Erykah Badu Quotes

My paternal grandmother gave me the courage to investigate things and not take things at face value or judge people by what I first imagine them to be.

Marvin Gaye is one of my favorite revolutionaries. He spoke from his heart, his mind. That's what I want to do.

Whenever I think about funk music, it has a look - and that's how it sounds.

Now my record deal helps me to do things for free or give more time to my community than I could otherwise.

Now keep in mind that I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my sh*t

I have a master plan as an artist. I've always said I'm not going to be punching nobody's clock. I will work as an artist to survive in this world.

Because you're responsible for [children]. You are there to protect them, not possess them. I tell them, "Watch me and you might learn something."

I'm a Pisces, so I'm a very closed-book kind of person.

I try to be honest and I keep moving.

I planned my success. I knew it was going to happen.

I don't have one song that sounds like another one in my entire catalog.

I come from a long line of matriarchal women, and my greatest teachers were my mothers.

I consider my musical ability to be a gift from the Creator. It's not that I try to work hard or nothing like that, it's a gift, it was given to me, and I appreciate it.

Hopefully my music is medicine, some type of antidote for something or some kind of explanation or just to feel good.

No one chooses to raise children alone.

I'm just being who I am and expressing myself as everyone else does.

The reason why you don't see people looking like me is because I don't encourage that. I encourage you to be you.

When you're in a relationship you want it to work. My parents did, I did. But we are not taught how to make it work.

When it comes to fashion or any high art, you have to have a combination of delicacy, along with taste.

I believed in myself, and I've always worked very, very hard as an artist, and I am an artist in every sense of the word.

I grew up listening to old soul

The kind of music or the kind of arrangements that I do, the kind of musicians I choose, is just what I like to hear.

I love being an entertainer - not really fond of being a celebrity.

I can be Erykah the human being more than the celebrity.

Music and the music business are two different things.

A home birth is about being able to create exactly what you want, because it's such a violent moment inside of the body that you want everything else to be as beautiful as it can be.

People are uncomfortable with sexuality that’s not for male consumption.

He definitely does what a partner is supposed to do, that is, evolve you.

All I want to do is give the world my heart... Record label tryina make me compromise my art.

I have a Pinterest, and if you look there you'll see the things I really like and adore, have crushes on, and there's a lot of stuff from Riccardo's [Tisci] line on there.

People who say that music is dead or hip-hop is dead are refusing to evolve.

It's weird, but if I decide to do an album, then the ideas start fitting themselves together. I consider myself a nice, slow burn. Plus, it's not a race. And I have a lot to share.

Hip-hop is the people. What the people are moving toward is what hip-hop is. I think people are moving toward a freer way of thinking. Openness.

I'll dabble here and there in different forms of the art, but the label has me locked down like a slave so, of course, I'll be doing albums during this time

Man, I don't want to have nothing to do with computers. I don't want the government in my business.

The wise healer endures the pain. Cry. Tears bring joy.

I was the bohemian in my family, the "this is my favorite shoe and I don't care if it has tape around it" kind of person. The tape could become a fashion statement. Or a political statement.

I'd rather see a person with a natural mind and processed mind than a processed mind and a natural head.

I think the job of an artist is to be honest and fearless.

I don't read music or anything, so when I produce, I go basically by ear.

I started performing at two or three on a tape recorder, one of those little flat recorders where you just push play and record.

I don't have any particular thing I do ritualistically. I do the same thing every day. I get up. Drink a lot of water. Have a wheatgrass shot. Drink some green juice. Eat as healthy as I can.

I've had two children. I've had three boyfriends. I've had a lot of things happen that can change your opinions and values and philosophies.

The girls just like to be in the shoes. They like to scuff up the floors and walk around in high-heeled shoes that are too big for them, all over the house.

I'm kind of a recluse when it comes to going outside.

I love to leave the interpretation of my music up to the listener. It's fun to see what they'll say it is

Hip-hop was created out of necessity. We needed to create some digitized things to help us understand what we were feeling.

I don't think it matters what school you go to, but I think it's important for parents to be involved. And to know that when school stops, learning continues, and to continue teaching at home.

If you want to relate to a certain audience or generation, you have to speak their language. I truly believe that.

I'm not trying to win an award for being the best vegetarian, just want to be healthy.