Erykah Badu Hosts $1 Online Concert & Shares Quarantine Struggles

BY Erika Marie 4.1K Views
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Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu wanted to shed light on what out-of-work musicians are going through during this COVID-19 quarantine.

As we're all making the most of these days under quarantine, celebrities have been offering up free home concerts to help pass the time. John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen hosted an Instagram Concert from their living room, as did Anthony Hamilton, Keith Urban, and DJ D-Nice. Music icon Erykah Badu wanted to give back to her adoring fans, so she offered up an online concert for $1.

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On Monday (March 23), Erykah streamed her inexpensive live show on her BaduWorld Market website. “I got a house full of masked engineers, musicians, techs, who are all out of work... We have a few band members that’s stuck in other states." the singer said, according to Page Six. "I called them earlier and told them today, y’all still on the payroll even though y’all not here,” she said.

Not only did Erykah bless fans with all of their favorites hits from the award-winning singer, she took time out to educate her viewers on how things work behind the scenes for musicians. “How [the music industry] works is, the artists get about 8 to 20 percent [of record sales], but it’s not paid until the record label recoups the money they loaned to you in the form of an advance."

"It’s really not designed for us to become wealthy," she explained. "That’s why we rely on our live shows. We’re not rich people. We just play rich people on TV. This is how we make our living and some of us only have one form of income and that’s shows. I wanted to create another revenue of income and you’re helping me do that in a big way.” Check out a few clips below

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About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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