Aged and ageless might be the perfect way to describe how she has survived all these years in the music industry without a single metaphorical or literal wrinkle. It was a different time, a different era, a lot can change in two decades.Ī lot did change, but Erykah Badu has been here for all the bright mornings and dark nights. Then Tyrone would laugh as Twitter turns the ordeal into a meme, his friend’s face being replaced by the infamous crying Michael Jordan. Tyrone wouldn’t get a phone call but would watch as your girlfriend embarrassingly kicks you out into an Uber via Snapchat. ’97 Tyrone would get collect calls from payphones and cryptic messages from beepers, compare that to the Tyrone of today, the one who lives in the age of cellphones and social media. I can almost imagine her unnamed partner dragging a box of his belongings to the nearest corner while digging for a quarter to call Tyrone on the payphone. It’s when she mentions him not being able to use her phone that takes me back to 1997. These are common issues that have plagued courting since the days of Adam and Eve. You can go to any era in the past and find a woman disgruntled with a man for always needing to borrow money but never having any to give, a woman fed up with being around your friends in public and only allowed alone time in bed. Listening to the lyrics, it feels both aged and ageless. The song didn’t come from a place of scorn but a whimsical breakdown of what lead to their breakup. Before Adele was rolling in the dark depths of heartbreak, Badu was setting fire to the dirty laundry that was left behind and the flame drew people in like spectators to a schoolyard brawl. It’s been almost 20 years since Erykah sung about the former love whose unbearably trifling behavior was the catalyst for their ruined relationship. Before testing out a never before heard single, Erykah has a moment of humorous sincerity with the crowd, “Keep in mind, I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit so yall be nice about it.” Laughter and applause fills the studio, a sound that would continue throughout the song, the sensitive artist had nothing to worry about - “Tyrone” was destined to be a hit. To hear her sing is to hear the voice of tomorrow. She has promise, the kind of talent journalists are comparing to the phenomenal Billy Holiday. Reviews have been raving about the songstress, proclaiming that this newcomer is putting the soul in Neo-Soul. This isn’t a regular performance, this isn’t just another tour date, this in-concert recording is for her Live album - a follow-up to the acclaimed debut Baduizm that was released months prior. The year is 1997, Erykah Badu is singing before a studio audience.
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