In music commentary, "dated" has been used as a negative criticism towards music. When one begins to think critically about it, assuming that "dated" is being used in this context to refer of music of the not recent past (e.g: Remember that this is just an example, not my actual opinion or how I would phrase it personally: the production of Paid In Full by Eric B & Rakim sounds "dated" in 2017), it is a really odd criticism, because albums that are ahead of their time - be it lyrically, production wise or musically, are the exception to the norm. Moreover, from the perspective of the artist, an album being ahead of its time is an odd mix of a curse and a blessing. A curse because, an album that does not quite fit into the landscape of the time - be it musically or socio-politically, is almost sure to sell less initially and perhaps even run the danger of not being looked on as favorably historically. Just call it the opposite of the A Seat At The Table or, perhaps we should say the To Pimp A Butterfly effect. Considering the socio-political climate of the United States, these albums came out at what was arguably the perfect time for a mainstream hip-hop or R&B artist to release an album on which black empowerment and racism were key themes. On the other hand, being ahead of one's time could be blessing because, if the artist already has an established following, their audience may eventually, effectively "catch up" to them, which could be called the Blowout Comb effect. Despite the fact that the Digable Planet's hit single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" was released on their more light-hearted - and upon release, much more popular - debut record, over the years Blowout Comb eventually began to garner more praise from fans and critics alike, with the album eventually being reissued on vinyl in 2013 and the hip hop trio playing many songs from the classic record on their recent tours.
In 2008, over a decade after the release of Blowout Comb and eight years before the release of Solange's A Seat At The Table, Badu would find herself in what could be seen now - almost a decade later - as a "curse and blessing" situation. Worldwide Underground was a great record by typical Neo-Soul standards - but the thing is, this is Erykah Badu - for many, her name alone is the equivalent of the Neo-Soul movement itself. As good as Worldwide Underground was, even with great singles like "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)", it did not have the same effect on her fanbase that classic albums like Mama's Gun and Baduizm did, selling less and receiving less favorable reviews. Yes, Worldwide Underground still did fantastic by a normal artist's criteria, but this dip in form made the next step in Badu's career even more important. However, instead of attempting to shoehorn her style into the increasingly un-Badu-like state of contemporary R&B music, in 2008, with New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War, Badu swung further left stylistically than she ever had before and with that brought socio-political commentary. Despite the fact that pro-black commentary in this vein has been done - and has been relevant, for an extremely long time, if the record is considered in the light of today's mainstream Black America social discourse, in comparison to the social climate of 2008, one could make a very strong argument that New Amerykah was ahead of its time - and due to this, a victim of its time.
The strongest evidence for this argument, besides the album itself, is A Seat At The Table. Ironically, the success of this great album has presented Solange with seats at many tables that she probably didn't have access to before. This was an album that was made for Black America - black women in particular, with the single "Don't Touch My Hair" tackling one of the most common micro-aggressions black women face. The response to the album was overwhelmingly positive, as was seen through sales (number one record in the country), the collective praise and meltdown that ensued on black twitter and the amount of think-pieces, video-blogs and conversations that the album started. Solange wasn't even as popular as a Badu, yet her socio-political record, which many even compared to Badu's past work, shot her to the top of the charts and the center of black cultural discussion in 2016. Now, with this in mind, imagine if New Amerykah was released in the same social climate.
Even though New Amerykah was received well critically and sold well (though her previous record sold roughly 250 million more copies), debuting at number two in the charts, it did not put Badu in the same space that A Seat At The Table put Solange in - this being in the center of black cultural discussion and coverage for weeks. Of course there are many factors at play here, like the Badu records' relative experimentalism and the fact that social media is much bigger now than it was in 2008. However, more than anything, in terms of its cultural reception, New Amerykah was a clear victim of being released in the pre-Trayvon Martin, pre-#BlackLivesMatter era. This goes beyond the fact that Badu coined "stay woke", a phrase that would go on to be a huge part of Black American mainstream socio-political discourse, on "Master Teacher". A good portion of these songs, such as "Twinkle" or "Soldier", reflect the current mainstream Black America social discourse in what can be called the post-Trayvon Martin, or #BlackLivesMatter era. Taking all of this account in light of Badu's celebrity, which still shines brightly despite being decades into the game, one could come to the conclusion that if New Amerykah came out now, despite the fact that (similarly to To Pimp A Butterfly), musically it is clearly not for everyone, there is a possibility that it would get the A Seat At The Table treatment.
