STREAM EXCLUSIVE ORIGINALS

Erykah Badu Reveals Why She Became a Doula

Singer gets holistic in BETX 2015 Genius Talk.

The Baduizm effect is more than those green eyes and honey vocals.

Erykah Badu is so present, in fact, she's sometimes called upon to help give birth to, yes, real live babies as a certified doula. 

| THE EVOLUTION OF ERYKAH BADU |

"I've always been into holistic health," the singer explained in her Genius Talk with Combat Jack and Janelle Monáe at the 2015 BET X in L.A. Saturday (June 27). But it wasn't even her own offspring ("I had my three children natural, in my bed," she revealed) who inspired her to make her lifestyle a service. It was that time she helped stic.man's wife, Afya go through 52 hours of labor. Without anesthesia.

"I learned a great deal about myself that day," she said. "It's wonderful being the welcoming committee for new lives coming in."

| REWIND: KENDRICK LAMAR VIBES WITH ERYKAH BADU AT THE 2013 BET AWARDS |

And since the cypher keeps moving, and Badu's aura is so clear, she's also begun incorporating being of service during someone's last breaths. Health, she says, is not merely about the physical. It's also about the emotional, and she's noticed there's a similar way about people who are just being born as those who are passing.

Speaking of emotions, Badu is such a sensitive soul, she's also long considered channeling that gift into being a serious actress. "I started with theatre very young," she noted, and later began envisioning herself acting while she was working at a comedy club ("I'm a hustler," she joked. "Whoever wanna hear, 'Call Tyrone...'"). She was adamant, however, about becoming a singer first. Singer-turned-actors tend to get more respect than actors-turned-singers, she explained (except for Drake of course).

See The Best of Genius Talks, airing on BET Friday, July 3 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Meanwhile, watch a clip of Kobe Bryant's Genius Talk with ESPN's Jemele Hill in the 2015 BETX video Xclusive below, Kobe Bryant Forgives Larry Nance Jr. for Offensive Tweet

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music

Click here for a chance to win a girls’ trip to Miami!

(Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for Samsung)

(Photo: Jason Kempin/BET/Getty Images for BET)

Latest News

Subscribe for BET Updates

Provide your email address to receive our newsletter.


By clicking Subscribe, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers) and other information from BET and the Paramount family of companies. You understand that you can unsubscribe at any time.