Today's song comes from R&B artist Erykah Badu, whose critically-acclaimed debut album Baduizm won two Grammy Awards for the record and it's single "On & On", which came a couple notches from reaching the pop top ten at the beginning of 1997. A year later, she spent six weeks at #1 on Billboard magazine's R&B Airplay chart with her live cut "Tyrone". The corresponding concert album Live went to #4 on the Billboard 200 sales chart and sold over two million copies. The live set was nominated for Best R&B Album at the Grammys in 1999, losing to Lauryn Hill for her Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, while "Tyrone" was up for Best R&B Vocal Performance, which also went to the unstoppable at the time Hill for "Doo Wop (That Thing)". Later that year, Badu collaborated with the Roots on the single "You Got Me", which made the pop top-40 that spring and won a Grammy for Best Rap Duo/Group Performance. She also released a single "Southern Gul" with rapper/beatboxer Rahzel, with the single listed to Badu but appearing on Rahzel's album Make The Music 2000. The song went to #24 on Billboard magazine's R&B Singles chart, and #76 on the pop Hot 100.
Erykah had her first child with rapper Andre "3000" Benjamin of the duo Outkast in 1997, and after time off for her son, she returned in 2000 with her sophomore effort Mama's Gun. The lead single from the album was the song "Bag Lady", was written by Badu and session musician Harold Martin using a sample of Isaac Hayes' instrumental "Bumpy's Lament" from the soundtrack to the 1971 movie Shaft as its foundation. The record is a tone poem advising to keep things light to be able to take the weight off your back and your mind. This is not only for material things, but with feelings, with "baggage" turning off men and leaving one alone. In the music video, Badu commiserates with fellow "bag ladies" including her sisters as they go from self-help books to leaving it up to their own strength. It's a powerful, and jazzy message (the "too black" subtext is sooo rich), and in reward Erykah got the highest-charting single of her career...
"Bag Lady" became Badu's first top ten pop hit in October of 2000. The song spent seven weeks at #1 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart, her longest stay, while climbing to #2 on their older-skewing Adult R&B radio list. The Mama's Gun album, released in November of that year, peaked at #11 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, and #3 on the R&B Albums list, going on to sell over a million copies. At the Grammy Awards in 2001, "Bag Lady" was nominated for two categories, losing Best R&B Female Vocal Performance to Toni Braxton for "He Wasn't Man Enough", as well as Best R&B Song, which went to Destiny's Child's "Say My Name".
Despite the great reception for "Bag Lady", the second single from the record, "Didn't Cha Know?", missed the pop Hot 100 altogether, "bubbling under" the chart at #113, though the smooth jazz ballad made it to #28 on the R&B Singles chart and #6 on the Adult R&B radio list. The song was nominated for the Best R&B Song Grammy in 2002, which went to Alicia Keys for her breakthrough track "Fallin'". A third release from Mama's Gun, "Cleva", spent four weeks on the R&B Singles chart with a high at #77, while making it to #20 on the Adult R&B radio list. Badu will be back to the series, though.
(9/10)
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Erykah performed "Bag Lady" on The Tonight Show to promote the album..
Badu also sang it on this award show, with an unfortunate introducer...
and lastly, in concert in 2013...
Up tomorrow: Boyband supreme gives their guarantee.
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