The album starts off with a Funkadelic-tinged bang in the form of "Amerykah Promise". Badu herself rolls back the years with her vocals and the production, singing with a delivery that is very reminiscent of 70s soul and funk records over some extremely funky guitar riffs. The album immediately gets into socio-political commentary with Roy Ayers, who's song "American Promise" is the basis for this, playing a character that could be described as "The Man", "Uncle Sam" - in other words, America itself. In a clearly Funkadelic/George Clinton inspired atmosphere, deep voice and all, America (Ayers) notices that Erykah is causing a commotion ("I think we're gonna have to make an example outta her/Rid me of her sight"), he also remarks "cause we take your history/And make it modern mystery". To "rid" America of Erykah is a reference to how, throughout history, be it Martin Luther King Jr. or Fred Hampton, black people who make a social commotion - social change, are consistently targeted, demonized and some times even killed for attempting to challenge the racism that exists in this country. Whereas the "modern mystery" commentary is a blatant reference to how Black American history outside of slavery and MLK (both subjects frequently being whitewashed) is generally not taught in schools, it could also be a reference to how White America stripped Black Americans of their cultural history when they made them slaves.
The next track, "The Healer" is an ode to hip hop produced by Madlib. Unlike Badu's past ode to hip hop, the radio-ready "Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)", this song has a mellow, lo-fi, almost hypnotic quality to it. For most of the song, Badu opts to speak instead of sing, dedicating the song to Dilla and stating that hip hop is bigger than "my nigga" and "the government". She also calls out those who claimed at the time that hip hop was dead ("told you we ain't dead yet, we've been living through your internet"). It's notable that this was a prevalent thought at the time, with even Nas releasing an album titled Hip Hop Is Dead in 2006, despite the fact that through the internet more stories were being told in hip hop music due to the increased ease of making it and the genre was reaching more people than ever. This relatively experimental track is followed by the much more conventional, and at times autobiographical "Me". Based around some absolutely beautiful horns, the track is classic Badu - love, eccentric personality and all. It has the singer commenting on things like her love life ("Had 2 babies, different dudes/And for them both my love was true"), her age ("This year I turned 36/Damn, it seem it came so quick/my ass and legs have gotten thick") and old sayings from her mom ("Your ass, the match, the gasoline, yeah/That's Kolleen").
After "Me", the album takes another hard left turn in the form of "My People". "My People", like "The Healer", is another song that seems to have a hypnotic-like quality, but unlike that song, it gains that quality through constant repetition. "My People" is essentially a chant turned into a song, with Badu constantly singing "hold on, my people" in the background as she makes references to thunder and lightning while the constant drum and bass that drives the track gives turns it into a head-nodder. "Soldier" could also be described as a head-nodder, albeit in a very different way. It's a track composed of a beautiful flute sample and a drum sample that is fit for a classic NYC-based boom-bap hip hop track. These two elements combine with some great lyrics, complete with a fantastic chorus ("They be trying to hide the history/But they know who we are") to make one of Badu's greatest singles. It's a song that undeniably would have been more popular if it was released today, with lyrics like "We gone keep marching on/Until you hear that freedom song" obviously having the potential to resonate harder in an era where #BlackLivesMatter and other political groups, have literally been the center of mainstream socio-political discourse marching against police brutality and the current administration.
