Erykah Badu, born Erica Abi Wright in Dallas, Texas on February 26, 1971 is a popular neo-soul artist, whose debut album, Baduizm, was released in 1997. The album made #2 on the Billboard charts. The lead single “On & On” reached #12 on the singles charts in the U.S. and U.K., with the album going triple platinum.

She was raised by a single parent mother who was an actress in the theatre. At the age of 4, Erykah joined her mother singing and dancing on the stage of the Dallas Theatre Centre. Erykah changed her name to Ery and added the “kah” and Badu, which are Ashanti names meaning truth and light.

Badu was working as a teacher and part-time singer in Dallas when she opened for D'Angelo at a 1994 show. D'Angelo's manager, impressed with the performance, coordinated with the singer to record the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell duet "Precious Love" with D'Angelo. He also signed Badu to his recently formed Kedar Entertainment label and served as producer for Baduizm.

Badu is the mother of three. Badu has extensively worn afro-centric and neo-bohemi attire and jewelry, which she has referred to as "an extension of art". Very photogenic, she has also modeled for photographic work and artists' paintings.

Badu is CEO of her non-profit charity organization Beautiful Love Incorporated Non- Profit Development (BLIND), an inner-city group that provides music, dance, theater and visual art programs for inner city children.

In March of 2010, Badu released a music video for her song titled Window Seat that has sparked a bit of controversy. The music video consists of Badu walking around in Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. As she walks down Elm Street, she takes her clothes off in the video, piece by piece, until she appears fully nude.http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20001356-504083.html

Elm Street is the same street that former President John F. Kennedy rode down in his presidential motorcade before being fatally shot in the head. Badu, in her music video, walks along Elm Street until she reaches the exact position in the street where the former president was shot. Marked by an "X" in the road, she proceeds to lay down in the street direct on top of the spot where Kennedy was shot. By this point Badu is fully nude and after laying down, she appears to "bleed" from the head. The "blood" is reportedly blue in color and pools in a way that forms the word "groupthink".http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20001356-504083.html

The controversy stems from multiple factors. Some of these include the fact that:

1. She strips in her video to the point that she appears fully nude,
2. She does all of this on a site of a former U.S. presidential assassination,
3. and, finally, because Badu's production company did not obtain any of the required permits needed to legally film in that area.

Badu claims that her video is intended to launch a discussion of the concept groupthink.http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20001356-504083.html

• 2009: New Amerykah Part 2 (Return of the Ankh)
• 2008: New Amerykah Part 1 (4th World War)
• 2003: Worldwide Underground
• 2000: Mamas Gun
• 1997: Erykah Badu Live
• 1997: Baduizm

• 2006: Dave Chappelles Block Party
• 2006: Before the Music Dies
• 2005: House of D
• 1999: The Cider House Rules
• 1998: Blues Brothers 2000