Erykah Badu has spoken about the inspiration she takes from Drake, both musically and in life. In a new interview with Paper, Badu explains that her new mixtape, But You Caint Use My Phone, was inspired by her cover of Hotline Bling, saying, “the frequency was right so I just pulled together some songs that were phone-oriented and called the project But You Caint Use My Phone, which is a line from my song Tyrone“.
Of the dad-dancing Canadian, she says, “Drake is an inspiration to me because he is ever evolving and very creative. He is a brilliant performer all the way around — he is a brilliant actor, he has really great comedic timing. He’s just one of those artists that has a natural ability to perform, and I admire that because I feel that we come from the same tribe if you will of performance artists”.
“We don’t talk very often or anything,” Badu says, “It’s just in meeting we recognise that kindred thing. I am an ear to him if he wants to talk or vice versa, but other than that we love the same, and that’s performing and reinventing ourselves and creating. I think that is what we have in common the most”.
Drake’s not just a musical inspiration though, he also did a pretty sweet favour for Badu. She says, “We first met in person when I invited him to Dallas to come speak at my son’s elementary school about six years ago. He was going to be in Dallas, and I thought it would be a really good surprise for Seven [her son] because Drake is his favorite artist. And Drake did come and it was just an automatic attraction we had to each other. We just hit it off and I became a big sister to him or an ear and after that we just kept in touch. Of course Drake is extremely busy but when Seven and him are in the same city, they always connect. He is very generous with his time with my son and I really appreciate that. And he is also friends with André [3000], Seven’s father. He is just a really good person, all the way around. He is one of those people that has talent and compassion for others”.