Word: badu
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...early claim by writhing on a hood ornament in a material girl tank top. She was soon followed by 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake, sporting a new haircut and a shirt that appeared to be made of carpaccio, and Christina Aguilera, fresh from her stay on Temptation Island. Erykah Badu shocked the Staples Center audience by revealing her shaved head, while TONI BRAXTON revealed as much Toni Braxton as network television would allow in a vain attempt to erase the memory of Jennifer Lopez. That left Eminem and a man famous for wearing a duck suit to carry the torch...
Mama's Gun's final track, a mini-suite titled Green Eyes, is the album's most ambitious and accomplished song. Badu, 29, says the number is about her breakup with rapper Andre Benjamin, of the Atlanta-based group OutKast, who is the father of her three-year-old son Seven. The suite is divided into three "movements," beginning with a Holiday-esque jazz ditty ("Denial"), moving to a soul-infused second part ("Acceptance") and culminating in a cathartic final passage ("The Relapse"). The suite, which lasts 10 minutes although it never feels long, is a testament to her skill...
...wrote down all the stuff I was feeling when Seven's father and I decided to go our separate ways as a couple--not as a family, but as a couple, because we're still a family," says Badu. She adds that while her son is primarily with her, he often spends time with his father. "[But] even though we see each other very often, I feel a sense of loss. I went through so many changes, it had to be a suite...
...Although Badu and Benjamin have ended their romantic relationship, their creative partnership continues. Badu lends her vocals to the song Humble Mumble on OutKast's inventive new album, Stankonia; Benjamin, for his part, composed a song inspired by Badu's mother titled Ms. Jackson, which also appears on Stankonia. "It wasn't like one of those breakups where something happens," says Badu. "We're friends still. We just kinda decided that we needed to grow...
...Badu's growth might take her in some surprising directions. She received positive notices for her role in the 1999 film The Cider House Rules, and she's currently writing a dramatic script of her own. She also directed the video for the single Bag Lady and hopes to direct a feature film eventually. Although certain symbols have become associated with her--the headwrap, for example--she wants to keep her creative momentum going and continue to explore new areas. Says Badu: "I don't want to have no flags on me or have any symbols represent me. I represent...