"Soldier" is followed by another song that could be on the shortlist for Badu's greatest work, the most high-speed track on this LP, "The Cell" - a tale of drug addiction. Badu sings forcefully about how "Brenda done died with no name/Nickel bag coke to the brain" while in the background Thundercat, who in 2008 was still a relatively unknown session musician as far as the mainstream was concerned, blazes through the track with his bass. This then leads the listener into what is possibly the most unexpected song on New Amerykah in terms of song structure, "Twinkle". "Twinkle" is not Neo-Soul-ish at all, it's a song built around a sample which could be described as the sound personification of a "twinkle" that has an off-kilter rhythm to it, backed up by a somewhat warped, but groovy bass. The lyrics are key here, with Badu commenting on how America treats the black community ("They keep us uneducated/Sick and depressed") and drug addicts ("Doctor I'm addicted now/I'm under arrest"). The song ends with a monologue that in the socio-political context of today, and the context of the lyrics of "Twinkle" itself, comes off as a message that says that black lives matter, before #BlackLivesMatter even existed: "All I know is that you've got to get mad. You've got to say, "I'm a HUMAN BEING, damn it! My life has VALUE!!".
After her experimental romp through "Twinkle", Badu links up with Georgia Anne Muldrow, a singer who, despite the fact that her sounds more often leans towards Madlib, could definitely be said to have been influenced by Erykah Badu. Muldrow produced the beat of the first half of "Master Teacher", which is one of the standout tracks of the record. The first half of "Master Teacher" features Badu and Muldrow asking "what if there were no niggas, only master teachers?". Here, the singers could be asking "what if America's relationship with African-American's wasn't the horrible racist past and present that we live?". Noticeably, the Curtis Mayfield "Freddie's Dead" sample is constantly spouting out "dream", only to be met by Muldrow or Badu singing "I stay woke". If one decodes this, it could mean that such a world, with "only master teachers" is a dream that is literally impossible at this point, and Badu and Muldrow are aware ("woke") of that truth. After the beat fades out, the second half is a complete switch from the first. In lieu of the Muldrow sample based production, the music becomes completely organic in sound. The song ends with Badu singing over live instrumentation with an almost bossa-nova quality in it, particularly through the rhythm of the bass - it's absolutely beautiful.
The bass again has a stand out role in "That Hump", with Thundercat providing a slow and extremely funky descending bass lines that end with some great licks. It's a song that in some ways could be seen as the third installment of the story that started on "Otherside of The Game" and was continued on "Danger". On "Otherside of The Game" Badu is married to someone with a job that "ain't honest but it pays the bills" (a drug dealer) and on "Danger", she decides to be more active in protecting her man and her baby, by keeping her "glock on lock", while commenting on the "lives that [he's] taken" and the "love [he's] forsaken". On "That Hump" we find Badu singing from the perspective of a single woman who is living "check to check" and "just tryin' to pay" her rent. If one decides to link the aforementioned tracks in the overall story at this point, the listener can assume her past drug dealing man has died or left her. Although it's worth noting that linking "The Hump" to the other two tracks was probably not Badu's intention, for the sake of narrative it is important to point out that she does make a reference to drug use at multiple points in the song ("Said I'm tired/This Dope/But it make it better/But it's driving me lower", "I want you boo, to know/I ain't never done dope to cope"). This track has what may be the strongest vocal performance from Badu on the record, with her soulful bellow of "I'm just trying to pay my rent, and I can feel it/Coming down around me and these children/A boy, a little girl and/She so pretty" being particularly impressive.
The album closes with a gorgeous, heartfelt tribute to J Dilla. On "Telephone", Badu tells her friend to "fly away to heaven" and to "make a space for [her]". As Badu and Dilla were close, it's unsurprising that the story behind the song is just as incredible as the music. On February 21, 2008, five days before the release of the New Amerykah, Okayplayer (an online community created by Questlove, who was extremely close to J Dilla and has played drums on and been involved in the production of various Badu songs, "Telephone" included) moderator gingerlynn commented:
[Telephone is] last track of the album inspired by a story Dilla's mother told Badu. Evidently during his final days, Dilla would float in and out of coherence, having very real conversations with people no one else could see. One of these people, as Dilla told his mother, was ODB [Ol' Dirty Bastard of the Wu Tang Clan]. Dirty was telling Dilla that when he gets to the other side not to get on the red bus, though it was inviting. The white bus would be the one to pick him up. Great, beautiful song. Lyric: "Telephone! It's Old Dirty. He wants to give you directions home." Only Badu could make ODB sound like a visionary guide through the afterlife. When people say funerals are celebrations of an individual's life (as they fight back tears and look anything but celebratory), this song makes you believe it. The track closes with the uplifting words "Celebrate tonight" [this was an error, the lyrics are actually, "celebrate your life"] repeated.
