

She was a core member of the Soulquarians. Early in her career, Badu was recognizable for her eccentric style, which often included wearing very large and colorful headwraps. Her voice has been compared to jazz singer Billie Holiday. Badu has been called the queen of neo soul. Influenced by R&B, 1970s soul, and 1980s hip hop, Badu became associated with the neo soul subgenre in the 1990s along with artists like D'Angelo. It contained the album's lead single "Window Seat", which led to controversy. New Amerykah Part Two was released in 2010 and fared well both critically and commercially. It spawned two singles: "Honey" and "Soldier". Badu's fourth album, New Amerykah Part One, was released in 2008. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA. It generated three singles: "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)", "Danger" and "Back in the Day (Puff)" with 'Love' becoming her second song to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #9. Badu's third album, Worldwide Underground, was released in 2003. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA. It spawned three singles: "Bag Lady", which became her first top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at #6, "Didn't Cha Know?" and "Cleva".

Her first live album, Live, was released in November 1997 and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.Her second studio album, Mama's Gun, was released in 2000. The album was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

It spawned three singles: "On & On", "Next Lifetime" and "Otherside of the Game". Her first album, Baduizm, was released in February 1997. Badu's career began after opening a show for D'Angelo in 1994 in Fort Worth record label executive Kedar Massenburg was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Entertainment. Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress.
