Erykah Badu - New Amerykah part one

Big_ChanBig_Chan 5,088 Posts
edited February 2008 in Strut Central
Okay folls, what is the Soulstrut massive verdict on this new album? The album is NOTHING like the "Honey" single. It is in fact so different that the "Honey" joint is at the end of the album as a bonus track. The album is a little out there, but in a good way. The SA RA dudes produced like half of the album. "Telephone" and "Master Teacher" are both real dope.
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  • Any truth to her ripping off RAMP for their "American Promise" tune?

  • The album is a little out there, but in a good way.




    Sounds like she's really gone for her own thing here: upon the first listen its spacy, a LOT more influenced by p-funk than i would've expected and lifts Eddie Kendrick's "my people...hold on" for a track. Gonna revisit!

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    The SA RA Domestic Partners dudes produced like half of the album.

    Young Phonics catnip

  • Big_ChanBig_Chan 5,088 Posts
    Any truth to her ripping off RAMP for their "American Promise" tune?

    YES!!!!! The first track on the album, "Amerykahn Promise" is the RAMP track "American Promise" with new vocals added. COMPLETELY lifted the RAMP track.

  • Allegedly RAMP was neither asked nor paid!

  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    can someone photoshop ladybug mecca's face onto that shit

  • bull_oxbull_ox 5,056 Posts
    Allegedly RAMP was neither asked nor paid!

    One can only hope that she was attempting to get RAMP more dough than if they'd done it legit before release (ala BEP and Stark) considering how much respect she ostensibly has for the old school...

  • jaymackjaymack 5,199 Posts
    man, this shit is getting me OPEN after a long ass 10 hour shift. alongside a nice bowl of cheeba.



    those mantronix sirens will now Always remind me of dilla. she uses his voice for adlibs on soldier, and it sounds like telephone is for him.

  • The Raise UpThe Raise Up Golden Years... wah wah wah 452 Posts
    "Telephone" and "Master Teacher" are both real dope.

    especially "Telephone"

    I also like "Soldier" and "Me". I don't really hear any suitable singles on it, but as a whole album it plays nicely, apart from "Twinkle" which I'll probably skip from now on.

  • gloomgloom 2,765 Posts
    are her and jay electronica an item? they looked cozy on that new urb cover. (read: "electronica circus")

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Does it sound anything like that mishmosh-strecthout-fauxfunk-imdeep- Last album?

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    Allegedly RAMP was neither asked nor paid!

    One can only hope that she was attempting to get RAMP more dough than if they'd done it legit before release (ala BEP and Stark) considering how much respect she ostensibly has for the old school...

    I'm just wondering how this could have flown under Motown's radar.

  • Can somebody please pm me a link. Thanks in advance...

  • Can somebody please pm me a link. Thanks in advance...

    here you go dawg

  • just giving it a first listen now. kinda feelin it.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Allegedly RAMP was neither asked nor paid!

    One can only hope that she was attempting to get RAMP more dough than if they'd done it legit before release (ala BEP and Stark) considering how much respect she ostensibly has for the old school...

    I'm just wondering how this could have flown under Motown's radar.

    Could be that R.A.M.P. are no longer the rightsholders.

    Just saying.

  • the_dLthe_dL 1,531 Posts
    Does it sound anything like that mishmosh-strecthout-fauxfunk-imdeep- Last album?
    its probably closer to the first, i have been loving it!

  • kicks79kicks79 1,333 Posts
    Its more of a headphone album than any of her previous efforts. Im diggin Telephone which is off the hook (No pun intended). The quirky bass of The healer. The drums of soldier and of course Honey which is the best thing that 9th has done in a long ass time. Im also not mad at the whole ramp rip off. Wonder what part two will sound like...?

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
    Allegedly RAMP was neither asked nor paid!

    One can only hope that she was attempting to get RAMP more dough than if they'd done it legit before release (ala BEP and Stark) considering how much respect she ostensibly has for the old school...

    I'm just wondering how this could have flown under Motown's radar.

    It would only have done so if they weren't made aware of it in the first place. Edwin Birdsong keeps a close eye on sample uses, and I can't imagine that Roy Ayers would be any different.

  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts
    Allegedly RAMP was neither asked nor paid!

    One can only hope that she was attempting to get RAMP more dough than if they'd done it legit before release (ala BEP and Stark) considering how much respect she ostensibly has for the old school...

    I'm just wondering how this could have flown under Motown's radar.

    It would only have done so if they weren't made aware of it in the first place. Edwin Birdsong keeps a close eye on sample uses, and I can't imagine that Roy Ayers would be any different.

