Erykah Badu

𝙀𝙧𝙮𝙠𝙖𝙝 𝘽𝙖𝙙𝙪’𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙗𝙪𝙢, "𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙠𝙖𝙝 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙏𝙬𝙤: 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙊𝙛 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙣𝙠𝙝," 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙢, 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙚𝙤-𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡 — 𝙖 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙘.

Released on Motown in 2010, the album serves as the softer, more introspective counterpart to “Part One (4th World War)”. While its predecessor was politically charged and sonically dense, “Return of the Ankh” flows with water-like sensuality, guided by themes of love, memory, and spiritual release.

Built around analog textures, vintage soul samples, and live instrumentation, it features production from Badu herself alongside Madlib, Questlove, J Dilla, James Poyser, and Karriem Riggins. Songs like "Window Seat," "Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long," and "Out My Mind, Just in Time" weave between intimacy and transcendence, balancing vulnerability with Badu’s trademark cool mysticism.

“New Amerykah Part Two” remains one of her most beloved works — a lush, fluid exploration of emotion and groove that reaffirms Erykah Badu’s position as one of contemporary soul’s most visionary and uncompromising voices.