The magic words of Badu in Baduizm
Erykah Badu’s love of music and drumming was always there as she grew up in Dallas, but it only took one simple technique to make all the difference. The act of hitting both sides perfectly with your sticks creates an explosion like no other!
Her music is often described as having a ticking sound, and it was this creative spark that led to the production of “Boom.” Badu called up producer-songwriter Madukwu Chinwah, asked what “that tick-tock sound” was, and had him compose an entire rim shot-based rhythm for her.
They made one song out of their collaboration on these drums with echoes from love in each beat: Clack — Click! Back then, she created all her music like this, making groove lead into streams consciousness that became worldwide gospel!
The era of Neo-Soul, and Grammys
Her debut album, Baduizm, introduced us to the exciting new genre of neo-soul in 1997. It went double platinum that summer, and she won a Grammy for Best R&B Album as part of them!
This debut album of Badu was a groundbreaking success that introduced her as an artist to the world. The original recording of “Rim Shot” is bookended with two intro and outro tracks, which were split into each part due to its long length for this type of music genre atypical from most other recordings that are made nowadays. From the moment Baduizm hit shelves, it became an instant classic. It stripped away all of life’s philosophical elements and mined them for gold in order to create something of new-existentialism with a focus on discovery rather than exploration; personal growth at its core instead of intellectual pursuit, which made this record so much more likable and accessible while still retaining depth often found only within classics like Transcendental Meditation etc.
Inspirations and Philosophy Behind Baduizm
The late ’80s and early ’90s saw the rise in popularity for smooth harmonies like those heard on Mint Condition’s albums.
Groups such as D’Angelo, Maxwell Broadway (Mobb Deep), and Meshell Ndegeocello were all influential to Badu during this time period because they combined soulful singing with rap vocals which would later become known worldwide under her musical style that had roots from both of them.
Turns out, for Badu, there were, and are no limits to, being pragmatic vs. theoretical; it just lifts the veil a bit off a musician like Badu, who has always been known for both her social awareness and otherworldly mystique.
But under the deep and mysterious tenets of Baduizm, that’s how an ideal world should work: an infinite exchange of ideas on an endless journey towards self-discovery. Life is a circle, often a circular one, and fittingly, Baduizm’s endpoint is its beginning: “Rim Shot.”
By then, Badu has already taken you on an odyssey you never imagined to be on. This album is a testament to her purpose, voice, and charisma that maintains intrigue through its latter half, anchored by musings like “Drama” and ‘’No Love.’’
Amid very subtle knocks, Badu rattles off a huge list of afflictions: “World inflation, demonstration, miseducation/No celebration to celebrate your lives.”
