Erykah Badu | 3 to 5 BOPS

Erykah Badu: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 73 (2023), features songs exclusively performed by Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter, Erykah Badu.

Ah, you know what time it is! It’s 3 to 5 BOPS time – WOO! On 3 to 5 BOPS, it’s all about brevity and sweetness… for the most part! There’s a theme/topic, 3, 4, or 5 songs, and a blurb – two paragraphs or less. 3 to 5 BOPS, hence, is a mini playlist that shouldn’t take much time to consume.  In the 73^rd edition of 3 to 5 BOPS (2023), we select songs exclusively by Grammy-winning R&B singer/songwriter, 🎙 Erykah Badu. Okay, let’s get into it!

1. Erykah Badu, “On & On”    

💿 Baduizm • 🏷 Universal • 📅 1997     

“Oh my, my, my, I’m feeling high / My money’s gone, I’m all alone / Too much to see / The world keeps turning.” Ah, in 1997, the unique, one of a kind 🎙 Erykah Badu delivered one of neo-soul’s most important albums with her debut, 💿 Baduizm.  Furthermore, Baduizm marks of the best albums of the 1990s. Nothing shines brighter on Baduizm than the cool, calm, but energetic 🎵 “On & On,” in which Badu channels her inner 🎙 Billie Holiday incorporating jazz into her brand of scintillating neo-soul.  The sound of the record was ear-catching and truly refreshing at the time.  Approaching 30 years later, it remains ear-catching and refreshing.  Beyond the backdrop and distinct, refined vocals of Badu, who deservingly won the 🏆 Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal performance, the songwriting is brilliant – thought provoking.  “On & On” thrives off its intellectualism  and social consciousness. In the first verse, she sings, “If we were made in his image, then call us by our names / Most intellects do not believe in God but they fear us the same.” Who exactly do they fear on this no. 12 Billboard Hot 100 hit? Us refers to black people, which fits this black-centric, Five-Percent Nation referencing gem.  The centerpiece, of course, is the chorus:   

“Oh, on and on, and on and on  

My cypher keeps moving like a rolling stone  

Oh, on and on, and on and on  

All night ‘til the break of dawn.”   

Appears in 🔻:   

• 11 Best R&B Songs: 1990 – 2000 (2018)
• Incredible Songs: 1990s, Vol. 3 (2023)  

2.Erykah Badu, “Honey”  

💿 New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 2007  

“Honey, you so sweet (honey) / Sugar got a long way to catch you / You so sweet (honey).” 2007’s 💿 New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War, might be the most ambitious 🎙 Erykah Badu album to date.  That said, the sugary sweet 🎵 “Honey” is arguably the most accessible, mainstream neo-soul joint on the LP.  Where the 🏆 Grammy winner experiments more through most of the effort, “Honey,” the lead single that ends up being a bonus track (!) is pretty straightforward.  Vocally, Badu is vintage, sounding as distinct and soulful as ever.  The production (🎛 9th Wonder) is magnificent, characterized by its soul aesthetic as well as brilliant samples.  As far as the songwriting, there isn’t a bad section or line to be found (“Ooh boy can you tell me please? / Wanna know if you feelin’ me / Ooh Slim, boy you killin’ me / But you so sweet to me, oww”).  There are three verses, all of which are worthwhile. The chorus, excerpted above, takes the cake, however.  It continues as follows:   

“All I gotta do is add a little lemon  

You my favorite drink  

Hey, you make me think  

Oww  

Honey, yeah boy  

You so sweet.”   

Appears in 🔻:   

• Honey 🍯: 5ive Songs No. 33 (2022)  
• 11 Songs That Are Sweet Like Honey 🍯 (2023)  

3. Erykah Badu, “Window Seat”  

💿 New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh • 🏷 Universal Motown • 📅 2010

