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I love “Low Down Lo-Retta Brown,” aka Ms. Erykah Badu. I’m not putting any gas on it when I say she’s phenomenal in concert -- and she proved it again on Friday, at Radio City Music Hall with the Roots.
I say Badu’s the R&B equivalent of Nas, Mary J. being our Jay-Z. Whereas Mary capitalizes on being a legend -- with an album and tour every two years, media blitz, endorsements, the full shebang -- Badu reminds me of Nas, dropping projects sorta when she wants. (I think she needs to drop more music more frequently, but that’s for a whole 'nother blog post.) Ms. Bad Bad Badu could care less about the accolades of the mainstream or the dollars that are associated with parlaying your stardom into business ventures. Also like Nas, she is just so profoundly lyrical. Her songs are way more than just “ooh baby, make love to me.” Erykah has jewels for days.
“What if there were no n*****s, just master teachers?” she sang on Friday during “Master Teacher." “Hip-hop is bigger than religion, bigger than the government,” she would profess earlier in the midst of singing “The Healer.” Highlights from the show for me were “Me” and “Solider” (my two favorite joints from her latest album, New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War)), “Tyrone,” and, of course, “Bag Lady.”
And at the end of the night, Badu brought out two surprise guests. I’m thinking Talib and Mos Def, maybe Common and Kanye -- nope. She brought out two regular people, so regular I can’t even remember their names. They were fans of hers, a couple from Cincinnati. After telling everyone how great E. was, the man laid it on really thick and professed his love to his woman: “Being without you is like looking in the sky and sun not shining...We need to go 'head and do this thing.”
Who wrote that, Tyler Perry or Wingo from Jagged Edge? Lucky for the man, love is blind. The lady never did say yes, but she took the ring and they kissed. When Erykah came back on the mic, she joked the guy pinched her ass on the sly.
Anyone out there catch the show? Are you feelin' New Amerykah?
