The Editors of encyclopaedia Britnncia (10-19-2014) ERYKAH BADU AMERICAN SINGER SONGWRITER (online)
available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Erykah-Badu (accessed 28/4/17)
By Mark Edward Nero Updated March 26, 2017 WHAT IS NEO SOUL? (online)
available at:https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-neo-soul-2851222(28/4/17)
By Carvell Wallace Contributor (July 10 2016 )Lauryn HillThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (online) available at: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22035-the-miseducation-of-lauryn-hill/ By john duffy Acoustic soul- India rie (online) available at:http://www.allmusic.com/album/acoustic-soul-mw0000001036 (accessed 1st june 2017)
by wikipedia (28 May 2017, at 02:08) Baduizm(online)available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduizm (accessed 1st june 2017)
Biography.com Editors (online)available at: https://www.biography.com/people/erykah-badu-21358393 (accessed 1st june 2017)
by wikipedia (online)available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauryn_Hill (accessed 1st june 2017)
by wikipedia (online)available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India_Arie (accessed 1st june 2017)
by India Arie(online)available at:https://www.soulbird.com/ (accessed 1st june 2017)
by wikipedia (online)available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acoustic_Soul (accessed 1st june 2017)
by John Duffy (online)available at:http://www.allmusic.com/album/acoustic-soul-mw0000001036 (accessed 1st june 2017)
CASE STUDY
For my case study I will be researching about the Neo-soul genre , including the artist who are within the genre . The artist I have chosen are Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu.
ABOUT NEO-SOUl
Neo-soul is a genre that was first introduced in the late 1980s early 1990s by kedar Massenburg,who wanted to create a new genre that combined both contemporary R&B and soul together. This genre also include other elements from different genres such as ; African music, funk, jazz, and Hip hop. Neo soul artist are also well known for their spiritual concious lyrics and large female appearances. The genre began gaining a large amount of popularity in the early 90s with new upcoming artist such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, D'angelo, And Maxwell etc. Since Neo soul mainstream popularity its diversity has rapidly increased over the years both in America and internationally. But since the Early 2000s its popularity has declined.
By wikipedia (3/5/17) available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_soul (accessed 28/5/17)
ARTISTS
Erykah Badu: Erykah Badu is a African American singer songwriter, record producer, activist and actress. Erykah became popular after she opened a show for D'angelo in 1994. Kedar Massenburg an American record producer witnessed her appearance at the show and was impressed by her performance, so he instantly signed her to his record company called Kedar entertainment. Badu first album was released on 11th February in 1997 and it was called Baduizm. Baduizm
Erykah debut album Baduizm gained a large amount of popularity with big hits such as On&On,Apple tree and Next lifetime.The same year Badu won 2 Grammy awards for best R&B album and best female R&B vocal performance. the recording of this album began in september to October of 1996. Erykah Badu did the Leading, and backing vocals of most of her songs as wells playing the keyboard, drum machine and other music programming. Ike lee, The Roots, Bob Power, Madukwu Chinwah, Tone the backbone, and JaBorn Jamal etc, are some producers and instrumentalists who helped with the creation of Baduizm What song influence you with your own music? The songs that have influenced me from the Baduizm album is On &On and Apple tree. The reason why these 2 songs have influenced me is because they sound diverse because Badu has included certain elements from different genres such as funk, hip hop and soul. Lyrically her music is interesting because she includes a certain amount of knowledge within her music, so you can both learn and enjoy at the same time. her songwriting techniques are also really unique because she design them in a way as if she is telling you a bedtime story or a poem. Badu lyrics are also repetitive and catchy, I believe she does this to allow the listeners understand the message she is trying to give out. I have tried to include these factors within my music for example, in my original African Queen I have continuously repeated phrases such as "Your the African Queen In your heart, Your the African in your soul" and "Your body is a temple of knowledge", to make the audience understand the message I'm giving out. The instruments i have used are mainly acoustic, but I have used a drum machine to make it sound more modern. Within My music I have also tried to include knowledgable quotes for example (African queen) "Your body is a temple of knowledge" is an ancient Egyptian proverb. I included this quote to allow the audience to understand that your body is more powerful than what you believe. I had also included words such as "dipped in chocolate" and "bronzed by the sun". What makes Badu special to you? I see Erykah as an Afrocentric, unique charcter. She is very knowledable about who she is and her history. I love the her songwriting techniques , and the way she intertwines knowledge within her music,so audience is able to learn and enjoy the music at the same time.
