 In the midst of New Amerykah's highly
acclaimed reviews from media outlets all over the world,
multi-platinum Universal Motown artist, Erykah
Badu keeps the steam rolling as she releases her
second single, "Soldier". "Soldier,"
reminiscent of Baduizm's "Other Side of the Game,"
tells the story of a boy struggling to resist the gang-banging
evils of his neighborhood block. Equipped with a thumping
bass line and haunting flutes brought to life by producer
Kareem Riggins, the single transforms into a
protest song by the last verse as Badu poetically
chants droplets of wisdom, "You got the wake up call/
When you heard the buildings fall" and "To my
boys in Iraqi fields/This ain't no time to kill."After
a four year recording hiatus, the single arrives at the
height of Badu's accolades for New Amerykah
Part I (4th World War),
which debuted at #2 on the charts, selling over125,000
units in the first week. Baduushers in the
single's release with “The New Amerykah | Vortex
Tour 2008 AD,” a whirlwind, twelve-week, 49-city,
42-show tour that kicks off May 4th
in Detroit, Michigan and ends June 15th
in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Named for the swirling
centers of subtle energy coming out from the surface of
the earth, The Vortex Tour is expected to stir up a lot
of excitement. “Most of the shows are in or near
cities with naturally strong energy fields, and if
they’re not,” said Badu,
“we’re going to create them with the
music”. Badu will perform songs from New
Amerkyah as well as some of her most popular hits.
The four-time Grammy award winner will then head off to
Europe for tour dates which start June 25th
in Copenhagen, Denmark and end on July 17th
in Belgium. Appropriately, the Philly-based band The
Roots will be the opening act for many of the dates,
promoting their new album Rising Down. Badu, who
has collaborated with The Roots in the past, features The
Roots drummer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
on several New Amerykah tracks. Whether on tour or
in the studio, Badu stays connected with her fans
through Bandlink, a technology included in New
Amerykah which allows purchasers to register to
receive videos, tour updates, bonus tracks, commentary,
exclusive content and discounts on merchandise from Badu’s
online store. Always connected by her love of community, Badu
will allocate $1 from every concert ticket sold to B.L.I.N.D
- Beautiful Love Incorporated Non-Profit Development - Badu’s
community organization that provides community-based
programs for inner-city youth through music, dance,
theater and visual arts.
Click here to see the whole scheduled
VORTEX TOUR and check out where to go to see Erykah in
the North America and Europe! |
