I didn’t realize as a child. This video is a love letter to hip hop. Showing the evolution and paying homage to every era. Even leaving the future of hip hop up to the children in the end. Beautiful.
Sigh................. Those 2 songs you mentioned are not Hip Hop. It falls into the category of hip-hop. There are different variations of the word that gives them meaning. Pronunciation and hows it's spelled determines the definition. Look up this video - 40 years of Hip Hop by KRS-One. I prefer you to look at the whole video, but skip to 56:42 it further explains what im telling you.
once you listen to one erykah badu track you cant help but go to another one of her songs to another until its 3 hrs later and your back were you started
As an adult I understand the slowdown portion with the purple filter. Homage to Texas rap culture. This really has to be one of my favorite videos of all time!!
Man, i love how she looks shocked by all the whiteboys and girls acting all hiphop but then decides to rock with them. What a wonderful statement. I'm a hiphop head from Germany and this actually brought a tear to my eye. Big up and for the culture!
That’s the point of her music. She was trained by the very best to capture lost or fractured souls. That’s what neosoul is all about. Go check out her Svengali Dr Malachi Z York. Her master teacher and unofficially one of the creators of the neosoul genre backed by his Nuwabian teachings.
Erykah represents hip hop obviously. The scenes of the video represent the different aspects and influences of it (i.e. beat street, political rap, gangsta rap, southern rap, chopped and screwed, sampler, gambling, bing bling, freestyle, commercialization by the music and entertainment industry.)
Today that hip hop is turning 50 this is something special. I thanks god, universe or whatever you want to call it for this magnificent culture that changed my life forever.
Oh hell yea the first time I saw the video and heard that part I was so throwed with it. Maaan hold up. Yes Erykah from Dallas so she definitely know about that Screw
MIZZ GOODIE OMG you're so right. I was a teenager when this came out, and although I loved the song and video from the beginning and have always been obsessed with Erykah and Common I had NO idea what this video really represented. I'm 28 now and I am absolutely blown away. The end with "Future" written on the back of the bus made me a bit sad when I think of what's on the radio right now. Literally, the "rapper" Future. That sadness, and nostalgia has passed, now I'm pissed. Why the fuck don't we see this kind of stuff anymore?? Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with ratchet/trap music, it has its place, but I do have a problem with the current over saturation of bullshit.
JaneDough318 I wholeheartedly love your comment, I feel the same way you feel....I haven't listened to the radio in over 5yrs because of the lack thereof of meaningful music, I'm still stuck in the mid 90s/early 2000s lol.....I appreciate your comment 😊
Seeing her in concert was epic. 7-16-23 . The spectrum center in Charlotte North Carolina was packed. 20,000 seats and not one was empty, She really keeps her audience happy and talks things about real life. Love you Erykah Badu Continue to be great.❤❤❤
Totally agree, except for the simple part . This song came out in 2002 the summer after 9/11 I'm a New Yorker the Patriot act had us getting search at random to get on the train. There was soldiers in the subway with M4 riffles... Life would never be the same.
@@melissaalexander1033 Check out "I used to love her" by Common which is what she was referring to here 4:12 ... These 2 songs are definitely the dopest tributes to hip hop and both of them were done in similar fashion in that you could easily think the song was about a person...
I can relate to this, being a musician who started at a very young age. It gives you a romantic partner unlike any person. It's a true extension of yourself.
If this music thrived more in today's time, our musical society, the industry, and we as a people would be a lot more different. No matter the color of your skin, we should all take the time to learn and know compassion and study the craft and suffering that makes art like this. Where is came from and why it's so vital for all people moving forward. Teach your children.
Ana 2210 i know shes from dallas but that screw stuff ain from dallas its from houston so she didnt rep for dallas if you didnt know that was lil flip that was at the door and hes from houston maybe thats why she did it just sayin
Man I love the shit out of Erykah Badu. This is a dope ass instant classic. Love how she brought in MC Lyte, Chuck D, Bone Thugs, Lil' Flip with "H-Town" screwed part. She is a beautiful black woman. I would love to be friends with a girl like her. She gets 5 stars in my book all ways.
I thought this was about a relationship with a man but then it dawned on me that it's about the journey of hip-hop and how it helped her as a little girl and was there for her but now hip-hop is disappearing damn she's deep
Omg I’m just now noticing that now that you’ve said that lol. I grew up on this song but never understood because of how deep she was. I’m deep too but she’s ocean deep. She’s from a different world fr
same song title ACT TOO off the roots 1999 album, 3 years before this. also similar concept. i like this video version best. also, boogie monsters did it couple years before with MUZIC.
IKR, she flows on a totally different level, gotta dig down deep sometimes! I was feeling that also, I'm thinking Eryka intended the allegory, bg props, @SunkissNicole/Alright now/ very perceptive!
Love how at 3:37 she talks about cultural appropriation and the elements of hip-hop that are supposed to bring Black People together against the struggle, slowly loses meaning through white people wanting to look cool and feel accepted, not understanding or caring about the depth of this art. What a Goddess.