“So, presently I’m standing / Here right now, you’re so demanding / Tell me what you want from me.” In 2010, 🎙 Erykah Badu dropped an incredibly enjoyable, well rounded neo-soul album, 💿 New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh.  The highlight of the album, without question, is 🎵 “Window Seat.”  Here, Badu does what she does: sings in her distinct, one-of-a-kind soulful voice, backed by a calm, cool, and collected backdrop that is a total V-I-B-E. “Window Seat” was written and produced by Badu and 🎼 ✍ 🎛 James Poyser. People had little issue with the song itself, led by the marvelous chorus: “So, can I get a window seat? / Don’t want nobody, next to me / I just want a ticket outta town / A look around, and a safe touch down.” The problem was the controversial music video, which included a Badu stripping off her clothing (in public), until fully nude, and being shot, notably where JFK was assassinated. Art it is indeed, but in the process, Badu broke the law, facing both a fine and probation. The video, which is meant to promote ‘groupthink,’ is polarizing, but the song itself is definitely EPIC.     

“But I, I need you to want me  

I need you to miss me  

I need yo’ attention, yes  

I need you next to me,   

Oh I, I need someone to clap for me  

I need your direction.”   

Appears in 🔻:  

• 13 Epic Songs About Windows (2021) 

4. Erykah Badu, “The Healer” 

💿 New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 2007 

“Alhamdulillah, Allah, Jehovah / Yahweh, Dios, Ma’at, Jah / Rastafari, fire, dance / Sex, music, hip-hop.” So, early on, on 🎵 “The Healer,” 🎙 Erykah Badu acknowledges various gods from various religions, which is intriguing 🙏.  Additionally, the 🏆 Grammy winning singer/songwriter the moves on to something perceived by many to be bigger: hip-hop.  The chorus of this highlight from her 2007 album, 💿 New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War, continues: “It’s bigger than religion, hip-hop / It’s bigger than my nigga, hip-hop / It’s bigger than the government / This one is for Dilla, hip-hop.”  Woo, that’s big! Besides acknowledging faiths and hip-hop’s impact, give Badu credit for shouting out the late, great, 🎙 J Dilla.  Also, give producer 🎛 Madlib ample credit for the soulful production work, which samples three songs: 🎵 “Kono Samuraï” by 🎙 The Yamasuki Singers, 🎵 “El San Juanera” by 🎙 Malcolm McLaren and 🎙 World’s Famous Supreme Team (appears in the intro), and 🎵 “Double Dutch (Extended)” by McLaren as well. The Yamasuki Singers is a key part of the record, giving it a distinct, worldwide, oriental vibe.  While the chorus and the production/sound of “The Healer” go a long way, so do the verses, filled with distinct, thought-provoking lyrics, whether it’s “Blue-flame scientists, come out with your scales up” (verse one), or “Told you we ain’t dead yet / We’ve been livin’ through your internet.” Truly, 🎵 “The Healer” is a fierce R&B joint that only Erykah Badu could concoct.  

5. Erykah Badu, “Bag Lady”  

💿 Mama’s Gun • 🏷 Motown • 📅 2000  

Five years before 🎙 Mary J. Blige sang about her 🎵 “Baggage”, 🎙 Erykah Badu was singing about the 🎵 “Bag Lady” (💿 Mama’s Gun, 2000).  So, was Badu singing about those Birkin bags? Of course, she wasn’t (she does mention a Gucci bag in the outro, though)! Erykah was focused on the repercussions of a woman who carries emotional baggage.  Over a soulful backdrop – shout out the neo-soul era of the late 90s/early aughts – she delivers an authentic and honest joint about overcoming past trauma and embracing the present and future. How does this bag lady, who “Gon’ hurt your back / Draggin’ all them bags like that,” become better? Well, Erykah Badu encourages her to “Pack light,” in the chorus.  She makes it crystal clear, if she doesn’t do so, “when they see you coming, niggas take off running.” That means, she could ruin the possibility for a meaningful relationship in the future because she’s stuck on how she was wronged in the past. So wise, Erykah! While Badu admits, “Girl, I know sometimes it’s hard / And we can’t let go,” she goes on to say, “If you start breathin’, you won’t believe it / You’ll feel so much better, so much better baby.” Great song, with a great message, and easily one of Erykah Badu’s best performances.    

Appears in 🔻:  

• 14 Songs Where the Bag Dominates (2022)  

Erykah Badu: 3 to 5 BOPS No. 73 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; UMG Recordings, Inc.]