I also love the Obama intro to "Soldier."
― Eric H., Saturday, 25 October 2008 04:32 (4 years ago) Permalink
fwiw, I don't think that's Obama
― mujeres con dos, tres, quatro, cinco tetas (The Reverend), Saturday, 25 October 2008 04:45 (4 years ago) Permalink
Shoot. I guess I fixated on the word "change" and assumed it was him. I don't recognize the speech and the clip's too short.
― Eric H., Saturday, 25 October 2008 04:53 (4 years ago) Permalink
i vote whole album, too. HOW CAN I CHOOSE?
― horseshoe, Saturday, 25 October 2008 05:08 (4 years ago) Permalink
"That Hump" because of the Switch "I Call Your Name" 'sample'.
I really wish the tracks developed more, though. "The Cell" obviously has a sweet bass line, but the track just repeats the whole way through! I just wish the grooves went somewhere.
― Patrick South, Saturday, 25 October 2008 05:39 (4 years ago) Permalink
i chose telephone, but really this whole album is genius.
― MacElby's Puddin'© (stevie), Saturday, 25 October 2008 12:24 (4 years ago) Permalink
where's 'real thang'? it's not my favourite but it's just so righteous - i think it and 'honey', the most straightforwardly tuneful tracks on the album, work really well as bonus tracks. 'real thang' is endlessly quotable too - "got to balance your chakra, raise your octave to opera", "your double helix gon' triple", "shatter glasses like ella" and most of all the spoken ad libs: "sir, i think you better tell your soldiers that they need to - FALL BACK! cuz we comin' with a centrifugal force, it's about to get metaphysical y'all"
anyway it's between 'the cell', 'the healer' and 'soldier' for me, but more than any other album this year it just feels wrong to pinpoint particular favourites, it's such a cohesive work overall.
― lex pretend, Saturday, 25 October 2008 18:08 (4 years ago) Permalink
i dont have real thang on my copy!
― t_g, Saturday, 25 October 2008 18:17 (4 years ago) Permalink
holy shit. just found real thang. it's the b-side to "the healer" 12" righteous is right. DAMN. is this supposed to be off of part 2 or something? and when do we get return of the ankh anyway?
― the other Alex in MTL, in fact (Alex in Montreal), Saturday, 25 October 2008 19:06 (4 years ago) Permalink
I think "Real Thang" (which I haven't heard) is only on socialist British pressings or some shit like that.
― R$ (The Reverend), Saturday, 25 October 2008 19:09 (4 years ago) Permalink
didn't she do that with i want you on worldwide underground?, too?kinda makes me wish i hadn't waited to move to america before buying a copy.
― schlump, Saturday, 25 October 2008 21:12 (4 years ago) Permalink
"I Want You" is right in the middle of my American copy of WWU. Best song on the album, too.
― R$ (The Reverend), Saturday, 25 October 2008 21:55 (4 years ago) Permalink
ah o k. i haven't got that one yet, i'm not sure why i thought so. maybe there are other bonus tracks on uk one. such a perfect song:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1uxsc_erykah-badu-i-want-you_music
― schlump, Saturday, 25 October 2008 22:16 (4 years ago) Permalink
"That Hump"
― Put A Ring On It (The Brainwasher), Friday, October 24, 2008 10:34 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
― joe 40oz (deej), Saturday, 25 October 2008 22:21 (4 years ago) Permalink
"the cell", but having to pick one is near impossible
― tricky, Sunday, 26 October 2008 02:10 (4 years ago) Permalink
haha 'real thang; is uk-only'?! i will upload tomorrow when not fall over drunx
― lex pretend, Sunday, 26 October 2008 02:24 (4 years ago) Permalink
UH HUH
― lex pretend, Sunday, 26 October 2008 02:25 (4 years ago) Permalink
i think i want to vote for "the healer" now
― tricky, Sunday, 26 October 2008 02:28 (4 years ago) Permalink
Twinkle- i love the eerieness of the production, the way her voice gets twisted all the way through the song and that verse about warlocks and witches with ill glitches.
