton] obtained 20 shots of the swearing-in ceremony, carefully cropped to cut out the bloodstains still showing on Jackie Kennedy’s skirt and stockings.

Albert Thomas winks at Lyndon Baines Johnson Source > Spartacus Education Photos > Cecil Stoughton

dallasnews.com | Eykah Badu speaks out about ‘Window Seat’ video

Wikipedia | Groupthink

Erykah Badu – Baduizm (1997)

Erykah Badu – Baduizm Live (1997)

Erykah Badu – Mama’s Gun (2000)

Erykah Badu - Bag Lady (Single) (2000)

Erykah Badu - Worldwide Underground (2003)

Erykah Badu – New Amerykah : Part One (4th World War) (2008)

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) (2010)