Erykah Badu ‘New Amerykah part 2’ album teaser.

The New album from Erykah Badu and follow up to New Amerykah drops on 30th March, and expectations have only intensified since recent leaks of track Window Seat, and bonus song Jump in the air and stay there featuring Lil Wayne emerged. It’s now unknown whether Window Seat will still feature on the album but the full video for Jump in the air has now been available on Badu’s official site for nearly two weeks and is a bit of a cracker.

There has also been a leaked original track list and production credits, so we know Badu is teaming up with some of the usual suspects such as Madlib who was all over Mamas Gun, Questlove of the Roots, and J Dilla from beyond the grave. It also features regular contributors and industry heavyweights SaRa, James Poyser, and 9th Wonder who was responsible for hit Honey from Part 1.

Jump in the air featuring Lil Wayne is definitely Badu’s current and synth-bass driven hip hop side, and anyone who’s heard Badu talk about music knows she’s a real hip hop head so it’s no wonder there have been rumours that more than a handful of MCs will feature on her, now fifth, studio album. Is it just me though or does Lil Wayne seem like not the most obvious of collaboration choices...? Anyway, the track does have a suitably cool and stylish kaleidoscope of a video that’s well worth a watch.

Window Seat, on the other hand, sounds like vintage Erykah Badu, and is more of a throwback to the Baduizm, Mama’s Gun days with Badu’s vocal floating over James Poyser’s slick jazz/soul keys and a real crunchy fat-back from Questlove. Badu explains, ‘Part 1 was more socially political... this time the album is more emotional and flowy and talks about feelings. It reminds me of the days of Baduizm.’ Judging by these comments from the, ‘first lady of neo-soul’, it sounds like Window seat is a good yard-stick for the direction of New Amerykah Part 2, so be ready for some big classic jams at the end of next month, and maybe an epic ballad or two.

 Written by Matt Hamilton