Erykah Badu – “New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh” (Video)

It’s finally here — the New Amerykah, Part Two: Return of the Ankh and it was worth the wait. Part One was riddled with heavy political messages, while Part Two stares love in the face, with mixed emotions, battles with commitment, honesty, freedom, and fright —phases in new love.

This album is a little more sample heavy than her previous releases—the favourite being the short but sweet, “Agitation” which uses David Sancious‘s 70s classic, “Just As I Thought.” While Erykah’s cover of Sylvia Striplin‘s “Turn Me Away” is more to its original form with the wiry bassline and slapping drums, it plays like an ode to Notorious B.I.G. as she recounts his lyrics also. “Fall in Love (Your Funeral)” uses former Temptation, Eddie Kendrick‘s “Intimate Friends” which was also used by Alicia Keys for “Unbreakable.” Despite that, Erykah still manages to make the tune sound brand new with her funkafied spin. We’ve heard about the hypnosis she bestows upon the chosen few, and “Fall in Love (Your Funeral)” acts like a deterrent, as she croons, “you don’t want to fall in love with me,” which could even mean her not wanting to fall in love either. The rotation track is “Gone Baby, Don’t Be Long,” where she whispers, “Gone baby gone, don’t be long” to her lover, providing the understanding of giving your partner the freedom to be and do whatever they need, but not to be gone for too long.

Badu’s Return of the Ankh contains all that psychedelic funk and soul grooves we’ve grown to love her for. It’s a great time to be living in the world of New Amerykah; this is her world, and we live in it! Let’s take Erykah Badu to triple platinum. Go get your physical copy here!

Erykah Badu – Gone Baby, Don’t be Long from beeple on Vimeo.

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Roseann V. Warren

Founder + Editorial Director at Muphoric Sounds
Roseann V. Warren is a Brooklyn, NY-based freelance writer and developmental book editor who proudly calls herself a member of the Prince army and believes Hersey's chocolate is a crime against humanity. Follow her @webdiva3000