The Editors of encyclopaedia Britnncia (10-19-2014) ERYKAH BADU AMERICAN SINGER SONGWRITER (online)
available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Erykah-Badu (accessed 28/5/17)
By Wikipedia (28/5/17) Baduizm (Online) Available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baduizm (Accessed 1/6/17)
Lauyn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an African American singer songwriter, record producer and actress. When Lauryn was in middle school she sang the Star-Spangled Banner In a basketball game, it caught a lot of attention and was used as a video in many other games afterwards. 1988 She had also entered into an ameture night contestant at apollo singing Smokey Robinson who's lovin you. It didn't so great for Lauryn as she ended getting booed off stage.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill Lauryn Hills debut Album was Released in August 25th 1998, it earned 10 nomination and won 5 awards it also sold over 8 million copies in America and 19 million would wide. The reason why i am inspired by this album is because of the Hill was able to include her opinions and knowledge about the world. In an interview years later Lauryn had said."When some women are pregnant, their hair and their nails grow, but for me it was my mind and ability to create. I had the desire to write in a capacity that I hadn't done in a while. I don't know if it's a hormonal or emotional thing ... I was very in touch with my feelings at the time." By wikipedia (Background) The miseducation of Lauryn Hill (3 May 2017, at 19:36.) available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miseducation_of_Lauryn_Hill (2/5/17). The songs that i am influenced by from this album are Doo Wop ( That Thing), and Nothing even matters (D'angelo). Lyrically these songs are very powerful , especially "doo wop as she talks how women should respect themselves much more than they do. For my songs I wanted to create songs about love and embracing who you are, these two songs where some of the songs I listened too to create my originals.
By Carvell Wallace Contributor (July 10 2016 )Lauryn HillThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (online) available at: http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22035-the-miseducation-of-lauryn-hill/
by wikipedia (1/6/17) (online)available at:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauryn_Hill (accessed 1st june 2017)
By wikipedia (28/6/17) available at :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Miseducation_of_Lauryn_Hill
I will be creating 3 songs and a cover acoustically and will be performing as live performance with a band. Most of my work is design mainly for solo performances (guitar and vocals) me My weakest area is my performance because allow my nerves to over power and restrict from performing well as I should. For this final project I will be performing with more confidents and also have the leading vocals in all the songs I perform. My research plan is to split my research into primary and secondary research. The primary research is based on Information about my final major project, so it will contain interviews of people explaining the positive and negative things about my performance of my songs and what I need to improve. The secondary research is based on research that already exists, so I'll be searching about genres and artist that I want to relate more with.
My case studies is going to be based on 2-3 different artist from the Neo-Soul genre. I'll be searching about their songwriting techniques, their background and the reason why I am influenced by their music . Methodolgy : I'm going to be creating my songs and organising who is in my group in the first week. Week 2 :I should have been able complete all my songs and oraganise the structure of my band , also should have written my proposal and have some secondary research. Week 3: I should have completed all my songs and my proposal and be organising my research more and be able to work with my band more. Week 4 : Everything should have been completed including written and practical work. Week 5 I will perform in the concert and complete my evaluation and make sure all my other work corrected. My collaboration are Amina, Sade, Daniele, Ivan, Morgan, Reahana, Kessana and Beatrice.
