In Part 2 of our SOHH Exclusive with Grammy Award-winning R&B singer, Erykah Badu, confronts her "mankiller" image, explains how men have a "secret fear" of women and reveals her children's influence on her music.
Strong women often get a bad rap in the music industry, particularly since critics are quick to label ladies in-control as divas or by even less flattering terms. However Badu told SOHH she often finds humor in the things people say about her, especially her highly publicized romances with rappers Common and Andre 3000 of OutKast- with whom she has a child.
"I haven't really noticed any backlash with myself," Badu said, "except comical things like I'm a mankiller, or you're not supposed to look Badu directly in the eyes or you gonna be wearing funny pants or shoulder pads or change your raps. I even heard I'm banned from the hip-hop awards [and should] leave our rappers alone.'"
"It tickles me," Badu continued. "It's funny, it makes people have expectations that are not necessary but it is what it is. Honestly I get so many accolades and compliments that I can believe half of that too. You never know where people are coming from. Critics job is to criticize and have their opinion and they're entitled to that, but when they come to the show, we connect and that music says it all, those words say it all. It takes too much energy to try to figure out why they said that or what they mean by that. Not only about me, about anybody."
While Badu doesn't waste much time worrying about what critics - or anyone else - has to say, she acknowledged that women are often mistreated by society.
"John Lennon had a song that said 'Women are the ni**ers of the world,'" Badu recalled. "That means they're pretty much the bottom of everything. They are mistreated in many ways, up front and underneath the table, are expected to be so many things but not encouraged, they are criticized, but not helped. There is some secret fear that men in our society have of women, and it's funny to witness."
Mother to a ten-year-old son and three-year-old daughter, Erykah says motherhood has been a motivating force for her as an artist.
"My children inspire me to move and to get up, because as a lazy artist I've been doing things in my own time and in my own way, but when you have other people you are responsible for you have to create more options for yourself," Badu explained. "So they motivate me to move and be a good example of me and be the best me I can be, because they watch everything I do. I'm the one molding them, that's a great opportunity I don't take it for granted, I use it."
As for her parenting technique, Badu keeps it pretty simple:
"I try to be the best me I can be," Badu told SOHH. "I thought that means show them everything good that I am, but by the time the time the second baby came around I decided it means to show them everything I am, good and bad, so that they see everything. And if they have questions I explain to the best of my ability. We work together pretty well, We don't really have no rules. All the rules we have is just 'do what I say' and 'be the best you, you can be.'"
Erykah Badu's next album is due out February 26, 2008 on Universal Recordings. The project has not yet been givenan official title.[Read Part 1 Of Our SOHH Soulful Exclusive With Erykah Badu Here]
[For more on the R&B scene peep SOHH Soulful]
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