― Christyles, Sunday, 26 October 2008 05:48 (4 years ago) Permalink
Telephone
― LIL HOOSANE (PappaWheelie V), Sunday, 26 October 2008 05:56 (4 years ago) Permalink
I don't know why, but nothing on the album has grabbed me yet -- I think my ears are so conditioned to track-only, singles listening that stuff just blows by if there's not a hook (i.e. I'd vote for "whole album" too). Looking for "Real Thang" now -- on the version I have there's a track just listed as "Bonus Track," but that appears to be "Honey"
― mitya, Sunday, 26 October 2008 06:01 (4 years ago) Permalink
this album is great... i voted for "soldier," though it was really a tie between it, "the healer" and "the cell"
― Professor Respect, Sunday, 26 October 2008 06:13 (4 years ago) Permalink
Me was a close 2nd
― LIL HOOSANE (PappaWheelie V), Sunday, 26 October 2008 06:31 (4 years ago) Permalink
'real thang'
― lex pretend, Sunday, 26 October 2008 09:32 (4 years ago) Permalink
― Pottie Skippen (Granny Dainger), Sunday, 26 October 2008 11:32 (4 years ago) Permalink
hip-hopis bigger than religion
― Black Seinfeld (HI DERE), Sunday, 26 October 2008 13:21 (4 years ago) Permalink
master teacher pt 2.
― titchyschneiderMk2, Sunday, 26 October 2008 13:23 (4 years ago) Permalink
Right I just listened to this to decide. It's Me, The Cell or 2nd part of Master Teacher... or Telephone.. one of those anyway.
― mmmm, Sunday, 26 October 2008 17:41 (4 years ago) Permalink
cell is way overrated. it sounds like something from 91.
― titchyschneiderMk2, Sunday, 26 October 2008 19:11 (4 years ago) Permalink
I'm compelled to admit I prefer the tornadic first half of "master teacher," just to balance the scales.
― Eric H., Sunday, 26 October 2008 19:43 (4 years ago) Permalink
cell nu amerykah pt. 1 is way overrated.― titchyschneiderMk2
I think this is what you meant to write.
Plus, sounds like 1991 sounds like awesome.
― Eric H., Sunday, 26 October 2008 19:44 (4 years ago) Permalink
yep
― Cittaslow Mazza (blueski), Sunday, 26 October 2008 19:49 (4 years ago) Permalink
"The Cell" sounds like something from 1973, specifically, something by Stevie Wonder.
― R$ (The Reverend), Sunday, 26 October 2008 21:24 (4 years ago) Permalink
stevie wonder was using lightweight breakbeats and blanded out synths in 1973?
― titchyschneiderMk2, Sunday, 26 October 2008 22:11 (4 years ago) Permalink
the whole album sounds like it wishes it lived back in 1973. is that good or bad? i dunno. but that doesn't mean i wouldn't take Call Me and Fresh (and Burnin') over this had ir been released then.
― THE TOWER OF HUMANOID ANTIBODIES!!! (Ioannis), Sunday, 26 October 2008 22:18 (4 years ago) Permalink
there are about 3 or 4 tracks tops that sound like they could have been made back then. even then, only amerykahn promise sounds *properly* retro, everything else in that old school soul/jazz/funk vein sounds like its been made recently.
― titchyschneiderMk2, Sunday, 26 October 2008 22:20 (4 years ago) Permalink
The Cell has synths?
― Cittaslow Mazza (blueski), Sunday, 26 October 2008 22:23 (4 years ago) Permalink
The wobbly bassline and finger snaps in "The Healer" set an incredibly nice vibe in the room everytime i put this on, so I'm going with that. I must say, I don't really like the first track, though. I think it's a little too aggressive sounding, and seems out of place with the rest of the album.
― Dan S, Sunday, 26 October 2008 22:48 (4 years ago) Permalink
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Thursday, 30 October 2008 00:01 (4 years ago) Permalink
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Friday, 31 October 2008 00:01 (4 years ago) Permalink
i am pretty cool with these results, aside from "Honey" getting shafted
― some dude, Friday, 31 October 2008 00:15 (4 years ago) Permalink
Yeah wtf?
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Friday, 31 October 2008 00:21 (4 years ago) Permalink
well i'm not saying that's surprising, generally i think people who know an album won't vote for the single in a poll like this even if they like it
― some dude, Friday, 31 October 2008 00:41 (4 years ago) Permalink
Also, "Honey" kind of feels like an addendum to, rather than a component of the album.
― Gene Amondson (The Reverend), Friday, 31 October 2008 06:46 (4 years ago) Permalink
wtf, people; this is the only thread where we can specifically talk about this album!!?
anyhow, i din't want to sidetrack the whatcha listening to thread any further... so i'll post this here instead: "New Amerykah makes me think of something Matos told me about Sign O the Times: "You will never get to the bottom of that album." It is the meatiest album I've heard in a long time."
sure. but so what? the main difference between the two, for me, being that SotT has at least ten GRATE songs on it; whereas, New Amerykah... has what esactly??? i mean, i keep waiting for the damn songs to sink in, but it just ain't happening. yet.
