But more importantly.. I gotta give props to NYC for staging these events.. FANTASTIC

I agree though…GREAT performance.

Blessings to Badu!

It was amazing!

After much pre-show ado there she finally was…offering healing in the form of fresh Madlib beats then taking us through a live remix of many of her songs older & new. She had me 100,000 miles from heaven when Brooklyn dropped me back down into this cold, cold world!

Yes I’m calling out Brooklyn ’cause that’s whose land this stuff went down on (I’m from the Bronx personally – birthplace of hip hop and receptive to all things creative and fly). But yeah, Brooklyn started leaving the park in droves only about a quarter of the way into her set. I heard complaints from the bleachers (“play ‘Tyrone!!!!”). Suddenly I knew where this was going. This was the ‘separate the wheat from the chaff’ moment. A moment that really should not be present in black music today (or ever) but nevertheless we were “there”. When I first got wind of the concert I knew the house would be packed but I hadn’t imagined we’d end up with two *factions* (if you will) of Badu fans present. There were what I’ll call the “OG” fans. These fans like to hear “On & On”, “Love of My Life” and the aforementioned “Tyrone”. At a certain point during her show when she was in the midst of some of her *new shyt* she abruptly shut down the stage and said “Goodbye Brooklyn!”, to which she received a smattering of “boos”. Of course, after the hardcore OG crowd left, she came back on and played some of their favorites All I could keep thinking as they left (and never thought I’d ever have want or occasion to use this phrase but…) “BYE HATERS”.

I know she’ll catch a lot of flack behind this show BUT can you honestly blame the artist if the so-called fans don’t keep current? I could tell she was pissed. My piscean sisterhood antennae was up. I could empathically feel her deep disappointment. She was playing percussion and really getting all spiritual and interactive and what not, only to receive a “where’s Tyrone?” reception. She at one point actually stopped and said what “Oh, I see what’s happening”. SAD! People! Have we grown so far away from our organic musical roots that we can’t recognize great talent when it’s in our presence? There was a part too where she was almost shrieking…my girl was wailing over the condition of black audiences today! The Black community *at large* would have her “Frankie Beverley’d” — resigning her to a life of never-ending “Joy & Pain”. Having her sing Tyrone and Bag Lady On & On (and on & on!). Don’t get me wrong. Those were great songs. Hell, THOSE ARE THE ANCESTOR SONGS…they deserve much respect (and continued rotation on the ipod). BUT Ms. Badu is a rolling stone. She can’t stay in one place too long. She’s from Neptune…there they just float…float on. She started us off in the basement, the foundation, the rhythm-y, blues-y Baduizm. From there above ground to the bad-ass funk of Mama’s Gun then on to the aphrogalactic realms of the Worldwide Underground. Now she’s taken us 110 more stories up to New Amerykah. The sky is the limit with Badu and I plan to hang on for the ride. With each rise in musical consciousness though there has been a fall in her so-called fan base. Many falling back to kinder gentler days. Content to get their lessons “next lifetime”. Who needs “so-called fans” when one has a molten hot core of true fans & tribemates with you from On & On and beyond.

Thank you Erykah for never compromising and for staying true to your art and the direction that art is leading you in. You have and will continue to be blessed by it. I salute you Badu!

Thank You Badu. Love the hair, love the pure artist in you …..

ONE