With songs like "Green Eyes" and the later released "Out My Mind, Just In Time", Badu is no stranger to high quality album closers. That said, taking into account the emotional weight behind this one, combined with how beautiful the keys and woodwinds are on this track, this may be her best.
By the end of the 54 minute journey that is New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War) the listener has been through what is to date Badu's widest ranging project in terms of sound. It's an album that takes the Neo-Soul genre forward, but at the same time includes literally decades of music, from the 70s funk of the opener to the more electronic or hip hop inspired tracks like "Twinkle" or "The Healer". New Amerykah is an album devoid of overtly radio-friendly tracks outside of the bonus track, which was the first single, "Honey". Taking this into account, it's easy to see why the initial reaction to this album by some fans was one of confusion and dislike. The 9th wonder produced single - which is a fantastic song with a great light funk to it - was upbeat musically and lighthearted lyrically. Both of these qualities are essentially the antithesis of the majority of this album. However, the main qualities that made this album such a risk back in 2008, the social-commentary and experimental edge, are the exact same elements that propelled albums like A Seat At The Table (though Solange's record is not experimental in any sense of the word) and To Pimp A Butterfly to the center of "the conversation" as far as black musical culture is concerned. Badu's beloved status in the Neo-Soul/R&B community is already beyond solidified - she is one of the modern greats, but as far as the reception of her work goes, she would've been elevated to an even higher status if New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War) had dropped in the right socio-political climate - not eight years too earlyIn music commentary, "dated" has been used as a negative criticism towards music. When one begins to think critically about it, assuming that "dated" is being used in this context to refer of music of the not recent past (e.g: Remember that this is just an example, not my actual opinion or how I would phrase it personally: the production of Paid In Full by Eric B & Rakim sounds "dated" in 2017), it is a really odd criticism, because albums that are ahead of their time - be it lyrically, production wise or musically, are the exception to the norm. Moreover, from the perspective of the artist, an album being ahead of its time is an odd mix of a curse and a blessing. A curse because, an album that does not quite fit into the landscape of the time - be it musically or socio-politically, is almost sure to sell less initially and perhaps even run the danger of not being looked on as favorably historically. Just call it the opposite of the A Seat At The Table or, perhaps we should say the To Pimp A Butterfly effect. Considering the socio-political climate of the United States, these albums came out at what was arguably the perfect time for a mainstream hip-hop or R&B artist to release an album on which black empowerment and racism were key themes. On the other hand, being ahead of one's time could be blessing because, if the artist already has an established following, their audience may eventually, effectively "catch up" to them, which could be called the Blowout Comb effect. Despite the fact that the Digable Planet's hit single "Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" was released on their more light-hearted - and upon release, much more popular - debut record, over the years Blowout Comb eventually began to garner more praise from fans and critics alike, with the album eventually being reissued on vinyl in 2013 and the hip hop trio playing many songs from the classic record on their recent tours.
In 2008, over a decade after the release of Blowout Comb and eight years before the release of Solange's A Seat At The Table, Badu would find herself in what could be seen now - almost a decade later - as a "curse and blessing" situation. Worldwide Underground was a great record by typical Neo-Soul standards - but the thing is, this is Erykah Badu - for many, her name alone is the equivalent of the Neo-Soul movement itself. As good as Worldwide Underground was, even with great singles like "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)", it did not have the same effect on her fanbase that classic albums like Mama's Gun and Baduizm did, selling less and receiving less favorable reviews. Yes, Worldwide Underground still did fantastic by a normal artist's criteria, but this dip in form made the next step in Badu's career even more important. However, instead of attempting to shoehorn her style into the increasingly un-Badu-like state of contemporary R&B music, in 2008, with New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War, Badu swung further left stylistically than she ever had before and with that brought socio-political commentary. Despite the fact that pro-black commentary in this vein has been done - and has been relevant, for an extremely long time, if the record is considered in the light of today's mainstream Black America social discourse, in comparison to the social climate of 2008, one could make a very strong argument that New Amerykah was ahead of its time - and due to this, a victim of its time.
