A singer with a message

“I wanted to have a responsible, conscious message, something exact and direct”

In the nearly four years between albums, Erykah Badu, the self-proclaimed 'analog girl in a digital world,' had a lot going on.

Besides raising her two children - Seven, age 10, and Puma, age 3 - she invested in the arts community of her native South Dallas, renovating the Black Forest Theater there, where she performed as a child. She founded B.L.I.N.D. (Beautiful Love Incorporated Nonprofit Development), which focuses on social programs, and Control FreaQ, her own label and production house. She also became a licensed holistic health practitioner. Read more