Introduction: I will be forming a band writing 3 original songs from scratch and fuse both neo soul R&B together to create my own sound. At the end of the term I will performing them live in the summer concert. Context: Most of my work is design mainly for solo performances (guitar and vocals), so for this project I will form a band, and see how I will be able to construct and organise the overall project. Outline research plan: My research plan is to split my research into primary and secondary research. The primary research is based on Information about my final major project, so it will contain interviews of people explaining the positive and negative things about my performance, songs and what I need to improve. The secondary research is based on research that already exists, so I'll be searching about genres and artist that I will be able to relate my music more with. Case Studies: My case studies are going to be based on 2-3 different artist from the Neo-Soul genre. I'll be searching about their songwriting techniques, background and explaining how I am going to relate their music with my own. Methodology: To achieve my goals within my project i would need to have: strong communication skills with my band and teachers, be organised before going to sessions, I have recordings and written work for back up and also to help my band, and for each week I will set targets on what i need to improve and include. Timeline Week 1 I will be creating my songs and organising who is in my group in the first week. Week 2 :I should have been able complete all my songs and oraganise the structure of my band. I should also have written my proposal and have some secondary research. Week 3: I should have completed all my songs and my proposal and be organising my research more and be able to work with my band more. Week 4 : Everything should have been completed including written and practical work. Week 5 I will perform in the concert and complete my evaluation and make sure all my other work is corrected.
My collaboration are Amina, Sade, Morgan, Kessana.
The Editors of encyclopaedia Britnncia (10-19-2014) ERYKAH BADU AMERICAN SINGER SONGWRITER (online)
available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Erykah-Badu (accessed 28/4/17) SU,MMARY
Overall this article explains how Erykah started in the music industry, her educational background, where she came from, her first album and how she made an affect in the music industry. The Article explains that Badu didn't have much of a musical background, but on the other hand she had done dance and theatre in college. She dropped out of college in 1993 to pursue her dream to become a famous musician. She ended up creating a band named Erykah free with her cousin, while working as a waitress and a drama teacher. In 1995 she had an opportunity with her band to open for D'angelo, which was able to catch Badu enough attention to get signed to a record label. In 1997 Erykah first single called On&On was released and gained a lot of popularity, a month later she had also released her first album called Baduizm which reached number 2 on the billboard. The same year she had won 2 Grammy's, four soul train awards, and 2 NAACP image awards. Her second album Mamas Gun(2000) sold decently well because of singles such as bag lady. In 2003 her 3rd album worldwide underground was released, it is a collection of songs that were said to be an EP (extended play). In 2008 she released another album called New Amerykah . Part One:4th World War which used a lot elements from the funk genre and also used a lot of conscious lyrics. A second part of the album was released in 2010 ( New Amerykah . Part two: Return of the Ankh) and it gained a lot of controversy for Erykah walking naked through Dealey plaza for won of her videos where president
John .F.Kennedy got shot. I was influenced by this article because it explained in small detail how she
had gradually made her way up the ranks through the music industry, how she was influenced by
many old school artist, how she used elements from different genre to create her own sound and lastly how she includes conscious lyrics within her music.
LUX4RT(Published on 9th Oct 2016) Lauryn Hill available at: accessed 1/5/17) SUMMARY This interview was based on the true understanding about Lauryn Hills debut album Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Shetalks when she was producing the album she didn't think it would make that much of an impact then what it actually did, as she said she was trying to express herself through her music . Hill was trying to find her unvidual voice, because I believe she was so used to relying on other group members to back her up, but as a solo artist you have to be more independent and rely more on yourself. Lauryn said that she was really excited to use other elements from different genre, from old school songs Doo Wop, harmonisation and contrast them together to make her own sound for the new generation. The reason why I was intrigued by this interview is because I was able understand the background more clearly from the artist perspective. I also wanted to understand the deeper message she tried to give out to society at the time. She wanted to embrace women hood and show the beauty, and power women are capable of having. That is why I wanted to relate some my songs with Hills first album.
by Editorial staff (October 22nd 2013) Summary and Analysis of phenomenal woman By Maya Angelo (online) available athttps://beamingnotes.com/2013/10/22/summary-analysis-phenomenal-woman-maya-angelou/ ( 7/6/17)
Summary
This article breaks the poem phenomenal woman into 4 stanza, and explains in deep detail the true meanings of the poem. in the first stanza it explain that Maya begins with showing hatred upon stereotypes. It gives a description of her not having the typical perfect body but she has still been successful in life. It explains that her secret is meant to be here confidence, posture, smile, and the she moves her hips. Maya explains that her body is an expression of womanliness. She finishes the first stanza with explaining she is a phenomenal woman. the word phenomenal is meant to describe her physical structure as well as personality.