The strongest evidence for this argument, besides the album itself, is A Seat At The Table. Ironically, the success of this great album has presented Solange with seats at many tables that she probably didn't have access to before. This was an album that was made for Black America - black women in particular, with the single "Don't Touch My Hair" tackling one of the most common micro-aggressions black women face. The response to the album was overwhelmingly positive, as was seen through sales (number one record in the country), the collective praise and meltdown that ensued on black twitter and the amount of think-pieces, video-blogs and conversations that the album started. Solange wasn't even as popular as a Badu, yet her socio-political record, which many even compared to Badu's past work, shot her to the top of the charts and the center of black cultural discussion in 2016. Now, with this in mind, imagine if New Amerykah was released in the same social climate.
Even though New Amerykah was received well critically and sold well (though her previous record sold roughly 250 million more copies), debuting at number two in the charts, it did not put Badu in the same space that A Seat At The Table put Solange in - this being in the center of black cultural discussion and coverage for weeks. Of course there are many factors at play here, like the Badu records' relative experimentalism and the fact that social media is much bigger now than it was in 2008. However, more than anything, in terms of its cultural reception, New Amerykah was a clear victim of being released in the pre-Trayvon Martin, pre-#BlackLivesMatter era. This goes beyond the fact that Badu coined "stay woke", a phrase that would go on to be a huge part of Black American mainstream socio-political discourse, on "Master Teacher". A good portion of these songs, such as "Twinkle" or "Soldier", reflect the current mainstream Black America social discourse in what can be called the post-Trayvon Martin, or #BlackLivesMatter era. Taking all of this account in light of Badu's celebrity, which still shines brightly despite being decades into the game, one could come to the conclusion that if New Amerykah came out now, despite the fact that (similarly to To Pimp A Butterfly), musically it is clearly not for everyone, there is a possibility that it would get the A Seat At The Table treatment.
The album starts off with a Funkadelic-tinged bang in the form of "Amerykah Promise". Badu herself rolls back the years with her vocals and the production, singing with a delivery that is very reminiscent of 70s soul and funk records over some extremely funky guitar riffs. The album immediately gets into socio-political commentary with Roy Ayers, who's song "American Promise" is the basis for this, playing a character that could be described as "The Man", "Uncle Sam" - in other words, America itself. In a clearly Funkadelic/George Clinton inspired atmosphere, deep voice and all, America (Ayers) notices that Erykah is causing a commotion ("I think we're gonna have to make an example outta her/Rid me of her sight"), he also remarks "cause we take your history/And make it modern mystery". To "rid" America of Erykah is a reference to how, throughout history, be it Martin Luther King Jr. or Fred Hampton, black people who make a social commotion - social change, are consistently targeted, demonized and some times even killed for attempting to challenge the racism that exists in this country. Whereas the "modern mystery" commentary is a blatant reference to how Black American history outside of slavery and MLK (both subjects frequently being whitewashed) is generally not taught in schools, it could also be a reference to how White America stripped Black Americans of their cultural history when they made them slaves.
