By A Negro And A Keyboard

I remember the first time I heard Jay-Z and R. Kelly’s, Pu**y, an ode to the endless means to which men will go in order to get into a woman’s panties. As I listened to this song, I reminisced about a time when Andre 3000 from Outkast used to be Andre Benjamin, the dude who rocked the A-Town fitteds and Kangols, before trading these in to start dressing like the Black Austin Powers. Next, I began to ponder the days when Common used to be Common Sense, wearing hoodies and passing 40’s with the homies, prior to donning dashikis, linen pants and sandals. Now while it is debatable as to whether or not these drastic changes are stylistic upgrades or simply new-age tomfoolery, what is not in doubt about either, is the “P-Power” that influenced these shifts in their mindsets: The ex-girlfriend that they and Tyrone’s homie have shared, Ms. Erykah Badu.

Dubbed the “Queen of Neo-Soul” during the 90’s, Badu has been without a doubt one of the most polarizing figures on the R&B landscape throughout the past two decades. Constantly walking the thin line of African consciousness and full-blown weirdo-status over the years, Badu has certainly put a major stamp on urban culture through her music, style, antics and of course, her well-noted ability to completely turn out a number of noted rap celebrities.

Most recently, Badu has made some major waves with her controversial music video for the single,