Although we still have no word on the new album Erykah Badu has been working on, New Amerykah Part II, Fourth World War, we DO have a Badu update for you today.  In addition to spending many hours in the studio (and many being a mommy to new baby Mars Merkaba), E found time to attend the launch of Limited Edition Superbly Restorative Argan Body Lotion in Santa Monica.  Check out the cool pics from the event, below, where Badu rocks the Amelia Earhart look beautifully.  She also found time to attend an event for her non-profit, Beautiful Love Incorporated Development (B.L.I.N.D.), which teamed up with The Blues School House Program to take students through the history of American Blues.  The program was intended as a "moving musical program tracing the evolution of the blues from its roots in African culture through its emergence and evolution as a unique American musical form," and took place at the House of Blues.  The students toured the venue, and ended the event with a surprise performance by Ms. Badu.  According to nbcdfw.com, “I want them to understand the origins of music. It’s quite impossible to pinpoint the origin of music because music is vibrations, but to give them a brief history of where the music they listen to today comes from," Badu said. "It’s not just as simple as rap and it’s a very intricate art form. If you’re not going to document your own history then someone else will document it for you and you no longer own it.”  For more information on this event, see the full article here.  Big kudos to Badu for using her voice and creative spirit to educate today's youth.  Follow me after the jump for a small Erykah Badu photo gallery from both events.


Another beautiful Badu quote from nbcdfw.com: “Art is as essential as water. It’s the most natural form of ownership to what it is that created us. It makes us see, whether it’s visual art, singing or music or sculpting or painting or dance -- that’s the actual visual manifestation of creation, and that keeps us alive. It’s very essential and I think it would be a great mistake for DISD, or any other school system to cut out the art and turn us into robots -- into machines and computers -- and that’s not what we are,” said Badu.