Thank you, Erykah

A letter to Ms. Badu.
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Dear Erykah,

Thank you for the alternative. Since 1997 you have provided music and fashion with innovative stylings, and I applaud you for your work. As a product of the 1990's, it was so hard to find a place to fit in between the Azzure denim and Air Force One's. Awkward girls like me with too large vocabularies and untameable hair couldn't be fly....until you. You made kente clothe and head wraps and incense burning cool. And in 7th grade, I dressed like you for show and tell performance.

Your charisma is magnetic, and your soulful, almost cosmic lyrics drive me and your faithful followers to heights that can't be fathomed by the typical hip-hop head. I can't believe how fly you are some times, and so bold. So bold, in fact, that you have had locks, gone bald, and even snatched off your afro wig during a live (recorded) performance [Dave Chappelle's Block Party].

So Ms. Badu, thank you. Thank you for giving myself and many others the free pass to be their authentic selves. Thank you for being an "analog girl in a digital world", doing things that people don't understand, but feel. Most of all, thank you for making great music.

T.