Erykah Badu Biography

Erykah Badu (born Erica Abi Wright) is an American neo-soul, R&B/hip hop artist whose work crosses over into jazz. She is best known for her singles "You Got Me," her collaboration with The Roots, as well as her own songs "Tyrone", "Next Lifetime", "On & On", "Bag Lady" and "Clevah." Influenced early on by singers such as Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Chaka Khan, (her all-time favorite artist), Erykah was taking to the local radio microphones, freestyling on the air by the age of 14. Badu appeared in the films Blues Brothers 2000, The Cider House Rules, House of D, "Before the Music Dies", and Dave Chappelle's Block Party. She also appeared in scenes of the music video of Miko Marks' 2006 recording, 'Mama'.