Erykah Badu will be recognized this year at the Essence official Grammy “Black Women in Music” event. Held during Grammy week, the four-time recipient will be honored for her twenty-year milestone in the music industry. Baduizm, Badu’s iconic debut, launched a solid career for the Texas native. In the late ‘90s, when R&B was all about sex and samples, Badu joined a crew of smooth singers that used their classic soul influences to help bring the soul back to mainstream radio.
On their decision to honor Badu, Essence Editor-in-Chief Vanessa De Luca said, “From the time that she first hit the scene with her album Baduizm, we all fell in love with the genius that is Erykah Badu. It is only fitting that we honor the accomplishments of our neo-soul queen, whose remarkable artistry still moves us 20 years later.”
Baduizm gave us soul classics like “On & On,” “Next Lifetime” and my favorite, “Apple Tree,” which Badu says was inspired by Brandy’s “I Want to be Down.” The album went on to sell over three million copies and earned two Grammy’s. In the years to come, the hits kept rolling in for the soul star and it is no surprise that Essence will celebrate her work this February.
Congratulations Erykah Badu!
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