Erykah Badu & James Poyser

Singer, songwriter, and producer Erykah Badu is a vital, maverick, and highly influential player in progressive R&B. The Dallas native's lithe phrasing in "On & On," her sensational debut single, prompted comparisons to jazz legend Billie Holiday, and though she declared herself an "analog girl in a digital word" and soon became synonymous with the neo-soul movement, Badu is also a child of hip-hop, as comfortable working with sample-based production techniques as she is with a live band. Starting with the chart-topping, Grammy-winning "On & On" and its parent album, the simil...