Badu. “Tyrone,” the definitive single from her seminal 1997 live album, was a break-up jam built around a phone-based punchline about a boyfriend who needs to call his buddy Tyrone to help him move out. Phones, of course, go back deep as an artistic inspiration for Ms. Apparently inspired by her reinterpretation, Badu created ten other phone-themed tracks and released a mixtape. Why not?īadu’s But You Cain’t Use My Phone, released over Thanksgiving holiday, was inspired by her seven-minute take on Drake’s current radio hit “Hotline Bling.” Badu swaps out the song’s earworm hook of “she used to call me on my cell phone” for “you used to call me on my cell-u-lar de-vice at night,” then spends over a minute doing a spoken breakdown while playing the part of an increasingly bizarre voice answering service, before jumping right back into what it would mean when that hotline would bling. She runs around Dealey Plaza naked, she names her kids amazing things, she stands up for herself. In the most recent episode of freewheeling antics, Badu released an entire mixtape out of nowhere that’s all about phones. A one-one, two one two On & on & on & on Wake the fuck up 'cause it's been too long Say, wait a minute, Queen, what's your name? See, I be that gypsy flippin' life game from the right brain (huh) Ascension maintained Rolling through like a burning flame Like a supernova star She be the light when they in the dark Morning The moon pass the sun Four constellations start forming A cross up in the sky But everybody wanna ask me why What good do your words do if they can't understand you? Don't go talkin' that shit Badu, Badu What good do your words do if they can't understand you? Don't go talkin' that shit Badu, Badu Said I'm a Pisces Zika deka del Well, well, I'm raising hell People always tryin' to find the world I'm in I'm the envy of the women and I rule the men Two fish, one swimmin' up stream One swimmin' down livin' in a dream But when she loves she tends to cling When incense burns, smoke unfurls Analog girl in a digital world The Rasta style flower child Zip dip dow, zip dip dow The gold tooth smile Split them vowels Bling bloom bling, melanated I'm 'bout ta give birth to church But everybody want to ask this Earth What.Erykah Badu does what she wants.

Erykah badu tyrone live lyrics