― Ioannis, Thursday, 13 November 2008 13:47 (4 years ago) Permalink
SotT has at least ten GRATE songs on it; whereas, New Amerykah... has what esactly???
11.
― Eric H., Thursday, 13 November 2008 13:49 (4 years ago) Permalink
i mean, i keep waiting for the damn songs to sink in, but it just ain't happening. yet.
I don't know how long you've had it, but it took me about 3 months to realize this album's greatness.
― The stic.man from the hilarious 'Dead Prez' albums (some dude), Thursday, 13 November 2008 13:51 (4 years ago) Permalink
hahaha--now if only i could remember any of them...
xp
i've had it since March. :(
― Ioannis, Thursday, 13 November 2008 13:54 (4 years ago) Permalink
took me 1 listen
― Thematically it's like a queer-Pipecock (blueski), Thursday, 13 November 2008 14:04 (4 years ago) Permalink
fatherly as in dad joke? old reference? you know scooby wasn't scrappy doo's dad, right?
― ruh roh I'm having a scooby snack (some dude), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:08 (3 years ago) Permalink
i dont get it
― 51ocki (k3vin k.), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:12 (3 years ago) Permalink
dad-ish reference
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:13 (3 years ago) Permalink
are you familiar with longtime poster 'uh oh I'm having a fantasy'? xpost
dude scooby doo was on cartoon network and shit when you were a kid just like when i was a kid
― ruh roh I'm having a scooby snack (some dude), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:15 (3 years ago) Permalink
ok im giggling now
― 51ocki (k3vin k.), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:16 (3 years ago) Permalink
i know, i mean that it's silly in a dad-ish way, not old in a dad-ish way
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:17 (3 years ago) Permalink
i giggled too
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:18 (3 years ago) Permalink
ok so dad joke more than dad reference
― ruh roh I'm having a scooby snack (some dude), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:29 (3 years ago) Permalink
yes
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:35 (3 years ago) Permalink
just realized that i haven't thought a display name to be as alternately good/bad/hilarious since m@tt's El Garbage
― hipster puddy (J0rdan S.), Sunday, 28 March 2010 21:54 (3 years ago) Permalink
sorry about whining over nothing
― don't let it rest on the President's desk (Drugs A. Money), Sunday, 28 March 2010 22:12 (3 years ago) Permalink
nah i mean shit yeah it's better than Kid A, but it's not like i really expected any 2008 album, no matter how good, to really represent on end-of-decade lists like that, at least not this soon. it was actually the 7th highest '08 album on the Pitchfork list, so really it climbed a bit from being ranked 13th a year earlier.
― ruh roh I'm having a scooby snack (some dude), Sunday, 28 March 2010 22:32 (3 years ago) Permalink
To be fair, it is the best album of the decade, so it's not "whining" to point out any list/poll that doesn't reflect that.
― queen frostine (Eric H.), Sunday, 28 March 2010 22:38 (3 years ago) Permalink
meh, diff't strokes -- half the albums on my list that k3v linked upthread were on no other blog or publication's list, so i have a hard time thinking of it as insufficiently appreciated
― ruh roh I'm having a scooby snack (some dude), Sunday, 28 March 2010 22:45 (3 years ago) Permalink
'that hump' was my vote i think -- the chorus is just great
― deej khalifa (deej), Monday, 29 March 2010 05:10 (3 years ago) Permalink
yeah I mustn't have voted in this cuz "that hump" has been my fave on this from the beginning. that bassline is crazy, the vocals, the lyrics... it's one of my top 5 badu songs easily. I never really got the crazy love for "the healer," i don't really understand why it won this poll by such a large margin, it's one of the lesser tracks on the album imo (though the album is pretty much perfect... but still, "that hump," "twinkle," "the cell," "soldier," "telephone," "me," >>>>>>>>>>>> "the healer"....)
― The Brainwasher, Monday, 29 March 2010 05:14 (3 years ago) Permalink
i agree, altho i still like healer more than 'master teachers'
― deej khalifa (deej), Monday, 29 March 2010 05:15 (3 years ago) Permalink
Is there a thread for the second one? I cannot find it if there is. Anyway this is a totally perfect happy summer album, totes didn't expect it to sound this blissed out.
