Tag: race

audio review : Before The World Blows ( album ) … Erykah Badu + The Alchemist

audio review : Before The World Blows ( album ) ... Erykah Badu + The Alchemist

Fans have been waiting for a new Erykah Badu album for over a decade. It’s a shame how long this took and it’s not even a solo project. Instead she follows the trend of sharing artistic credit with the main producer; a decision I can’t make sense of. That’s not to say The Alchemist doesn’t belong. His lo-fi psychedelic soul beats are the perfect soundscape for the singer’s melodic ramblings.

That melody is what sets Erykah Badu apart from her diva peers. She is a true talent not just when it comes to singing but making songs. This is probably her best set yet. It’s effortlessly good and sporadically great. When she stops singing and starts talking is when her personality starts to annoy. Her ultimate sin is inviting Westside Gunn to degrade the experience with retarded gun noises.

my rating : 4 of 5

2026

audio review : a song from Nash-T Records : She Died A Nigger

This is a love song if I ever heard one. Okay, maybe “love” is too strong of a word. The beau, whom Nash-T Records carelessly refers to as The Klansman; they use that name for different singers; nonetheless develops feelings for the Nigger girl he first dated on a dare. “If I had known just how it would end,” he admits, “I’d have turned around and run away right then”.

It’s no surprise, given the title, that it ends with her death. How she dies is what’s sad. It suggests a real attraction on her part. His; he actually rides with her in the back of the bus; is conflicted with his deep-rooted racism. The best thing about the song is the melody of the verses, inspired by a relationship that, had it lasted, might’ve mended not only his heart but his mind.

my rating : 4 of 5

1967 or 1968