You Have to See Yvonne Orji Serenading Erykah Badu With "Tyrone"
And now a dispatch from the "Sometimes We Can Have Nice Things, Dammit" department. File this one under subheadings "Yes, Gawd" and "'Twere It Me, I Would Have Died." During a social event at BET's Leading Women Defined, the Insecure star took to the stage to perform a karaoke rendition of "Tyrone." And who came right down, front and center, to take it in? Sara Bellum herself also known as Low Down Loretta Brown also known as MC Apples also known as the one and only Erykah Badu. As I said, 'twere it me, I would have promptly died.
Yvonne Orji somehow survives. No, not survives. She lives in this clip, giving a performance worthy of the neo-soul empress herself. And yes, that's hilarious best-selling author Luvvie Ajayi in the background taping the whole thing. And yes, Erykah Badu goes over to BET president Debra Lee at one point and hugs her, like you do. And, yes, that voice you hear supporting Yvonne's vocals is the Cynthia Erivo also known as Queen-thia Queen-rivo. This room like a tesseract of Black Girl Magic. How many dimensions of Black Excellence can you fit into one space?
This video is like Inception recast with all badass women of color, which, now that I've typed those words is all I want forever. Just give me two and a half hours of all your faves hopping through different levels of consciousness enacting a plot I could have sworn I understood when I first saw it but couldn't explain to you now if my life depended on it, to be honest. Ellen Page is an architect who designs the inside of your mind as the set of Dr. Strange? There's a top? Everyone is just trying to take a bath? I don't know. Just give me Queen-thia lassoing people in a gravity-less elevator plus that excellent bwah sound and I'll be happy.
This room is legit perfect. When I die I want to spend eternity haunting this room, but in a non-intrusive way. Hanging out in the corner not taking up any space. Because I'm a ghost. The problem, of course, is that being in this room would give me life. So, then I'd have to die again, go through ghost customs (which is getting more and more strict these days), and then catch a ghost ride (using the Boo-ber app) back to the room. Where I would eventually get my life again.
This afterlife life is exhausting. But for a chance to hear Yvonne Orji and Queen-thia Erivo sing "Tyrone" to Erykah Badu, Luvvie and a room full of visionary black women leaders-worth it!
Follow R. Eric Thomas on Twitter.
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