I feel ya ,but HipHop was never only a Black People thing, but something that was born in the guettos where both blacks and even more the latinos lived together and tried to go through their struggles... HipHop gave the kids a reason to respect each other and leave the gang life, while focusing into more positive things, creativity and so on. And earning people's respect whatever background you were from. Like the Zulu Nation preached, transform the negative into positive.... also peace, love unity and fun. That's what hip hop (the culture) is all about. Erikah was obvioulsy involved with the culture and her love can be seen in this ode to the Hip Hop culture (not music).
I'm glad I grew up on the neo-soul era. The hip hop and R&B were so refined. And this stuff was on the radio and pretty mainstream for the most part. Now you have to put on a hard-hat and get a shovel to look for some good music because it's all underground.
YAZZZ!!! I WAS BORN MAY 16, 1966, ALL HER MUSIC IS ON MY PLAYLIST...THERE IS NO OTHER LIKE QUEEN ERYKAH, SHE TOUCHES YOUR SOUL WITH HER VOICE AND KNOWLEDGE, AWESOME ARTIST, HELP ME TO ASK HER WE NEED MORE, NOW, 2023, I'M PRAY I LIVE TO BE OVER 100 AND STILL BE AS ACTIVE AS I WAS AT 17, WHEN I HAD MY FIRST SON, UNTIL I ENJOY ME GRAND CHILDREN AT THE AGE OF 56, I AM GAMMIE, AND I'M GETTING YOUNGER EVERY YEAR, I WANT TO LIVE TO TELL THE STORY, LOVES OF MY LIFE, ARE BEING BLESSED TO BE A GRANDMOTHER, AND THE SEXIEST GAMMIE IN THE CAROLINA'S, ONE LOVE TO YOU ALL, THIS ARTIST, LET'S YOU KNOW, LIFE IS WORTH LIVING THROUGH HIP HOP AND R&B, THANK YOU QUEEN BADU, YOUR MUSIC HAS HELPED ME WITH DEPRESSION, HARDSHIP & HEART ACHE, THANK GOD FOR YOU MY SISTA'...BE BLESSED, PS, WE NEED MORE!!!!
BeforeISefDestruct XO I know. She sold out and signed in blood. Recently saw a pic of her dying her hair blonde and perming the hell out of it.. She a stanky how now lol.
I am not sure who in the world would say such a thing because this was not an album it was a single releases for the film Brown Sugar and it won a grammy, it was #1 on the US Hot R&B/Hip Hop chart, #4 on the Adult R&B chart (Billboard) and #9 overall on the Hot 100 in 2002 and won a grammy so this was definitely NOT A FLOP. Not sure who informed you of such an egregious lie like this but research is key on all things.
I also include Ice Cube, The Black Eyed Peas, A Tribe Called Quest ( Rest in peace MC Phife ), Tupac, B.I.G., Kanya, JZ , Dr Dre, and too many to name lol
This song/video really represents the true love for Hip-Hop that those of us had who grew up with it from its beginnings to its golden age. The first 30 years of Hip-Hop (70s-90s)--the first generation, the roots--was a very special and unique time. There were so many true evolutions to the genre in those days. And to have been a part of that generation is a unique love story between people and music.
absolute wrong. when u talking about evolution . plz ask youreself what kind of music nowdays artist did grew up with.. yes you are right they did listen to the golden age era music and they did evolve it. dont u speak about the white major label boss music industrie where black selling donkeys sold millions to white kids. get them intouch with gangbanging and the crak heroin culture huh ?
My mother always had music from her childhood that she’d blast as she’d clean her house when I was a child. Those reggae songs will stick with me forever. This is most definitely a song my child will hear on rotation when it’s time for Spring cleaning!!
trippin off how so many folks can watch this video and see how Erykah moves scene to scene through different historical stages of hip hop, how it changed up, experimented and moved through different circles. yet the same folks watch the movie brown sugar and completely missed that Sid & Dre's relationship was the exact same metaphor for hip hop's development. irony?
I finally get Erykah's story about Hip Hop and it's soo true. Hip Hop has changed soo much over the years. Whatever happened to enlightenment, now they sing/rap about things that are irrelevant. Wake up audiences, "It's Bigger Than Hip Hop" (M.K. Asante)
I grew up in Detroit and first was introduced to Hip hop and R&B of all sorts. Then when I got adopted and moved to a predominately white town and school that's when the other genres came into place. I appreciate music as a whole. But its something about Hip hop and R&B that I can't stray away from.
She dated Wyclef,has babies with Andre 3stacks,the D.O.C,Dj Electronica,she also dated the lead singer of roots...and she was actually in a relationship with Common when they made this song
I used to hear this song all the time on the radio when I was younger. I'm 23 now and realize this song definitely went over my head back then, but I understand now :) My favorite Erykah album is Baduizm Live btw
The best parts of this song is her freestyle and the ending. Boy you know you rock my world and you be boy and I'll be girl and it won't stop until the break of daaaaawn ooooh
