Finding the right Erykah Badu poster for you
The Dallas emcee slash crooner has recorded five studio albums and appeared on dozens more as a featured artist. The only consistent thing about Badu is when you hear her, you're going to hear quality vocals. The best place to listen to her is on wax because she has quite the reputation for live shows. Oddly enough there kind of appears to be two versions of this artist: the album-driven version of the 2000s, and the concert and other endeavors version of the 2010s. When it comes to collecting it seems finding posters from the bridging of these eras is the way to go.
2011 is right after the release of her last studio album, New Amerykah Part Two, which was her last studio album to date. Badu toured the US and Europe over the summer of 2010, and this poster is at a festival in Dubai entitled the Chill Out Festival. Interestingly enough, this is a silkscreen poster that was signed and numbered by the artist EMEK. There are a total of 450 posters and it's going for $150. That's a pretty good price for a poster in excellent condition; the colors and images behind Badu feel larger than life. It's not often anything complimenting Erykah Badu can command just as much attention as Badu herself.
International silkscreens the way to go
Oddly enough while searching for posters for this article, the options that grab my attention are the international posters. Apparently the international stops command silkscreen and imagery that's very eye-catching. First it was Dubai in the previous article, and now it's Russia right here:
The Russian letters combined with Badu front and center for some reason feels very distinctive. It might be the colors, it could be all of the imagery surrounding Badu as well as behind her. For whatever reason, this one caught my eye. The price tag is pretty solid too at less than $100 after including shipping costs to the US (everywhere else, shipping makes this over $100).
2008 is the year New Amerykah Part One released to critical and commercial success. This album arguably made Badu's music career even bigger than her debut project did. Part of that success could be due to recording in Electric Lady studios; it could also come from having so many artists and producers sending her music to check out (including songs from Questlove of The Roots, J Dilla, and many more).
If you want something even more affordable and closer to the start of her career, check out this New Orleans show from 2005:
Not nearly as artsy or colorful, this House of Blues poster is only $35 on eBay when available. Badu had a fairly transitional period in 2005, as she apparently dealt with some writer's block prior to the two albums listed above. Earlier posters might also be easier to obtain due to this period of her career not receiving as much attention. The good news is, there is no part of Badu's career that doesn't have something worth checking out. It's up to you to decide which part beckons to you the loudest.
