There’s an emotional pull that settles in the spirit when it comes to the two music factions: an inarguable magnetism that renders fans into a melodic trance. But the main common denominator between the original genre and its offshoot is how they both make listeners feel. It contained the heart, soul and energy of R&B the cadence and varied lyrical topics akin to hip-hop and embodied the improvisational spirit of jazz. Just like its predecessor, neo-soul had an unmistakable sound. So, for lack of a different term, I coined neo-soul.” But, in terms of marketing today, there’s the need to categorize music for consumers so they know what they’re getting. There’s nothing really new under the sun. “When you classify music, it becomes a fad, which tends to go away,” he explained in a 2002 Billboard interview. How can soul music be “new” if it had existed long before this revamped reiteration? What exactly were the similarities between soul music then, and “new” soul music during this time period? Even today, most of the artists categorized under the sub-genre have spoken out against it, an apprehension that Massenburg had already addressed in the early 2000s as neo-soul was truly taking a hold on music.
It didn’t seem to make much sense because soul music had already proved to be withstanding. But it was Badu’s Baduizm that not only stamped its validity but foreshadowed its staying power decades after its invention.ĭuring its birth, neo-soul was seen as a fleeting ploy that wouldn’t survive longer than a floppy disk. Trademarked by Kedar Massenburg - the former president of Motown Records who discovered and signed Badu to his label, Kedar Records - in the late ‘90s, neo-soul was created as a promotional tool amid the rising success of artists like Maxwell, Lauryn Hill, and D’Angelo (who was managed by Massenburg), whose debut album Brown Sugar solidified the sub-genre. Mysterious yet inviting, Badu properly introduced herself on her debut album Baduizm, a project that beautifully blended enigmatic cerebral lyrics, subtle jazz intonations, and hip-hop sensibilities to create something that modernized soul music in a refreshing way, helping give birth to the sub-genre neo-soul. Adorned in tall head wraps, kemetic jewelry and distinctive African-inspired garb, Badu stood out aesthetically and musically from her contemporaries.
With perfectly coiffed tresses and stylish ensembles from luxury fashion designers, the standard would soon be met with its celestial antithesis, brought about by a petite young lady from Dallas, Texas, who would become known as Erykah Badu. Blige, and the striking vocal prowess that leapt from the likes of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. The year is 1997, and the leading women in R&B were in two lanes: the heart-wrenching musings of the around the way girl in the key of Faith Evans and Mary J. Photo Credit: Ebet Roberts/Redferns Erykah Badu’s Baduizm not only stamped neo-soul’s validity but foreshadowed its staying power decades after its invention. Erykah Badu's inaugural body of work, Baduizm, took key ingredients from inspired genres and concocted a sound that was yet to be produced.
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