Erykah Badu: The Brave One

Now, after four years of relative quiet, Erykah is preparing for the release of her highly anticipated fifth album, New Amerykah Pt. 1: 4th World War. She looks like a woman full of herself. Not arrogant. Full. Cup-runneth-over full. A woman with so much good stuff swirling inside, she can’t contain it.  On her daughter Puma’s father, rapper Tracy “The D.O.C.” Curry, 39, . . . “Me and Doc fell in love,” she says, recounting their brief romance in 2003. “And, hey, we played the grown-folks game. He was not the one, but Puma came on through.”  On meeting Raphael Saadiq with singer Joi Gilliam-Gipp . . . “I made tea,” she recalls, “the incense is burning, it smells like vegan cupcakes, I got strawberry oils going.” Raphael tasted his tea and would not give Lady Badu so much as a glance. Erykah took Joi aside and said, “Raphael don’t like me. I wanted to do a song with him.” Joi said, “Girl, Raphael heard that you ain’t supposed to look Erykah Badu directly in the eye.” On her past loves . . . “We were always reflections. When I met André, he had a head wrap on. And we swapped incense. Common was already eclectic in his rhyming and choice of hats and clothing.”  On her new man . . . “I can say I met a man who’s so wonderful. He’s turning me into a grown woman, and you know I’m forever a princess,” she says. "We’re not going to blow him up. I don’t want nobody all up in his face talking about crochet pants.” On motherhood . . .“I’m a real good mother. And I make sure that the fathers are active. The queendom is in Dallas. Various times in the year, everybody’s there at once, and we all get along. Those are my brothers, I don’t get in their business, they don’t get in mine, but we’re very cognizant of what’s going on with our children.” SOURCE OF THIS STORY