Best Erykah Badu Songs

A J Dilla-selected sample gives the track its drifting warmth, while Badu keeps the melody loose and completely controlled.

Recorded live and released without a studio version, this bad-boyfriend complaint became Badu's funniest showcase for timing and crowd control.

Badu turns practical advice about emotional baggage into a warm, uncluttered groove with a chorus that is impossible to forget.

The restless beat and exposed vocal make the demand for personal freedom feel urgent; the controversial video sharpened the song's argument.

This patient account of loving someone at the wrong time gives Badu one of her most convincing and least melodramatic romantic performances.

The bright bassline and self-assured lyric show how playful Baduizm could be without sacrificing any of its intelligence.

Madlib's chopped sample gives the song a ritualistic pulse, while Badu makes an expansive case for hip-hop as a healing force.

Badu's debut single paired an easy bassline with conversational phrasing, establishing the relaxed authority that made Baduizm a neo-soul landmark.

Badu and Common turn their shared history with hip-hop into a genuine duet, and the easy swing keeps the tribute alive.

The P-Funk bounce, hidden-track structure and playful video make this one of the most generous pop songs in Badu's catalog.