Stanza 2: In the second stanza it talks about Maya explaining that she doesn't have much of a feminine features, but men fall for her like a swarm of bees. As she knows she is a phenomenal woman she embraces it everyday
Stanza:3 in the third stanza she says that men are still inspired by her, but she also says that her secret is not unique, is only exposed through her body movements and expressions. Her unresolved mystery makes her so intriguing to men, but Maya says she is a woman phenomenally.
Stanza 4: In the last stanza Maya tries to explain to her readers why she walks with her head held high. She also says she doesn't need to be loud to catch attention is only her body movements and expressions that make her phenomenal woman. This poem is influential to me because it gives a clear understanding that their is more to beauty than the physical appearance, and how you should embrace who you are as person because everyone is unique. I used certain elements from this poem to create one of my songs called African Queen. The song is based on uplifting coloured women and understanding how precious they are as people.
MangoldProject (published May 19 2017) Neo Soul Chords for Beginners: Simple Principles for Voicing Them (accessed 1/6/17)
It talks about how to create Neo soul chords. You must use either the 7th, 9th and 13th chords, also the chords are mainly clustered notes. You choose a scale and take only the 7th, 9th, 13th. The rules of chord voicing are : You can move them up and down an octave, you can double any note an octave without changing the chord itself. Throughout the video gives examples of neo soul chords and how to create them.
LUX4RT ( published October 10th 2016) Lauryn Hill | Interview | Full (accessed 1/6/17)
In this interview Lauryn Hill talk about the process and development of her first album. She also talks about about her band and what she was going through at the time of her producing Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Hill explains that you have to be independent an unique to stand out in the music industry. She talks about the messages of her music in deeper detail. I believe that Lauryn Hill made a big affect within the Neo-Soul genre as well as the music industry, so I think that its really important to understand her point of view and her mindset behind the creation of her albums.
Week 4: In this week I had to sort out the harmonies within my songs because they were out of tune. I also decided to include a bass in 2 of my songs which were African Queen and Free. I have sorted out my case study and literature, I am hoping to complete the rest of my course work.
Week 5: The majority of the week I practiced with my band and tried to improve faults in my songs before the concert.
The first practice gig occurred on the 31st January in The 139 room. My band (soulfoul trigger) was the first to perform. We only performed one song which was our original called ( Need that kind of love). The pros of our performance is that the vocal harmonies where on point in the beginning of the song, and the Bass, drums and piano where on point. The cons where that our synth player (samarth) was out of time throughout the piece, Kessana was too quiet when she sang, I sounded to strain when I sang, and we didn't show any sign that we either excitement or enjoyment to the audience. Band 2 where entertaining to watch, one of their songs where (One dance by drake) which was the only issue I had with their performance was some of the singers where out of tune other than that it was a great performance.
Actual Gig
The gig occurred on the 14th April at 6:30, The first performance was done by Sugar puff fairy band and the songs they performed where wicked game, one dance and never forget. Overall their performance was extremely good, my favourite song out of 3 is one dance because they where able to make it their own which sounded unique. The last performance was my band (soulful trigger) we did have a few technical difficulties and the mini brief was out of tune but we still carried on with the performance. overall our performance was decent it could have been better. The pros and cons of our performance as a band is that we did have more communication then our previous practice gig and we seemed more alive and energetic on stage. The negative side of our performance is that samarth was not able to hear himself out of tune on the mini brief (synth) and also out of time with the rest of the band,vocally I wasn't as good as the previous performance because I allowed my nerves to overpower my performance. I think overall our concert was the best out of all the other concerts we have done.
