Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu is a Dallas singer, songwriter, producer and DJ whose neo-soul brings together R&B, jazz and hip-hop, from Baduizm to her 2026 album with The Alchemist.
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Latest
Erykah’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus her backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Music
Music
Music
Music
MusicOverview
- From
- Dallas, Texas
- Born
- February 26, 1971
- Also known as
- DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown
- Work
- Singer, songwriter, producer and DJ
- Breakout
- Baduizm and “On & On” (1997)
- Grammys
- Five wins
Mini bio
How it started.
Born Erica Abi Wright in Dallas, Erykah began singing and dancing alongside her mother at four. She attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, then studied theater at Grambling State University before leaving to pursue music. A demo recorded with her cousin Robert “Free” Bradford caught the attention of Kedar Massenburg.
Finding her sound.
Her 1997 debut Baduizm paired jazz phrasing, soul and hip-hop. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and earned Grammys for Best R&B Album and “On & On.” Mama’s Gun followed in 2000, with Badu co-producing alongside James Poyser and J Dilla and working with musicians including Questlove and Roy Hargrove.
Always a performer.
Her catalog stretches through the New Amerykah albums and the 2015 mixtape But You Caint Use My Phone. She also DJs as Lo Down Loretta Brown. In 2026, she released Before the World Blows with The Alchemist, extending their collaboration from intimate live shows to a full album.
Creditschronological, newest first
- 2026Before the World BlowsArtist with The Alchemist; co-producer
- 2025Mama’s Gun: Spotify AnniversaryPerformer with Thundercat; interview with DJ Quik
- 20243:AMFeatured artist on Rapsody’s Grammy-winning song
- 2015But You Caint Use My PhoneArtist
- 2000Mama’s GunSinger, songwriter and co-producer
- 1997BaduizmDebut recording artist
Awards
- Grammy Award · 2025Best Melodic Rap Performance for “3:AM,” with Rapsody.
- Billboard Women in Music · 2025Icon Award, presented by Summer Walker.
- CFDA Fashion Awards · 2024Fashion Icon Award.
- Grammy Award · 2003Best R&B Song for “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop),” shared with its fellow songwriters.
- Grammy Awards · 1998Best R&B Album for Baduizm and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “On & On.”
Quotes
I think that it means that you have managed to surpass your own expectations.Erykah Badu, Billboard interview, reported by Good Morning America
Asked what being an icon meant to her at Billboard Women in Music in March 2025.
Trivia
- Her DJ name is Lo Down Loretta Brown, the alias announced for her SXSW London DJ set in 2025.
- Mama’s Gun was recorded at Electric Lady Studios, the New York studio founded by Jimi Hendrix.
- Her surname Badu came from a favorite jazz scat sound.
Find Erykah
Follow her music, live sessions and next shows.
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