Erykah Badu has unintentionally occupied the role of culture shifter and influencer for 20-plus years, well before it became a trendy, social media descriptor. Her impact has vibrated throughout music and fashion, and the “Green Eyes” songstress sees it clearly.
“I can hear my influence in music. I can see my influence in style,” explained the four-time Grammy winner, who performs Saturday at the United Center. “I hear my words resonated all over the world. … So yeah, I can see it.”
That cultural cachet may be why her collaboration with Italian fashion house Marni has been so anticipated. The Marni x Erykah Badu capsule was released in select U.S. Marni boutiques in May.
Badu, 52, who is known for her creative and eccentric style, was hands-on in all aspects.
“I’ve worked the same way in every area of my life; on stage I’m doing sound, I’m doing lighting, set design, costume, hair, makeup,” said Badu, whose 18-year-old daughter Puma modeled for the campaign. “I’m involved in everything. I am a creator. I am a visionary. … We put those things together and came up with something really creative.”
The line between entertainer and philosopher is often blurred when conversing with Badu. When asked what makes her happy, she mentions her diet; when questioned about the creation of her classic records, she brings up the latest theories on the formation of the pyramids.
”It’s easy to be a non-conformist, especially when you feel confident that there’s no such thing as losing because even those moments are lessons. I take all the information and use them to reinvent myself each day,” said Badu, who has served as both a birthing and end-of-life doula for the past two decades.
Badu has helped bring babies into the world for friends, family and even celebrity mothers like singers Summer Walker and Teyana Taylor, stating the relationships happen organically, and she only agrees if she can dedicate the time. There’s no website or phone number to request the “Love of My Life” singer’s doula services, at least not yet.
“(If) the money gets tight, then we’ll see,” she joked.
Draped in Afrocentric garb including statuesque headwraps and ankh jewelry, Badu teleported into the music scene in 1997 with her debut album, “Baduizm.” It earned her a best new artist Grammy nomination and a best R&B album win. A pioneer of the ’90s neo-soul movement with contemporaries like Maxwell, D’Angelo and Jill Scott, Badu crafted soulful classics like “On & On,” “Tyrone,” “Bag Lady,” “Didn’t Cha Know” and “Window Seat.” Her last official project was 2015’s “But You Caint Use My Phone” mixtape.
“I’m always working on new music. I don’t know when I’ll put it out, but I’m waiting for the right time,” said the 2018 Soul Train Legend honoree. “I like to feel necessary for my real audience. My real audience is trees and wind and rain, air — ancestors and things like that.”
