TEAM RNS PRESENTS

ARTIST: Erykah Badu

TITLE: Worldwide Underground

RIPPER: Team RNS

0hr 50min total- 72.8mb

RELEASE DATE: 2003-09-16
RIP DATE: 2003-08-28

01 World Keeps Turnin' (Intro)    1:39
02 Bump It (Feat. Zap Mama &      8:49

03 Back In The Day (Puff) (Feat.  4:47

06 The Grind (Feat. Dead Prez)    2:49
07 Danger (Feat. China Blac)      5:49
08 Think Twice (Feat. Roy         3:02

09 Love Of My Life Worldwide      5:26
(Feat. Queen Latifah, Angie Stone &

10 World Keeps Turnin' (Outro)    4:02

A trail of incense and candles leading
her way, Erykah Badu quickly seduced
audiences with her silky, compelling voice
and enchanting stage presence. Only
months after the release of her 1997
debut Baduizm, this soulful chanteuse
catapulted from a total unknown to a
platinum-selling sensation, capturing
the admiration of both R&B and Top 40

Badu's voice is regularly compared to
that of Billie Holiday's, which she calls
"the highest compliment." A lofty
comparison, especially for a new
artist, but apropos for the
slim-figured performer. Raised on the
great soul artists (Marvin Gaye, Stevie
Wonder and Chaka Khan) in Dallas, Texas,
Badu attended Dallas' High School Of
Performing And Visual Arts--where she
was known as MC Apple and practiced
rhyming and rapping; also a trained
dancer, she attended an all-black
University in Louisiana to study
theater. Upon returning home to Dallas
in 1993, Badu and her cousin Robert
"Free" Bradford began writing hip-hop
music together and playing around town.
Word was out locally when a demo of the
jazz-inflected "On & On" made it into
the right hands, and a deal was struck
with major-label Universal Records on the
condition that it was Erykah Badu--sans
Free. While she agreed to this
condition, she had a surprising amount
of freedom for both a new artist and an
R&B artist; Baduizm was born from her
19-song demo, her own musicians and her
own ideas. The record--which entered the
Billboard R&B album chart at a shocking
(for a new artist with little hype) No.
2, and which went platinum only months
after its release--is a hypnotic flow
that glides along by her emotive voice
that's reminiscent of the soulful
artists she listened to while growing
up. With the exception of "Touch A 4
Leaf Clover," all songs on Baduizm are
original compositions penned by Badu;
they are sophisticated and old-skool,
refined and raw, strong and feminine. If
a theme must be had, it would certainly be
the socio-political issues of
African-Americans and women, but Badu
also sings of love and religion.

Not content with just one album, Badu
also released Live in 1997. After some
much needed time off, Badu re-emerged in
2000 with the highly anticipated Mama's
Gun. The set featured Badu's appealing
brand of neo-soul, and a slew of guest
stars, including noted jazz players Roy
Ayers and Roy Hargrove, Roots drummer
?uestlove, and producer Jay Dee.

A jazz diva in her own right, Badu
seemingly has the whole world laid out
before her bare feet. Her cheeky blues,
free spirit and sense of what's
real--in spite of the ever-present
candles and incense--has made her the

Now she's back with her new album
'Worldwide Underground' that will hit
stores in mid September. Enjoy!