The next track, "The Healer" is an ode to hip hop produced by Madlib. Unlike Badu's past ode to hip hop, the radio-ready "Love Of My Life (An Ode To Hip Hop)", this song has a mellow, lo-fi, almost hypnotic quality to it. For most of the song, Badu opts to speak instead of sing, dedicating the song to Dilla and stating that hip hop is bigger than "my nigga" and "the government". She also calls out those who claimed at the time that hip hop was dead ("told you we ain't dead yet, we've been living through your internet"). It's notable that this was a prevalent thought at the time, with even Nas releasing an album titled Hip Hop Is Dead in 2006, despite the fact that through the internet more stories were being told in hip hop music due to the increased ease of making it and the genre was reaching more people than ever. This relatively experimental track is followed by the much more conventional, and at times autobiographical "Me". Based around some absolutely beautiful horns, the track is classic Badu - love, eccentric personality and all. It has the singer commenting on things like her love life ("Had 2 babies, different dudes/And for them both my love was true"), her age ("This year I turned 36/Damn, it seem it came so quick/my ass and legs have gotten thick") and old sayings from her mom ("Your ass, the match, the gasoline, yeah/That's Kolleen").
After "Me", the album takes another hard left turn in the form of "My People". "My People", like "The Healer", is another song that seems to have a hypnotic-like quality, but unlike that song, it gains that quality through constant repetition. "My People" is essentially a chant turned into a song, with Badu constantly singing "hold on, my people" in the background as she makes references to thunder and lightning while the constant drum and bass that drives the track gives turns it into a head-nodder. "Soldier" could also be described as a head-nodder, albeit in a very different way. It's a track composed of a beautiful flute sample and a drum sample that is fit for a classic NYC-based boom-bap hip hop track. These two elements combine with some great lyrics, complete with a fantastic chorus ("They be trying to hide the history/But they know who we are") to make one of Badu's greatest singles. It's a song that undeniably would have been more popular if it was released today, with lyrics like "We gone keep marching on/Until you hear that freedom song" obviously having the potential to resonate harder in an era where #BlackLivesMatter and other political groups, have literally been the center of mainstream socio-political discourse marching against police brutality and the current administration.
"Soldier" is followed by another song that could be on the shortlist for Badu's greatest work, the most high-speed track on this LP, "The Cell" - a tale of drug addiction. Badu sings forcefully about how "Brenda done died with no name/Nickel bag coke to the brain" while in the background Thundercat, who in 2008 was still a relatively unknown session musician as far as the mainstream was concerned, blazes through the track with his bass. This then leads the listener into what is possibly the most unexpected song on New Amerykah in terms of song structure, "Twinkle". "Twinkle" is not Neo-Soul-ish at all, it's a song built around a sample which could be described as the sound personification of a "twinkle" that has an off-kilter rhythm to it, backed up by a somewhat warped, but groovy bass. The lyrics are key here, with Badu commenting on how America treats the black community ("They keep us uneducated/Sick and depressed") and drug addicts ("Doctor I'm addicted now/I'm under arrest"). The song ends with a monologue that in the socio-political context of today, and the context of the lyrics of "Twinkle" itself, comes off as a message that says that black lives matter, before #BlackLivesMatter even existed: "All I know is that you've got to get mad. You've got to say, "I'm a HUMAN BEING, damn it! My life has VALUE!!".
After her experimental romp through "Twinkle", Badu links up with Georgia Anne Muldrow, a singer who, despite the fact that her sounds more often leans towards Madlib, could definitely be said to have been influenced by Erykah Badu. Muldrow produced the beat of the first half of "Master Teacher", which is one of the standout tracks of the record. The first half of "Master Teacher" features Badu and Muldrow asking "what if there were no niggas, only master teachers?". Here, the singers could be asking "what if America's relationship with African-American's wasn't the horrible racist past and present that we live?". Noticeably, the Curtis Mayfield "Freddie's Dead" sample is constantly spouting out "dream", only to be met by Muldrow or Badu singing "I stay woke". If one decodes this, it could mean that such a world, with "only master teachers" is a dream that is literally impossible at this point, and Badu and Muldrow are aware ("woke") of that truth. After the beat fades out, the second half is a complete switch from the first. In lieu of the Muldrow sample based production, the music becomes completely organic in sound. The song ends with Badu singing over live instrumentation with an almost bossa-nova quality in it, particularly through the rhythm of the bass - it's absolutely beautiful.
