Community: Fans, Friends, and Artists- Erykah Badu

I love this spoken word poem because it goes through the perspectives of more than one person in life. What do I mean by that? Well, people have a habit of using spoken word to narrate personal experiences in first person- the use of the word “I.”  The use of first person and the word “I” is powerful but,  a spoken word poem like this one allows you to peek through the lense of different “characters.”- (friends, fans, and artists). In doing so, you find yourself captivated by the next line- it’s mysterious in a way because you continue to wonder what she will say next. Your own story will do just fine too but, something special can occur when you speak like she just did in this spoken word poem. Of course, Erykah Badu is a singer/artist so I believe the last part of the poem is most likely, a reflection of her experiences in the industry.

It’s so true, this poem, the way a fan, friend, and artist feel entirely different things. A fan is only concerned about hearing their “idol,” or the person they look up to perform. They find themselves thrilled and excited at each new performance. In America for sure, they become in an unhealthy way, obssessed with the other person… For a friend, you hear artists talk all the time about how friends change once they become famous. In fact, artists have a hard time figuring out who to trust and lean on. In the end, artists find themselves feeling quite sad or discouraged. Inevitably, talking about friends leads to talking about the artist. I think its interesting ( in the video) how Erykah Badu throws up her cue cards towards the end of the spoken word piece. In my opinion, it feels as if she does this to get our attention–> I wonder if the last half of her poem was the most important part to get across to the audience.   ?

parts like this one: “All I wanna do is give the world my heart, record lables try to make me compromise my art.”

This spoken word piece is a powerful one, it allows you to take a peek into the different perspectives of people, while at the same time making you laugh and keeping your attention!