New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War cover

New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War

Released

Even with so many notable collaborators — Madlib, Omar Rodríguez-López, Sa-Ra, Georgia Anne Muldrow, a whole nebula of Soulquarians — Badu’s greatest album in a career filled with them still feels like a powerful auteur statement. This is where what feels like her bohemian-cool neo-soul assurance fully displays itself as the product of a lot of navigated anxiety and meditative strength. And it also happens to be the funkiest record of the whole decade, from the Blaxplendence of the opening “Amerykah Promise” to the closing lover’s euphoria “Honey.”

Nate Patrin

Recommended by

Suggestions
Green Twins cover

Green Twins

Nick Hakim
G I R L cover

G I R L

Pharrell Williams
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) cover

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Various Artists
The Time Has Come cover

The Time Has Come

The Chambers Brothers
Ten Percent cover

Ten Percent

Double Exposure
Beautiful cover

Beautiful

Teena Marie
Mali Is… cover

Mali Is…

Mali Music
Love to the World cover

Love to the World

L.T.D.
Good Morning Gorgeous cover

Good Morning Gorgeous

Mary J. Blige
Fly or Die cover

Fly or Die

N*E*R*D
The Daily News cover

The Daily News

Donnie
Space Shift cover

Space Shift

Steve Spacek