― fuque santa cruz (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 8 July 2010 16:49 (2 years ago) Permalink
most of the talk about it is here Erykah Badu: C /D, S&D
― Aerosol, Thursday, 8 July 2010 16:51 (2 years ago) Permalink
ty ty ty
― fuque santa cruz (a hoy hoy), Thursday, 8 July 2010 16:53 (2 years ago) Permalink
― Put A Ring On It (The Brainwasher), Friday, October 24, 2008 10:34 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark
otm
― J0rdan S., Monday, 6 September 2010 09:13 (2 years ago) Permalink
Ha its 5am and That Hump is hitting hard (tho less hard now that I just finished giggling at the ship/sarge scooby exchange)
― Blah Sabbath (Drugs A. Money), Sunday, 8 January 2012 09:54 (1 year ago) Permalink
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZLKkkOoszAA
― guapele (The Reverend), Sunday, 8 January 2012 11:01 (1 year ago) Permalink
― guapele (The Reverend), Sunday, 8 January 2012 11:02 (1 year ago) Permalink
Did we ever poll the second? We should. (Or both together, even.)
― dead-trius (Eric H.), Friday, 17 February 2012 22:08 (1 year ago) Permalink
And there are so many easter eggs, lyrically and sonically! I always discover something new when I listen to it. It's a complex motherfucking work. Just about a week ago, I first noticed that "My People" ends with the words "Good morning. Did you have a Dream?" And I capitilize Dream intentionally, because whether she was referring to the American (Amerykahn?) Dream or, I think more likely, MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech, she intends to load the word with more meaning than its M-W definition would indicate.
― mr. mayan end times guy (The Reverend), Thursday, November 13, 2008 3:07 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
yeah absolutely - i get annoyed when people overuse adjectives like "meaningful" but it absolutely applies to new amerykah in the sense that every word, note, inflection, every last detail in the arrangement is there for a reason, and even the most minute element of it can spark off these chains of thought just like yours
― lex pretend, Thursday, November 13, 2008 3:12 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Yeah, even things in the sequencing. It's no accident that "Me" is followed by "My People". She's already claimed her people as her in the former song. "I salute you [insert your name here] because you are me". It's also no mistake that she goes from grown folks acting all niggerish and not taking responsibility for their kids in "The Cell" to lamenting how those same kids "don't know their language...don't know their god" in "Twinkle" to the epiphany of "wait....what if there were no niggers, only master teachers?"
― mr. mayan end times guy (The Reverend), Thursday, November 13, 2008 3:23 PM Bookmark
Wait, but that's the Dream she has! You even have Curtis Mayfield playing herald for her with the sample of him at the beginning of "Master Teacher" repeating "dreams..." over and over.
― thraeds of life (The Reverend), Friday, 16 November 2012 08:58 (6 months ago) Permalink
*still learning things about this album*
― thraeds of life (The Reverend), Friday, 16 November 2012 08:59 (6 months ago) Permalink
This is still my favorite album of my lifetime, bout to put it on for the third time in a row.
― thraeds of life (The Reverend), Friday, 16 November 2012 09:18 (6 months ago) Permalink
She's playing NYE in Oakland with The Coup I believe.
― Everybody did shit, art happened! (forksclovetofu), Friday, 16 November 2012 15:05 (6 months ago) Permalink
rev otm
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Friday, 16 November 2012 21:40 (6 months ago) Permalink
That Hump
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 9 May 2013 19:43 (1 week ago) Permalink
second verse is the best vocal performance of her career imo
― J0rdan S., Thursday, 9 May 2013 19:46 (1 week ago) Permalink
Only smoked a joint or two betwixt me and you.
― Not Simone Choule (Eric H.), Thursday, 9 May 2013 19:46 (1 week ago) Permalink
that hump makes me sob tbh
― horseshoe, Thursday, 9 May 2013 22:18 (1 week ago) Permalink
always feel like whiney is going to pop up and take me to task for ^ that sentiment, but it's true
i just got to find a wayof liiiiivingcheck tooo checkjust tryin to pay my rent and i can feel itcoming down around me and this children;_;
― horseshoe, Thursday, 9 May 2013 22:21 (1 week ago) Permalink
can i just posit the brother on her floor as the punctum here
― daft on the causes of punk (schlump), Thursday, 9 May 2013 22:34 (1 week ago) Permalink
my brother's sleeping on my floora bitch could use a little moooooore
― horseshoe, Thursday, 9 May 2013 22:37 (1 week ago) Permalink