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August 27, 2011

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Along with her fellow Rock the Bells artists Mos Def and Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu is at the forefront of a movement of hip-hop and R&B artists who took unconventional routes with their careers after enjoying commercial success.

Following the release of her multimillion-selling 1997 debut Baduizm, Badu (born Erica Wright) spent the next decade developing her pioneering nu-soul sound into new directions, working with underground producers to create material that defied pop formulas and venturing outside of mainstream music.

But at Rock the Bells in San Bernardino, Badu paid tribute to her longtime followers with a start-to-finish performance of “Baduizm.” After a blistering late-afternoon set on the main stage at the San Manuel Amphitheatre, Badu sat down with us to talk about the process of revisiting her iconic 1997 album, as well as the challenges of keeping herself creatively stimulated while trying to satisfy fans both new and old.

Talking to Rock the Bells founder Chang Weisberg last week, he said you were waiting for him to ask you to perform “Baduizm” at Rock the Bells. Were you eager to revisit the album, or did they have to talk you into it?

Uh, I don’t know. It was just of a different time period, a different following, a different cult, at that time. So it’s always a challenge. Well, not always, because this is my first time doing it, but it was a challenge, trying it. Making that same statement again. Because that album is an album, and when I recorded “Baduizm,” it was something that I could perfect – perfecting a moment. A live performance is creating a moment. And even when “Baduizm” was out and that was my only album, I didn’t only just do “Baduizm” songs, because you have to really create a moment that continues to captivate the audience. So it’s kind of a challenge to just do one album all of the way through. Unless its “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” (laughs).

You’ve always had great bands to back you up, but what sort of challenge was it to recreate the energy of “Baduizm”? How much did you want to throw in different flavors?

You know what? That’s always best, to throw in the flavors, because they give the audience a variety. Like when I did “Baduizm” and I started touring the next year, I was somewhere else [in my career], so I had to throw in the places and the things that were where I was. But to me, it was a little slow, “Baduizm,” but it’s nostalgic for the people who were there, so I have to also appreciate what they love as well. So it was a pleasure to do it, but to me it was old.

How much of a nostalgia trip does performing “Baduizm” take you on, or how much does it confirm how far you’ve come since then?

Yeah – some of it, I’ve never done because they were songs specifically for the creation of an album. But we didn’t rehearse; we just did it. And generally it comes out really good. But I was still surprised that it flowed so well.

How much are you able to appreciate that fan base that’s still nostalgic for “Baduizm,” and those who have grown with you?

Oh, I totally appreciate it. There were many points tonight where we became one living, breathing organism, and you can tell the audience is swaying in agreement to what we’re doing as a band. And everything is focused at that point and it gets kind of quiet, and the air gets kind of still – and you can tell when that happens. And I live for those moments – and I felt those moments tonight.

How much does performing rekindle your creativity when you’re in the process of making new music? Or is that a different exercise?

They’re different, because making an album in a studio, you get a chance to perfect a moment, where when you’re doing it live, you’re creating a moment. And you’re creating it again and again and again. I’m primarily a performance artist – that’s what I do – in the spirit of Josephine Baker and the spirit of Yoko Ono and the spirit of Nina Simone.

That’s what I do – performance art. I don’t make music, I make art, so the lights an the sound and the music and everything is all very much a part of it, where in the studio, it’s all about sonically getting to the place where you want to be because I’s going to be like that forever. They’re two different places, and each one inspires the other; I can’t wait to perform [my music] live and see the visuals, or the video, and everything. And when I’m doing it live, I tend to make things up that I can use later in recording.

How soon can we expect more new music from you? And how much will you be touring for the material you just released?

Man, I do not know. I wish I could write like Tupac, but I can’t. I do this because of what I feel and what I see and what I’ve experienced and what I desire. And other than that, it’s a downloading period – I’m just learning and growing and listening and feeling. And when it comes out, it comes out like a volcano. That’s how it works for me; time has no bearing – I don’t know how much time passes in between [albums]. It’s just that I’m primarily a performance artist – that’s how I make my money. I don’t make my money selling albums at all. But it’s my pleasure to be able to perfect something like that and do it.

What’s happening next for you?

I’m making an album right now with a guy named Flying Lotus. I’m working on a project with Gorillaz. I’m always doing something. It doesn’t always make headlines, but I’m always making art – always. I deliver babies. That’s what I do – that’s the art that I’m focusing on right now for the most part. I’m a midwife.

How did you get started doing that?

I’ve been a holistic healer for many years, and it just naturally morphed into this midwifery. I started as a doula, assisting births, and now I’m learning to catch the babies. It’s all part of this art.

How much are you juggling not just music, but your acting career, and then the demands of raising a family?

I’ve reached a good rhythm, but I’m ever evolving, so you never know. But I think I’ve reached a good rhythm at this point. Making art is all rhythm, it’s on all frequencies.

“Baduizm” marked the time in your career when you connected most strongly with the mainstream. At this point have you reached a comfortable balance between enjoying a certain level of commercial success and the creative freedom to do what you want?

Yeah. I think that everyone on this show, from Mos Def to Lauryn Hill, is at a place where we have a lane, and we can do whatever we want at this point because we have cult followings. We are a tribe of people who are like-minded and feel what we do, and our only job is to be honest – that’s all we have to do right now. And that’s such a blessing, to be able to be that at this point, and to do that. I never underestimate the audience’s ability to be exactly where we are.