The bass again has a stand out role in "That Hump", with Thundercat providing a slow and extremely funky descending bass lines that end with some great licks. It's a song that in some ways could be seen as the third installment of the story that started on "Otherside of The Game" and was continued on "Danger". On "Otherside of The Game" Badu is married to someone with a job that "ain't honest but it pays the bills" (a drug dealer) and on "Danger", she decides to be more active in protecting her man and her baby, by keeping her "glock on lock", while commenting on the "lives that [he's] taken" and the "love [he's] forsaken". On "That Hump" we find Badu singing from the perspective of a single woman who is living "check to check" and "just tryin' to pay" her rent. If one decides to link the aforementioned tracks in the overall story at this point, the listener can assume her past drug dealing man has died or left her. Although it's worth noting that linking "The Hump" to the other two tracks was probably not Badu's intention, for the sake of narrative it is important to point out that she does make a reference to drug use at multiple points in the song ("Said I'm tired/This Dope/But it make it better/But it's driving me lower", "I want you boo, to know/I ain't never done dope to cope"). This track has what may be the strongest vocal performance from Badu on the record, with her soulful bellow of "I'm just trying to pay my rent, and I can feel it/Coming down around me and these children/A boy, a little girl and/She so pretty" being particularly impressive.
The album closes with a gorgeous, heartfelt tribute to J Dilla. On "Telephone", Badu tells her friend to "fly away to heaven" and to "make a space for [her]". As Badu and Dilla were close, it's unsurprising that the story behind the song is just as incredible as the music. On February 21, 2008, five days before the release of the New Amerykah, Okayplayer (an online community created by Questlove, who was extremely close to J Dilla and has played drums on and been involved in the production of various Badu songs, "Telephone" included) moderator gingerlynn commented:
[Telephone is] last track of the album inspired by a story Dilla's mother told Badu. Evidently during his final days, Dilla would float in and out of coherence, having very real conversations with people no one else could see. One of these people, as Dilla told his mother, was ODB [Ol' Dirty Bastard of the Wu Tang Clan]. Dirty was telling Dilla that when he gets to the other side not to get on the red bus, though it was inviting. The white bus would be the one to pick him up. Great, beautiful song. Lyric: "Telephone! It's Old Dirty. He wants to give you directions home." Only Badu could make ODB sound like a visionary guide through the afterlife. When people say funerals are celebrations of an individual's life (as they fight back tears and look anything but celebratory), this song makes you believe it. The track closes with the uplifting words "Celebrate tonight" [this was an error, the lyrics are actually, "celebrate your life"] repeated.
With songs like "Green Eyes" and the later released "Out My Mind, Just In Time", Badu is no stranger to high quality album closers. That said, taking into account the emotional weight behind this one, combined with how beautiful the keys and woodwinds are on this track, this may be her best.
By the end of the 54 minute journey that is New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War) the listener has been through what is to date Badu's widest ranging project in terms of sound. It's an album that takes the Neo-Soul genre forward, but at the same time includes literally decades of music, from the 70s funk of the opener to the more electronic or hip hop inspired tracks like "Twinkle" or "The Healer". New Amerykah is an album devoid of overtly radio-friendly tracks outside of the bonus track, which was the first single, "Honey". Taking this into account, it's easy to see why the initial reaction to this album by some fans was one of confusion and dislike. The 9th wonder produced single - which is a fantastic song with a great light funk to it - was upbeat musically and lighthearted lyrically. Both of these qualities are essentially the antithesis of the majority of this album. However, the main qualities that made this album such a risk back in 2008, the social-commentary and experimental edge, are the exact same elements that propelled albums like A Seat At The Table (though Solange's record is not experimental in any sense of the word) and To Pimp A Butterfly to the center of "the conversation" as far as black musical culture is concerned. Badu's beloved status in the Neo-Soul/R&B community is already beyond solidified - she is one of the modern greats, but as far as the reception of her work goes, she would've been elevated to an even higher status if New Amerykah: Part One (4th World War) had dropped in the right socio-political climate - not eight years too early.