    She's done guest spots on Roy's most recent recordings, so I can't imagine that she would even be able to skip over something that would affect him directly. Maybe, like Faux pointed out, the actual players aren't seeing dime one, but that would not be between Badu and them, I assume that would be between other parties. Lots of ways to not get paid.

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,885 Posts
    Im diggin Telephone



    Amerykahn Promise is also good, despite any issue surrounding the samples. The rest I found slick but a bit repetitive. Like how Jill Scott has gotten. Props to Badu for throwing a curve though. She's always done her own thing.

    If I had to pick a favourite from the catalog, I would go for "Other Side Of The Game". Sublime.

  • drewnicedrewnice 5,465 Posts
    ""Telephone" - last track of Erkah Badu's new album was inspired by a story Dilla's mother told Badu. Evidently during his final days, Dilla would float in and out of coherence, having very real conversations with people no one else could see. One of these people, as Dilla told his mother, was ODB. Dirty was telling Dilla that when he gets to the other side not to get on the red bus, though it was inviting. The white bus would be the one to pick him up. Great, beautiful song. Lyric: "Telephone! It's Old Dirty. He wants to give you directions home." Only Badu could make ODB sound like a visionary guide through the afterlife. When people say funerals are celebrations of an individual's life (as they fight back tears and look anything but celebratory), this song makes you believe it. The track closes with the uplifting words "Celebrate tonight" repeated."

    http://forums.sohh.com/showthread.php?p=1059307278

  • JimsterJimster Cruffiton.etsy.com 6,885 Posts
    Should I find myself in the same situation, I'll ask ODB for the lottery numbers and post them here. ODB has your money.

  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    Does it sound anything like that mishmosh-strecthout-fauxfunk-imdeep- Last album?
    its probably closer to the first, i have been loving it!

    ???

    The First Album was str8 Neo Soul. I cant imagine her returning to that.
    The first single Honey is nuffin like that.

  • Ayers is given production credit on the Badu track...

  • To clear up some of the confusion here: RAMP were never signed to Motown. Their album "Come into knowledge" was released on ABC Blue Thumb Records, which is owned by Universal today. I believe that Erykah is on Universal as well, which is why she would not even have to pay for using RAMP's material.

    Roy Ayers and Edwin Birdsong are the writers of "American Promise". Their will get their mechanical royalties.

    However, the musicians of RAMP did not get anything, nor were their involved. They definetely hold a share of performance rights, but so far Universal ignores all enquiries on this matter (this is nothing new - many artists who have worked with James Brown are fighting for their money as well).

    Last summer, the Erykah Badu camp reached out to RAMP about a possible collaboration on "American Promise". Band leader and founder John Manuel went to meet Erykah in Washington D.C., but she suddenly refused to see him. All attempts to contact her after that remained unsuccessful. And now the group had to find out that their song had been used. It's definetely a strange move by Erykah, who is known to have much respect for the artists from the oldschool. RAMP do understand the promotional bonus they are getting from this release (especially considering their recent comeback), but it is quite frustrating for a band, including their vocalists, when they hear themselves on an album that is an expected million-seller. And we are not talking about just a little sample here. Erykah used the whole song, and she did not even bother to replace the vocals.

    As for Universal - they have released RAMP's album on CD for the first time last year. Enquiries about financial compensation remain unasnwered to this day.

  • jaymackjaymack 5,199 Posts
    ""Telephone" - last track of Erkah Badu's new album was inspired by a story Dilla's mother told Badu. Evidently during his final days, Dilla would float in and out of coherence, having very real conversations with people no one else could see. One of these people, as Dilla told his mother, was ODB. Dirty was telling Dilla that when he gets to the other side not to get on the red bus, though it was inviting. The white bus would be the one to pick him up. Great, beautiful song. Lyric: "Telephone! It's Old Dirty. He wants to give you directions home." Only Badu could make ODB sound like a visionary guide through the afterlife. When people say funerals are celebrations of an individual's life (as they fight back tears and look anything but celebratory), this song makes you believe it. The track closes with the uplifting words "Celebrate tonight" repeated."

    http://forums.sohh.com/showthread.php?p=1059307278

    and she sings about people meeting on the hill to say goodbye, and i remember someone on okp posted a distant pic of his funeral, which was on some beautiful hill somewhere. good little read there.

  • drewnicedrewnice 5,465 Posts

  • jaymackjaymack 5,199 Posts
    and there it is.
    amazing.
    the end of "telephone" gives me the chills. sounds like they had a really spiritual moment recording it.

  • an expected million-seller

    D'ANGELOL
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