Erykah Badu Breaks Down The Meaning Of “Woke” And What Some People Mean By It

Erykah Badu recently addressed what a certain segment of people mean when using the term “woke” to address social injustices and other matters. On Tuesday (March 28), the 52-year-old singer sat down for an interview with journalist Ari Melber on MSNBC’s The Beat. During the segment, Badu voiced her belief that a number of political pundits and others use “woke” as a substitute for “Black” and that it’s often used in a demeaning manner.

“I think they mean ‘Black,'” the Texas native told the host when asked about the word’s underlying intent. “It’s just another way to say ‘thug’ or something else, right?” Yet, when asked about the sudden popularity of the word, Badu appears unaffected, offering that the term has become fair game. “It is what it is. It doesn’t belong to us anymore. Once something goes out in the world it take a life of its own. It’s an energy of it’s own.”

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She then went on to explain her definition of “woke,” noting that the word is applicable to many facets of life.

“I can tell you what it ‘woke’ means,” she said. “It just means being aware, being in alignment with nature, because if you’re in alignment with that, you’re aware of everything that’s going on. It’s not only in the political arena. That means with your heath, that means in your relationships, that means in your home, that means in your car, [and] that means in your sleep ”

According to Badu, she first used the term intentionally on the song “Master Teacher” from her 2008 album New Amerykah Part One (4th World War). “Even though you go through struggle and strife/ To keep a healthy life, I stay woke (I stay woke),” the songstress croons on the track, which served as a precursor to its surge in popularity after using the phrase in her 2012 tweet voicing support of Russian band Pussy Riot. “After that, woke took off,” Badu recalled.

The term “woke” and the phrase “stay woke” have both become popular within the American lexicon. In 2017, the term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary a year after first being included on Dictionary.com in 2016. It’s also made its way into speeches by the likes of former United States President Donald Trump, Childish Gambino’s 2016 single “Redbone,” and more.

Watch Erykah Badu’s MSNBC interview with Ari Melber below.

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