I was excited for the latest Erykah Badu album to drop for a number of reasons: 9 wonder, J Dilla and Madlib being a few of them. I heard the first single "Honey" and that solidified the anticipation... especially since I'd been so hooked on Jill Scott "The Real Thing" and had H.O.V.'s "American Gangster" playing for quite some time, I was just ready for a new enlightenment.
Alas, no promotion or marketing (besides a secretive VH-1 taping) and with a new bf behind her (Jay Electronica), New Amerykah was #2 spot on the charts it's first week out. So, I finally hear New Amerykah: Part 1 (a series of at least two, possibly three, albums tackling sociopolitical issues like poverty and 9/11 with musical influence sounding like 1940- 60's styles) in its entirety. I will say, if you are buying the album off of the strength of "Honey" hold your ponies! The upbeat, bubbly single is the only song of its kind on the album (not that there's anything wrong with that). Instead, 4th World War is mostly dark, minor-key melodies with eerie chants and talk of falling buildings and shout outs to Louis Farrakhan. It felt a little weird to me the first run through, but after two or three listens, it's grown on me. I like the fact that it's lyrical and creative, two KEY qualities I look for in any type of music I put on.
Basically, its Erykah trying something new, and at the end of the day what else would we expect from her?
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